Welcome to the new Azamara Club Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

One of the most interesting stands at the Cruise Show at Birmingham's NEC this weekend was the one for the new, updated Azamara Club Cruises, a boutique cruise line of no small distinction.

The name is not the only change you will notice, either. The company has added a whole raft of new features and onboard enhancements for the enjoyment of their guests. Azamara Club Cruises also takes guests to a wide range of enticing destinations, creating experiences that are once in a lifetime, such as the Panama Canal with its stunning wildlife (above). You can see the world through the local culture with its music, dance, art and history, or enjoy a more active excursion on extended biking trips, golf, walking or hiking. Shopping and dining are musts, of course, and the company's local experts can prepare you for your time ashore with insights about the right local flavours and tastes, as well as in-depth knowledge about local artisans and shops.

Why Azamara Club Cruises? Because their guests are truly part of a club whose members love to explore the globe, and enjoy being treated to the warmth and hospitality of their onboard staff, on their two smaller, more intimate ships. You can join them and become an instant member of Le Club Voyage. Membership is complimentary and includes up to two adults, over the age of 18, who live in the same household.

You can find out more at Azamara Club Cruises or through cruise specialists, The Cruise Line or check them out at the next Cruise Show, presented by the Daily Telegraph, at London's Olympia next March 26-27. And don't forget to check out the big Azamara feature in the latest edition of World of Cruising magazine, which has more insight into this unique operator.

The Daily Telegraph presents CRUISE Birmingham
16 – 17 October 2010
NEC, Birmingham

Get TWO tickets for the price of one with Time Spent At Sea by booking in advance - quote “Time Spent At Sea” or visit www.cruisingshow.co.uk

Plus! Exclusive advance ticket competition and ticket offer with Time Spent At Sea

For a chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to the Birmingham show, email your name, address and email address to sue@escapeevents.co.uk (not forgetting to mention Time Spent At Sea Birmingham as your reference!).

Even if you don't win, you can still receive TWO tickets for the price of one to the show when booked in advance. You can receive two £6 tickets for just £3 each (under 16s are free). Please add £1.50 postage and packing per order.

Order online at www.cruisingshow.co.uk or call 0871 620 4024 and quote “Time Spent At Sea.”

Opening Times
Saturday, 10am-5pm
Sunday, 10am-4pm

Ticket Prices
On the door: £10 (under 16s free)

From Whale Watching to Staying in a Fisherman's Cabin!

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Fancy seeing nature's gentle giants, the sperm whale, in their natural habitat and under the Midnight Sun? Exploring small fishing villages whilst staying in a traditional fisherman's 'Rorbuer'? Or taking a voyage that combines Norway and Spitsbergen and the chance to see Polar Bears?

All this, and much more, is now possible with new itineraries introduced for 2011 by Hurtigruten, which aim to bring passengers even closer to all that Norway has to offer. Alongside the traditional daily departures from Bergen that travel up and down the coast, the new voyages offer something a little different, combining time onboard and time on land.

Giants of the Deep - Vesterålen Whale Watching Adventure (from £2380pp)
This 12-day trip combines a voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to the Vesterålen Islands with two nights in Andenes for a whale-watching safari. This is the first time Hurtigruten has offered whale watching in the Summer. Just an hour north-west of Andenes is Bleik Canyon, part of the continental shelf and home to a rich supply of deepwater squid, cuttlefish and plankton; the staple diet of the sperm whale.

The trip departs on 31 July, 2011, and includes the 8-night voyage on a full board basis, one night in Bergen and two nights in Andenes on a B&B basis, whale-watching and tour lecturer and tour guide (based on two sharing and price includes early booking discount if booked by December 21; flights are extra).

Classic Norway and Spitsbergen (from £2814pp)
A new 11-day itinerary combining the coast of Norway and the north west of Spitsbergen with internal flights between. This trip takes in northern Spitsbergen, including Ny Ålesund, the world's most northerly permanent occupied settlement and hopes to cross the 80th parallel to visit Moffen Island.

There will be the chance to see a wealth of different wildlife and animals, including, hopefully, the Polar Bear. Four dates are available on July 25 and August 1, 8 and 15, 2011, and the price includes 10 nights full board on the ship, flights between Kirkenes and Longyearbyen and from Longyearbyen to Oslo (based on two sharing).

Themed Voyages with experts - these once again feature prominently, with themes including Polar History, Edvard Grieg, Birds of the Nordic Coast and Norway's National Day. Also new for 2011 is a New Year themed voyage that includes celebrating seeing in the New Year actually on North Cape, with prices from £1328pp.

For more information, look up http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or the dedicated Hurtigruten section of The Cruise Line Ltd.

You can also learn more about Hurtigruten cruises at The Cruise Show at Birmingham NEC on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia next March (26-27).

Regent Seven Seas Autumn Sunshine

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Five nights of Autumn sunshine are now possible with Regent Seven Seas Cruises on their new Barcelona cruise this November. The voyage includes Valencia and Funchal (Madeira) on Seven Seas Voyager (above), departing November 8, with 5 nights in a balcony suite from £1,499 per person.

The full itinerary is as follows:

8 November, sail from Barcelona
9 November, Valencia 8am-6pm
10 November, Cartagena 8am-6pm
11 November, Malaga 8am-6pm
12 November, At Sea
13 November, Funchal, Disembark

The generous price includes the 5-night all-inclusive cruise, free return economy flights, free unlimited shore excursions in every port, fine dining including speciality restaurants, all drinks and beverages, all gratuities, all onboard activities and use of luxury amenities, and 24-hour room service and in-suite dining.

For more information, look up http://www.rssc.co.uk/ or visit Regent Seven Seas at the Cruise Show at Birmingham NEC on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia next March (26-27). For more great deals on RSSC cruises, check out top specialist agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

New Cruises from Spirt of Adventure

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Discovery cruise ship Spirit of Adventure (above) has launched a new programme of exotic and intrepid itineraries for 2011, bringing passengers closer than ever before to the local cultures and traditions of many remote and unexplored destinations.

New to the schedule for next year are the United Arab Emirate of Ras Al-Khaimah and the exotic islands of Madagascar, Réunion and Indonesia, as well as the fascinating coasts of east, west and southern Africa. MV Spirit of Adventure will also be spending Christmas and New Year in the warm waters of Australasia, visiting Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands.

As one of the leading cruise companies, the small, intimate size of the ship means she can reach unusual and lesser known cities, islands and ports, including ports where no other cruise ships have ventured before. To get the most out of the destinations en route, Spirit of Adventure creates insightful tailor-made excursions, included in the price of the cruise, and carefully selects a range of expert guest speakers to inspire and educate passengers.

Here is a sample of next year's fascinating offerings:

The Undiscovered Coast
Visiting the lesser-known ports along Africa’s west coast, passengers will get an insight into authentic village life, including a unique opportunity to meet with a chief priest in the small village of Sanguera in Togo and a ceremonial Voodoo dance.
(17 nights from £3524 per person, based on two sharing; departs February 1, 2011)

Into Indonesia
Spirit of Adventure ventures to virgin territory as she leaves the ports visited by larger cruise ships to explore Indonesia’s picturesque islands. Passengers will be welcomed to remote villages by local tribes where they can visit the beautiful natural sites and track down the world’s largest lizard, the Komodo dragon.
(16 nights from £3,229 per person, based on two sharing; departs November 16, 2011)

To the Land of the Long White Cloud
For an unforgettable Christmas and New Year, customers can join this exciting voyage around the south coast of Australia and New Zealand, for the opportunity to visit incredible National Parks or join kayaking and jet boat excursions to see the most beautiful scenery.
(22 nights from £3924 per person, based on two sharing; departs December 15, 2011)

Red Sea Explorer
On an adventure off the well-trodden cruise path, passengers will visit the undiscovered ports of the Middle East as they sail from Dubai through to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, stopping to explore the picturesque villages of Salalah before calling at the rarely visited ports of Massawa, Eritrea, and Suakin, Sudan.
(16 nights from £2274 per person, based on two sharing; departs April 15, 2012)

All Spirit of Adventure cruises include a choice of tailor-made excursions, return scheduled or chartered economy flights, car parking at the departure port or airport, return transport, porterage, all visas, port taxes, all meals and on-board gratuities, a programme of lectures and presentations, welcome and farewell cocktail parties, entertainment and activities, plus table wines with lunch and dinner on selected cruises. What’s more, new passengers can take advantage of an introductory discount of up to £300 per person.

For further details, please visit http://www.spiritofadventure.co.uk/

You can also learn more about Spirit of Adventure offerings at The Cruise Show at Birmingham NEC on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia next March (26-27).

Costa Rica and the Panama Canal

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Niche tall ship cruise operator Star Clippers operate three of the world’s most head-turning ships, the magnificent four-masted, 170-passenger Star Flyer and Star Clipper and the flagship, five-masted, 228-passenger Royal Clipper.

2010/2011 is an exciting time for Star Clippers, with many new destinations and itineraries including new sailing areas, new home ports, several maiden calls and some unique cruise-and-stay ideas.

For example, this November sees the Star Flyer embarking on an exciting series of tall-ship sailings in Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua for the first time, exploring the bays and inlets of the Pacific coastline, with visits to lush rainforests and hidden lagoons. Prices are from £1,140 for a week’s cruise, including all meals on board, low-key evening entertainment and port charges, excluding flights.

Flyer will also make two spectacular transits of the Panama Canal, one at each end of the season, skimming the north coast of South America, visiting Cartagena (Colombia) and Margarita (Venezuela), as well as the southern Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curacao.

For more details, check out www.starclippers.co.uk

Are you going to the Cruise Show in Birmingham in October (16-17) or London in March (26-27)? You can learn more about Star Clippers - and the whole wide world of cruising!

Oceania Sterling Brochure

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Oceania Cruises have introduced many firsts in their increasingly impressive four-year history, and now comes another one in the shape of their first ever UK-priced brochure for the new winter 2011/12 programme (including sterling pricing also now online at http://www.oceaniacruises.co.uk/).

For the first time, British guests can take advantage of these worldwide, luxury cruises in a currency other than the $US, and our celebratory picture shows Oceania's UK sales manager Bernard Carter, Lynn Burt of The Cruise Line and Sheryl Wilkinson from Our Holiday Centre.

Sterling prices will also be in all Oceania brochures featuring cruises departing from January 1, 2011. The winter 2011/12 brochures were delivered to travel agents throughout September, signifying a new level of commitment from Oceania Cruises to its British guests.

Oceania Cruises offers luxury cruising on board three chic, mid-sized ships, Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, to be joined by the brand new Marina in February 2011 and Riviera in April 2012. The line focuses on comfort, cuisine and service, with a strong emphasis on offering the finest dining on the sea.

For more information, visit http://www.oceaniacruises.co.uk/

Want to learn more about Oceania Cruises and cruising in general? Then consider going to the fabulous Daily Telegraph Cruise Show. Venues are in Birmingham's NEC in October (16-17) and London's Olympia (March 26-27, 2011)in March.

Win Tickets for the Cruise Show

The Daily Telegraph presents CRUISE Birmingham
16 – 17 October 2010
NEC, Birmingham

Get TWO tickets for the price of one with Time Spent At Sea by booking in advance; quote “Time Spent At Sea,” visit http://www.cruisingshow.co.uk/

Exclusive advance ticket competition and ticket offer – Time Spent At Sea

For a chance to win one of five pairs of tickets to the Birmingham show, email your name, address and email address to sue@escapeevents.co.uk (not forgetting to mention 'Time Spent At Sea Birmingham' as your reference!).

Even if you don't win the free tickets, you can still receive TWO tickets for the price of one to the show when booked in advance, with a pair of £6 tickets for just £3 each (under 16s are free). Please add £1.50 postage and packing per order.

Order online at www.cruisingshow.co.uk or call 0871 620 4024 and quote “Time Spent At Sea”.

Opening Times
Saturday, 10am-5pm
Sunday, 10am-4pm

Ticket Prices
On the door: £10
Under 16s free

First 'All Suite Ship'

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Avalon Waterways is to introduce the very first ‘All Suite Ship’ – the Avalon Panorama – in May 2011.

Featuring in the company’s new European River Cruise brochure (Mar-Nov 2011), the Panorama is the first of its kind in the industry. Offering two full decks of suites with wall-to-wall sliding panoramic windows (above) that are 50% wider than the industry standard, the Panorama Suites are 200sq ft (30% larger than the industry standard) while the Royal Suites will measure an astonishing 300sq ft and feature a king-size bed, full size designer bathroom and separate toilet.

The Panorama will operate the 15-day ‘Magnificent Europe’ cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest and reverse) from May to November 2011, priced from £2,249 in a Panorama Suite and from £4,022 in a Royal Suite; and on the 13-day 'Blue Danube Discovery' (from Budapest to Prague) on 14 November, priced from £1,949 and £2836 .

Cruises offered as ‘no fly’ options and which operate in conjunction with Eurostar departures from London’s St. Pancras or Ebbsfleet include the 8-day ‘Paris to Normandy’s Landing Beaches’ and the 11-day ‘Burgundy & Provence.’

New for this edition is the possibility to book ‘cruise only,’ thus affording additional flexibility pre or post-cruise. Also new is the ability to pre-purchase a drinks package (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) which complements the existing free regional wine, beer or soft drinks served with dinner.

All holidays include a free door-to-door home pick-up service within a 75 mile radius of the chosen airport or Eurostar station. Prices in the new brochure start from £999 per person based on the 4-day ‘Taste of the Danube’ from Vienna to Budapest on board Avalon Tapestry departing on 16 October from London Heathrow or from a range of UK airports at a supplement.

For further information on the full range of itineraries available or to request a brochure, visit http://www.avaloncruises.co.uk/.

Avalon will also be exhibiting at the must-see Cruise Show in Birmingham in October.

A Spirited Adventure off the West African Coast.

By guest blogger Steve Newman

If you’re one of those who feels they don’t want to go to the bigger companies for a cruise of a lifetime, then take a look at Spirit of Adventure, which has just one small ship – MV Spirit of Adventure (above). Due to her small size, it means the ship can get in to exciting off-the-beaten track ports that the larger cruise ships can’t reach.

Therefore, the company’s itineraries always include fascinating destinations. For example, in February next year Spirit will set out from Cape Town on a 17-day cruise calling at such small ports as Luderitz and Walvis Bay in Namibia and Douala in Cameroon. Spirit of Adventure voyages include excursions in the price as well, so it’s ideal for those who want to get off and explore.

The ship has a capacity of 350 and a crew of 170 and novel features include films being shown in the open air on Sun Deck (weather permitting). The light and airy Verandah restuarant provides informal dining with buffet meals and the opportunity to dine al fresco when the weather is fine.

There is one sitting in the nautically themed dining room and the open dining policy allows you to sit where you like.

All in all, the ship will visit seven countries along the lesser-known west coast of Africa. You will be able to enjoy stunning landscapes and wildlife-watching trips and get closer to the cultural traditions as you discover the villages and bustling cities of this enigmatic region.

Highlights include looking out for the dolphins and seals of Walvis Bay and calls to lesser-visited ports, including Luanda in Angola and Cotonou in Benin

Price includes return scheduled flights, all gratuities on board, excursions and travel to and from your UK departure points.

Spirit of Adventure will also be exhibiting at the Cruise Show in Birmingham NEC in October.

For further details, please visit http://www.spiritofadventure.co.uk/

Embarkation for all ports!

OK folks, here's a quick 'Welcome Aboard' message from your new 'captain' for Time Spent At Sea, which is something we hope will develop into one of the most entertaining and informative Blogs about the wide World of Cruising (oops - cheap plug alert!).

My name is Simon Veness (one half of the almost-well-known Veness travel-writing team) and, as some people will already be aware, editor of World of Cruising magazine, Europe's longest-running and premier publication on the subject of cruising and cruise ships (whoops - there I go again!). By way of introduction, I have been cruising since I was nine (although there is no truth in the rumour I was on the maiden voyage of the original Queen Mary) and am a complete cruise addict. I am firmly of the opinion this is the best kind of holiday anyone will take - provided they choose the right voyage for their personal taste.

Modern cruising is a vastly different animal to that which many people associate with the image of yesteryear (or even my first experiences) and there is a vast amount of choice these days, hence it is vital people do their 'homework' before booking their first (or next) cruise. Our magazine obviously provides a lot of insight (oops - gratuitous plug No. 3!), but that should really be just the starting point for the booking process.

A good, up-to-date guidebook is also highly advisable (I use both Steve Stern's Guide to the Cruise Vacation and the inestimable Doug Ward's encyclopaedic Berlitz Guide to Cruising), while the internet is obviously invaluable, too, with sites like Cruise Critic providing a wealth of up-to-date info.

Obviously, we are happy to take all kinds of queries on the subject and develop an even greater database of info and advice, while UK cruise devotees should also make an early advance note in their diaries for March 27-28, 2010, when the second big CRUISE show, sponsored by the Daily Telegraph, will be open in London (at Olympia next year, as opposed the rather cavernous ExCel in 2009) and well worth visiting for special displays, talks and - especially - cruise deals. Check out their website early and often for how to get tickets in advance at reduced prices.

Finally, by way of a final 'plug' for this blog (and I promise to keep it relatively Ad-free in future!), we also have a companion Twitter with our sister company The Cruise Line Ltd which also provides little news nuggets and updates on what we're doing (and some juicy special offers!).

We will also, of course, continue to offer Blogs by some of our other notable contributors, like well-known travel writer and cruise aficionado Anthony Nicholas, and hopefully it will all add up to some fabulous Time Spent At Sea. All aboard, now............!