Short Breaks With Star Clippers

Not enough time for a full week’s holiday? Tall ship specialist Star Clippers has launched a series of short-break holidays for 2012, with a chance to experience life on board an elegant clipper ship and explore some of Europe’s most beautiful and romantic ports, as well as themed 'extras'.


Mediterranean Treasures, April 23, 2012
Experience the joys of daily yoga and meditation on this well-being themed voyage from Malaga to Rome on the 227-passenger Royal Clipper. Experienced yoga teacher Christel Vollmer, back on board by popular demand, will offer daily classes on the warm teak decks, while as usual, guests can follow a healthy or vegetarian diet if they wish. The ship sails from Malaga to Palma, Mallorca and Mahon in Menorca and the voyage includes two days at sea for maximum relaxation in the spring sunshine. From £999 per person including full board on the ship, all yoga classes, flights and transfers.

Sail from Southampton, May 5, 2012
Join the head-turning Star Flyer on her maiden call to Southampton for a five-night sailing to Hamburg, via Amsterdam, with two days at sea. The ship, with its four masts and graceful lines, is bound to attract a lot of attention in two such important seafaring cities. This package includes five nights’ car parking in Southampton; five nights’ full board on the ship, flight from Hamburg to London and transfer back to Southampton, from £1,045 per person.

A Taste of Italy, departing June 4, 2012
Make the most of Britain’s extra bank holiday for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and take to the seas on Royal Clipper on this four-night sailing from Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. The five-night break includes one night in the heart of Rome at the four-star Marcella Royal Hotel, with a welcome bottle of wine and a tour of the Vatican and the Sistine Chapel. The following day, Royal Clipper sails to Bonifacio in Corsica; Sardinia’s ultra-glamorous Costa Smeralda; pretty Portoferraio in Elba; and back to Civitavecchia. From £1,275 per person, including B&B accommodation in Rome, full board on the ship, flights and transfers.

Venetian Romance, departing July 27, 2012
Enjoy an evening in Venice after the crowds have departed, staying the night before your cruise at the four-star superior Liassidi Palace Hotel, within walking distance of the Rialto Bridge and St Mark’s Square. The holiday includes entrance to the Doge’s Palace and a bottle of wine on arrival. Then, sail in style along the spectacular Giudecca Canal on the magnificent, four-masted Star Clipper, heading out across the lagoon and into the Adriatic, for a four-night adventure exploring some of Croatia’s most fashionable anchorages: Mali Losinj, Hvar and Rovinj. From £1,195 per person, including B&B accommodation in Venice, full board on the ship, flights and transfers.

For more information and booking offers, use this link to visit luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Cabin Upgrades from Star Clippers

To celebrate National Cruise Week, which runs from September 18-25, tall-ship sailing specialist Star Clippers is offering free cabin upgrades for all bookings made during that period.

Book any Star Clippers voyage to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean or Central America during National Cruise Week, or one of the longer ocean crossings, and the cabin paid for will be upgraded by one category (terms and conditions apply).

For example, pay for a Category 3 cabin on Commodore Deck and stay in a Category 2 cabin, which has more space and superior fittings and is located on Clipper Deck. On one of Royal Clipper’s seven-night Caribbean cruises this winter, this represents a saving of £110 per person. Better still, this cabin upgrade offer, if taken up during National Cruise Week, can be combined with existing early booking offers. These include 10% off any cruise in the 2011/2012 programme and a spectacular 20% discount on selected sailings for 2011 and 2012, as follows:

On Royal Clipper, the five-masted flagship of the fleet, special offers include departures in October and April and certain sailings out of Barbados in December and January.

Special offers on the four-masted, 170-passenger Star Clipper are valid for Mediterranean cruises in April, early May and October, as well as four Caribbean sailings from St Maarten in December 2011. Take advantage of a Mediterranean mini-cruise; a five-night short break from Athens to Malta (departing October 8), which calls at Monemvasia and Pilos in Greece and historic Siracusa in Sicily.

The 20% saving on cruises operated by sister ship Star Flyer, meanwhile, applies to six Mediterranean cruises and five sailings out of Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica in 2011 and 2010. These fantastic Central American voyages call at the laid-back beach resort of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, as well as the national parks, scattered islands and sheltered bays of Costa Rica’s rich, rainforested coastline, with superb opportunities for diving, snorkelling and hiking.

For more details, visit www.starclippers.co.uk or contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.