Happy New Year! Happy 2012!

Eat a piece of candy every day and tell yourself the day is sweet again.

Happy New Year! My Dear Friends, wish you own a sweet 2012 and a smile future...

* Original address of this China gift post: Happy New Year! Happy 2012!

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Happy New Year Pictures 2012

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Gala New Year Mini Cruise

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Depart from Newcastle on December 30 with DFDS and cruise to Amsterdam enjoying a scrumptious hot dinner buffet, free bar and live festive entertainment. In addition, you can have a flutter in the casino or keep the party going in the nightclub. When you eventually retire to your ensuite cabin, enjoy a good night's sleep and awake raring to go for a day in Amsterdam.

Wander the romantic tree-lined canals, enjoy a hot chocolate in a cosy cafe and soak up the atmosphere of this cosmopolitan city. After a day exploring, return to the ship in plenty of time to get ready for the New Year's Eve celebrations. Following a lavish Gala Buffet, dance the night away and welcome in the New Year with Champagne and Almond Cake - the perfect start to 2011!

What's Included:

- 2 nights onboard in a sea-view ensuite cabin
- Coach transfers to and from Amsterdam
- Optional complimentary sightseeing tour
- 2 x hot buffet breakfasts
- Gala New Year Buffet
- Free bar on both crossings (includes house wine, draft Grolsch lager, selected spirits and soft drinks)
Champagne and Almond cake at midnight
- Live onboard entertainment
- Departs Newcastle December 30

To book, visit www.dfds.co.uk/festive.

Happy Cruise New Year!

We all look forward to a New Year in one way or another but 2010 promises to be better than most, and not just because the financial and economic scene shows signs of getting back on a healthier, even keel.

As I have already written, there is an amazing variety of new ships to anticipate, with several that should be genuinely ground-breaking (notably Oceania's Marina and NCL's Norwegian Epic).

There should also be plenty of good deals to be had, too, as cruise lines look to tempt people back to sea-going holidays after the recession-hit days of 2008/09 (so be sure to check with our sister company The Cruise Line Ltd for all the best offers - and look early and often in January as many lines are already flagging up their New Year 'Sails'!).

There is also more focus than ever before on attracting first-time cruisers to this holiday style, with companies big (like Royal Caribbean, NCL and P&O) and small (the likes of Compagnie du Ponant, Pandaw Cruises and Hurtigruten) putting out some tempting campaigns to lure newcomers.

In fact, the appeal of the small, deluxe, niche operators like Ponant and Pandaw should be uppermost in the minds of those looking for that 'something new' factor in 2010.

One I am especially looking forward to investigating for the terrific feedback they have already generated in a relatively short time is Chilean specialist Nomads of the Seas and their unique ship the Atmosphere (pictured above).

The appeal of touring the majestic Chilean fjords in the company of this ship's purpose-built style is immensely appealing and should be one of the highlights of the year for us at World of Cruising, so stay tuned for our report in due course.

I would especially recommend taking a look at their website, http://www.nomadsoftheseas.com/, for those who really want to get off the beaten cruise track, enjoy some of the world's most spectacular scenery and wildlife, sample the tastes and culture of a truly unique region and do it all in some of the highest quality possible in the 'soft' adventure-cruising category.

Can you tell I'm looking forward to 2010?!