Southampton's £10million World Cruise Windfall

P&O Cruises will boost the local Southampton economy by some £10million in January as around 6,000 people depart on four world cruises from the South Coast port for the first time.
 
Collectively, the four cruises will visit 148 ports of call and highlights include overnight stays in Buenos Aires, New Orleans, Sydney and Cape Town, as well as scenic cruising in the Amazon, Cape Horn, Beagle Channel and the Amalia Glacier in Patagonia.
 
All four ships will be flying the 175th Anniversary flag as P&O kicks off a full year of celebrations to mark the 175th anniversary of the formation of the famous Peninsular Steam Navigation Company.
 
World cruises offer unrivalled value for money with prices for the 2012 itineraries starting at £82 per person per night, including all meals, entertainment and accommodation on board. They are also increasingly seen as the ideal way to travel the world in comfort and style.

The record quartet of 2012 world cruises are:

·        Aurora (pictured, above), 98-night westabout full world circumnavigation, departing January 4
·        Oriana, 97-night eastabout full world circumnavigation, departing January 5
·        Arcadia, 109-night Grand Odyssey, departing January 9

·        Adonia, 87-night South America Grand Adventure, departing January 13
 
A number of cabins are also still available on the full Aurora world cruise, with prices from £8,799 for the 98-night voyage.  A range of shorter sectors of the world cruises are also available and priced from £1,349 for a 17-night voyage from Southampton to Dubai on board Oriana.

For booking details, be sure to check with the UK's leading cruise agent specialist of The Cruise Line Ltd on this link.

Costa Favolosa Makes Maiden Dubai Call

Costa Cruises opens its sixth consecutive season in the Emirates with the inaugural call in Dubai of the flagship Costa Favolosa, the largest and most advanced ship ever deployed in the region.

From December 16 to April 6, Favolosa will be sailing on seven-night cruises in the exotic seas of the Arabian Gulf, with two days in Dubai, one-day stopovers in Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Khasab (Oman) and ending with a further overnight stay in Dubai. 

The Jewels of the Emirates cruise also has an itinerary reminiscent of A Thousand and One Nights, offering a tantalising mix of past and future, unspoiled oases and stunning futuristic architecture, dune surfing, mosques and skyscrapers.

This year’s route features the additional port call of Khasab, which boasts towering cliffs and deep blue waters. Thanks to the positioning of Favolosa, Costa will make 58 port calls in the United Arab Emirates in winter 2011/2012.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Regent Offer Four New Early Winter Voyages

Regent Seven Sea’s free and unlimited shore excursion programme is designed to bring out the best of each destination and provide a carefully considered and safe way to explore off the beaten track destinations. Sailing on the all-suite, all-balcony Seven Seas Voyager, where guests are one of only a few hundred, the line has announced four new cruises taking in the best of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, enabling guests to experience free excursions to some of the world’s holiest and most ancient cities.



The four new itineraries include calls to fascinating ports such as Ephesus, Safaga and Haifa as well as a transit of the Suez Canal and extended overnight stays at Ashdod and Petra, to provide an unforgettable east-meets-west experience. Choose from:

Luxor to Limassol: 8 nights, Nov 12

Calling at Petra (overnight), Sharm El Sheikh, transit Suez Canal, Ashdod (overnight), Haifa, Limassol. Balcony Suite from £ 2,675 per person.

Limassol to Barcelona: 8 nights, Nov 20

Calling at Alanya, Rhodes, Ephesus, Valletta, Barcelona (overnight). Balcony Suite from £2,350 per person.

Barcelona to Ashdod: 8 nights, November 28

Calling at Barcelona, Valletta, Rhodes, Limassol, Haifa, Ashdod (overnight). Balcony Suite from £2,330 per person.



Ashdod to Dubai: 13 nights, Dec 6

Calling at Suez Canal (transit), Luxor (overnight), Petra (overnight), Cruise the Red Sea/Arabian Sea, Salalah (Oman), Port Qaboos (Oman), Dubai. Balcony Suite from £3,343 per person.



As the most all-inclusive luxury cruise line, fares include: free return flights on every cruise (or free Business Class flights on all Med sailings in suites C-MS), free unlimited shore excursions in every port, transfers and government/port taxes, concierge amenities, all fine dining including speciality restaurants, all drinks and beverages including fine wines, selected Champagnes, premium branded soft drinks, all onboard activities, 24-hour room service and in-suite dining.

For more info, visit www.rssc.com or contact the UK's specialist luxury-cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Dubai Delights With Royal Caribbean

Here's another great winter cruise offer (and another featuring the very happening destination of Dubai) from the folks at Royal Caribbean, who seem to come up with one of these excellent-priced specials every week: Join Brilliance of the Seas for an eight-night Dubai fly/cruise from £849 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

Price includes return flights from London Heathrow, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing Dubai (UAE) and calling at Fujairah (UAE), Muscat (Oman) and Abu Dhabi (UAE) before returning to Dubai; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. The price is based on a December 12 departure.

For more info, see www.royalcaribbean.co.uk or the cruise agent experts of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Royal Caribbean's Great Dubai Deal

Join Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas for an eight-night Dubai fly/cruise from just £999 per person this winter (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

The price includes return flights from London Gatwick, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing from Dubai (UAE) and calling at Fujairah (UAE), Muscat (Oman) and Abu Dhabi (UAE), before returning to Dubai; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on 28 November 2011 departure.

For more info, see www.royalcaribbean.co.uk or the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Costa Favolosa's Trieste Debut

Costa Cruises are set to return to Trieste in 2012 with 28 calls and an estimated 65,000 passenger movements. More importantly, Trieste will also be hosting the naming ceremony on July 2 for the Costa Favolosa, Costa's new flagship.

The 15th member of the fleet is scheduled to depart on her debut cruise from Venice on July 4. The three-day voyage calls at Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Koper (Slovenia). This will be followed by her Grand Inaugural cruise, which leaves Venice on July 7, an 11-day itinerary taking in Greece, Turkey and Croatia with stopovers in Bari, Izmir, Istanbul, Mykonos, Athens, Olympia and Dubrovnik.

Throughout the 2011 summer season, Favolosa will be offering eight-day cruises from Venice and Bari to Olympia, Izmir, Istanbul and Dubrovnik. In Winter 2011/12, she will be positioned in Dubai for eight-day Arabian Nights cruises in the United Arab Emirates, including Dubai (two days), Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Bahrain.

For more info, visit www.costacruises.co.uk or contact specialst cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

Mum’s The Word on a Fred Olsen Cruise!

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines always likes to celebrate an important occasion - and to make things extra special for guests, whatever the season. And, with Mother’s Day fast approaching, the ships are all planning ways to pamper mothers on board on Sunday April 3.

The specific Mother’s Day offering will vary from ship to ship, but includes giant cakes in the restaurants, emblazoned with ‘Happy Mother’s Day’, special lunch menus, celebratory cocktails in the bars and champagne packages, all designed to make mums feel appreciated.

Balmoral (above), harking back to an old tradition, will be offering Simnel Cake (most often associated with Easter, but it actually has long associations with Mothering Sunday), as well as special prayers in the day's church service.

Boudicca’s Mother’s Day activity includes a delightful enhanced tea, with musical accompaniment from the Rosario Trio, while, on Braemar, the mixologists have created a wonderful cocktail, Mum’s Fizz, a delicious blend of sparkling wine, vodka, cranberry juice and mint, garnished with soft fruit – a snip at £3.95. There is also a Mother’s Day celebration package – a half bottle of Moet & Chandon Champagne, and strawberries (with or without cream) for £21.25.

The Fred Olsen fleet will be in these exotic locations to celebrate Mother’s Day:

Balmoral – cruising between Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and Salalah (Oman).

Boudicca – cruising between Santa Cruz de la Palma (Canary Islands) and Lisbon (Portugal).

Braemar – in port, Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic).

Black Watch – in port, Mykonos (Greece).

Find out more about Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines at www.fredolsencruises.com or contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Oceania Cruises adds South Pacific and Hawaii

New for Oceania Cruises’ 2011/12 winter collection are 27 unique itineraries, of which 16 are totally new, along with new destinations that include Hawaii and South Pacific, including Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and American Samoa, as well as a return to Australia and New Zealand. Cruise-only fares start from £499 per person (Marina, January 3, 2012, 10-night Caribbean Islands in the Sun voyage).

Oceania Cruises specialises in exceptional cruise experiences with a focus on cuisine, comfort and service, with a wide choice of fine dining restaurants – including speciality dining at no extra charge - on each of their four ships. The brand new (in January) 1,250-guest Marina also adds two speciality restaurants and two private dining venues.

New itineraries include an 11-night sailing around the spectacular and exotic islands of French Polynesia on the 684-passenger mid-sized luxury cruise ship, Regatta. The `Tahitian Breeze’ itinerary departs from Papeete on January 6, 2012, and costs from £1,061pp, including all meals, no supplement for specialtiy dining, complimentary bottled water and soft drinks (excluding flights).

Other highlights include a new Dubai to Cape Town cruise, showcasing Arabia and Africa; popular Amazon River cruise to depart from New York City; a new 16-day South America cruise round-trip from Valparaiso, offering the opportunity to discover rarely-visited Nazca Lines, plus Machu Picchu; and a grand 35-day Hong Kong to Athens adventure via the Suez Canal.

For more information, visit http://www.oceaniacruises.co.uk/ or contact the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line.

Legendary Journeys (At Discount Prices!)

Here's something to make us sit up and take notice here at Time Spent At Sea - exceptional cruises to inspirational destinations with Regent Seven Seas, including....FREE flights, shore excursions and all-inclusive on board.

Asia & Australia - Seven Seas Voyager (above)

Free Flights, free transfer and free unlimited shore excursions on every cruise; Combine cruises to create longer voyages and benefit from preferential cruise fares; free Business Class flights on selected combination cruises and suite categories. Choose from:

Dubai-Singapore December 19, 18 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,429pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

Singapore-Sydney January 6, 2012, 17 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,149pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

Sydney-Auckland January 23, 2012, 15 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,269pp

Auckland-Sydney February 7, 2012, 15 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,269pp

Sydney-Singapore February 22, 2012, 19 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,799pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

Singapore-Dubai March 12, 2012, 18 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,039pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

South America - Seven Seas Mariner

Free flights, transfers and unlimited shore excursions on every cruise; combine cruises to create longer voyages and benefit from preferential cruise fares. Choose from:

Fort Lauderdale-Lima January 6, 2012, 14 Nights; Balcony Suite from £5,669pp

Lima-Buenos Aires January 20, 2012, 24 Nights; Balcony Suite from £9,949pp

Buenos Aires-Rio De Janeiro, February 12, 2012, 12 Nights; Balcony Suite from £5,489pp

Rio De Janeiro-Fort Lauderdale February 25, 2012, 22 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,679pp

For more information, visit http://www.rssc.co.uk/ or contact the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Great Early Booking Deals With MSC

By guest blogger Steve Newman

MSC Cruises recently announced that its 2011-12 winter collection will include the United Arab Emirates as a brand new destination.

To celebrate, MSC Cruises is offering amazing early booking prices, meaning the cost of an 8 day, 7-night cruise will start from an unbeatable £399 per person. Flights to Abu Dhabi are available on request at a discounted price of £500 per person. This incredible promotion will run from until November 15.

The elegant MSC Lirica will be based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for her busy 2011-12 winter season. Her itinerary includes nineteen 8 day, 7-night cruises from Abu Dhabi, with departures every Sunday from October 20, 2011, to March 4, 2012, and from Dubai, with departures every Friday from October 28-March 9.

With guaranteed sunshine, spectacular scenery, unbeatable shopping and the deluxe surroundings, cuisine and hospitality that are MSC standards, this is one deal that is definitely too good to miss!

For further details vist http://www.msccruises.co.uk/ or call the cruise specialist agents at The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

Oceania Savings on selected Far East Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Oceania Cruises has savings of up to £5,281 off selected Far East cruises in 2011, with up to 63% off original fares and prices now from just £1,172 per person, including all meals, complimentary bottled water and soft drinks and no charge for their speciality dining.

Take One: 15th January 2011, Singapore to Hong Kong

Oceania has savings of up to £2,624pp off its 15-night cruise from Singapore to Hong Kong (above) on mid-sized ship Nautica. Prices now from £1172 (was £3,124) rising to £1,875 (was £4,499) saving up to £2,624pp for a Veranda suite. Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining; prices exclude flights.

Take Two: 15th February 2011, Far East cruise

Oceania has an amazing 63% saving off this 24-night voyage from Bangkok to Beijing, departing on February 15 on Nautica and calling in Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, China and South Korea. Prices are from £1,875pp for an inside stateroom (was £5,124), including port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. For those booking a Penthouse Suite, the saving increases to £5,249 per person with a fare of just £3,750pp (was £8,999). Prices exclude flights.

Take Three: 26th March 2011, Hong Kong to Dubai

Try 25 nights of luxurious cruising on Nautica from just £1,953pp for an inside stateroom (was £5124), saving 62% of the original fare. The voyage embarks in Hong Kong and makes calls in China, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar and India, before disembarkation in Dubai on 20th April. Other staterooms available in various categories, up to the Penthouse Suite for £3,906 (was £9187). Prices include port taxes, complimentary soft drinks and speciality dining. Prices exclude flights.

For more details, contact http://www.oceeaniacruises.co.uk/ or visit specialist cruise agents The Crusie Line Ltd.

Amazing Middle East Offer

By guest blogger Steve Newman

You can now join Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas (above) next year on an eight-night Dubai fly/cruise from just £919 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

This terrific low price includes return flights from London Heathrow, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and calling at Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Muscat (Oman) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) before returning to Dubai, with all meals, entertainment on board and all relevant cruise taxes/fees also included.

Price is based on February 28, 2011, departure.

You can also learn more about Royal Caribbean's offerings 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 Royal Carribean cruises, check out this link with top specialist cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

MSC add Middle East Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

The elegant MSC Lirica (above) will be based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai for the first time for her busy 2011-2012 winter season. The itinerary of the MSC Cruises vessel includes a full schedule of nineteen 8-day/7-night voyages from Abu Dhabi, with departures every Sunday from October 30, 2011, to March 4, 2012, and from Dubai, with departures every Friday.

The 59,000-ton Lirica, which has capacity for a total of 2,069 guests in 780 cabins, will call at the port of Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman, Al Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates, the island Kingdom of Bahrain and include two unforgettable nights in Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE.

On October 14, 2011, the ship will depart from Genoa for a 17-day maiden cruise to Abu Dhabi, to start her first ever season in the region. Her southbound course will take her to Naples and Port Said, through the Suez Canal to Aqaba in Jordan, then Salalah and Muscat in Oman and finally to Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Arabia will say farewell to Lirica five months later when she starts her northbound return cruise with scheduled stops in Al Fujairah, Muscat, Salalah, Safaga, Aqaba, Port Sokhna (Egypt), Port Said and finally Naples and Genoa.

For more information, got to www.MSCcruises.co.uk

Have you checked out what's happening at The Cruise Show held in Birmingham in October and London in March?

Whoever decided that Dubai was the ideal place for a new cruise hub is probably giving themselves a hearty pat on the back about now.

The opening of their Port Rashid cruise terminal in February, and the decision of the likes of Costa Cruises and Royal Caribbean to base ships there for prolonged periods, indicates that someone really knew what they were doing.

It had to start with Dubai themselves, of course, and the splendid new facilities of the Port Rashid terminal, which gave the Middle East its first purpose-built, year-round and high-quality cruise capability in keeping with the bigger ships being built today.

But it also needed a fair leap of faith on behalf of at least one of the major cruise lines to invest some of their key tonnage in an area not previously known for anything other than the more occasional visit.

As recently as 2004, Dubai received just 10,000 passengers, nearly all of them on fleeting visits by the likes of Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn and Silversea on various legs of world cruises or similar long, one-off voyages. This year, an estimated 325,000 will step through the doors of Port Rashid.

Today comes the news that Royal Caribbean are extending their commitment to Dubai with a longer winter season in 2011/12 for their 2,501-passenger Brilliance of the Seas.

Brilliance debuted in the United Arab Emirates this January, with the ship operating a series of 8-night voyages, mainly for the UK and European markets. And, according to Royal Caribbean, sales were some 30 per cent ahead of target for the line’s first four-month season from Dubai.

According to agent feedback, there is even stronger interest in Middle East cruises in future, along with increased airlift to Dubai, hence the ship will return to the UAE two months earlier than planned, in November 2011. Royal Caribbean will also offer an increased range of itineraries, including longer cruises up to 12 and even 18 nights.

Jo Rzymowska, Royal Caribbean's associate vice president and general manager for UK and Ireland, explained: “Dubai is very popular with UK and Irish travellers, and cruises consistently offer significant value for money. We have adjusted the itinerary based on our trade partner feedback and replaced Bahrain with an overnight stay in Muscat. Also included within this itinerary is an overnight stay in the city onboard the ship at the end of the cruise, which makes this an affordable way to enjoy this fascinating Emirate. The chance to explore more of the Middle East, Arabian Sea and even India make these additional longer sailings truly exciting options."

The enhanced 2011-2012 season will be the ship’s third year based from the destination, following its winter cruises from Jan-Apr 2011. New itineraries during the longer 6-month season include a 12-night Dubai and India cruise featuring calls at Muscat in Oman and Cochin, Goa and Mumbai in India.

Brilliance will also feature the first ever call by a Royal Caribbean vessel to the New Mangalore port in Panambur on the west coast of India. The town is famed for its beautiful beaches on the Arabian Sea, the Nandaneshwara Temple and the Gurupura River.

The 2011-12 season will continue to offer double the number of regular 7-night cruises, with minor changes to the route, including an overnight in Dubai at the end of the voyage rather than the beginning, and a revised order in the other ports of call to simplify visa processing. The featured ports include Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Muscat in Oman. The 7-night itineraries for the upcoming 2010-11 season also will reflect these changes.

The repositioning cruise from Barcelona to Dubai will be an 18-night option via the Suez Canal and calls at Alexandria, Aqaba and Safaga.