On The Frankincense Trail With Voyages of Discovery

Join Voyages of Discovery’s luxury small ship MV Discovery on two new itineraries for 2012 - The Frankincense Trail and Oman to the Holy Land.

Explore the ‘Desert Kingdom’, the Lost City of Ubar and Lawrence of Arabia’s Petra on The Frankincense Trail from just £899 per person, based on a March 23 departure (two people sharing an inside cabin). The price includes return flights from London, transfers and a 13-day voyage departing from Muscat (Oman, overnight) and calling at Salalah (Oman), Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt), Aqaba (Jordan) and the final port of Safaga (Egypt, overnight).

Oman to the Holy Land is an extended version of the Frankincense Trail, cruising along to other major historical hotspots such as Israel, Cyprus and Turkey and costs from just £1,399 per person (based on a March 23 departure and two people sharing an inside cabin). The full voyage lasts 25 days and, after 2 overnights in Safaga, continues to Sharm-el-Sheikh (Egypt), Sokhna (Egypt), Ashdod (Israel), Haifa (Israel), Limassol (Cyprus), Fethiye (Turkey), Kusadasi (Turkey) and the final port of Istanbul (overnight).

The price for both cruises includes all meals, entertainment and gratuities on board and all relevant cruise taxes/fees, plus onboard lectures from a team of renowned Guest Speakers.

For booking details, be sure to check this link with the UK's leading cruise agents, 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.

Voyage Through The Red Sea

Zegrahm's brand-new Voyage through the Red Sea expedition has been named one of National Geographic Traveler magazine’s “Best Tours of a Lifetime” for 2011 and is one of those experiences well worth seeking out in the cruise world today.

Here's how the tour works:

You explore Jordan, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia, including the company's first-time visits to the lesser-traveled countries of Sudan and Eritrea. The November 6-22 itinerary is the perfect time to explore this seat of the world’s earliest civilisations with pleasant temperatures ranging from 55 to 85°F and a stable, yet fascinating political environment where a new chapter in the region’s history has literally unfolded within the last year (plus, this comes with the added bonus of fewer crowds at some of the region’s most popular tourist sites).

The voyage combines the Red Sea’s best cultural attractions along with several opportunities to engage in the region’s natural history with snorkeling and diving excursions. Among the many highlights of this award-winning expedition, guests will have the opportunity to:

• Explore the rose-coloured wonders of Petra, the capital of the ancient Nabatean Empire and now a World Heritage Site—even enjoying a candle-lit nighttime walk through the Siq to the Treasury

• Overnight in Luxor, often considered the “world’s greatest open air museum,” to explore its various monuments, temples, and tombs

• Cruise along the Nile in a traditional felucca sailing vessel, savouring lunch and views of the countryside along the way

• Enjoy a walking tour of Jeddah’s well-preserved old city, considered the gateway to Mecca

• Take in traditional daily life as the tour wanders the pathways connecting the old, coral-block buildings of Suakin, Sudan—a major trading stop en route to Mecca

• And snorkel and dive in the shimmering waters of Eritrea’s Dahlak Archipelago, an area renowned for its rich marine life and scenic beauty.

For more info, visit www.zeco.com or contact the UK's leading adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Azamara's 'Extended Voyages'

Azamara Club Cruises has launched 'Extended Voyages' which allow guests to join two, three, four or more consecutive cruises into one experience. By combining select consecutive cruises onboard Azamara Quest or Azamara Journey guests can embark on a holiday of a lifetime, ranging from 11 to 78-nights without repeated ports of call.

In addition, guests booking consecutive cruises will receive £200 per cruise, per stateroom for cruises of eight days or less and £300 per cruise, per stateroom for voyages of nine days or more for greater value. Savings double on sailings between October 1 and December 31 this year, if booked by July 31.

Guests wanting a longer adventure can book Journey's 77-night cruise from Stockholm to Civitavecchia (for Rome). Departing June 27, 2012, the sailing features 25 overnight stays, four being two consecutive nights, where guests can experience the nightlife of Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Paris and Seville. This Extended Voyage features the Norwegian Fjords itinerary, which highlights the North Seas Jazz Festival, one of the world's premiere musical festivals.

For those keen on exploring the Far East, Journey's Piraeus (Athens) to Hong Kong cruise departs on October 26, 2012. This 72-night cruise, combines six cruises - Holy Land, Egypt & Suez Canal; Luxor, Petra, Sinai & Eilat; Luxor, Petra & Sinai; The Spice Coast & Ceylon; Burma & Andaman Sea Islands; Vietnam & Thailand, Christmas and New Year - for an in-depth exploration of the region, plus an opportunity to spend Christmas and New Year in Hong Kong through a Land Discoveries excursion.

Quest departs Singapore on February 29, 2012, on a 78-night cruise, sailing from Singapore to Piraeus. This combines six cruises - Trade Routes to the Orient; Japan & Taiwan; Manila, Sabah, Borneo, Komodo & Bali; Spice Route; Petra, Sinai & Luxor; Holy Land, Egypt & Suez Canal.

For more info, look up http://www.azamaraclubcruises.co.uk/ or contact the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Zegrahm Expeditions - "Tours of a Lifetime"

Zegrahm Expeditions has been selected for National Geographic Traveler Magazine’s “Tours of a Lifetime” honour for the second time, highlighting the company's keen eye for superb adventure travel.

In the past, the honours have been bestowed upon Zegrahm's natural history-focused expeditions — Beyond Rapa Nui, Ultimate Seychelles, and Faces of Melanesia — but, this year, they are excited to announce the award has been bestowed uopn a new, in-depth cultural tour: Voyage Through the Red Sea. This 17-day expedition, aboard the Clipper Odyssey, departs November 6 and visits Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Eritrea.

This voyage combines the Red Sea’s best cultural attractions along with several opportunities to snorkel and dive, plus offers a rare glimpse into a number of hospitable countries rarely visited by Western travellers. Highlights of this tour include:

• Exploring the rose-colored wonders of Petra, the capital of the ancient Nabatean Empire and now a World Heritage Site.

• Cruising along the Nile in a traditional felucca sailing vessel.

• Visiting several exquisite World Heritage Sites in Egypt — the Monastery of St. Catherine (above) and the treasures of ancient Thebes, including Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings.

• Walking tour of Jeddah’s well-preserved old city, considered the gateway to Mecca.

• Snorkelling and diving in the shimmering waters of the Dahlak Archipelago, an area renowned for its rich marine life and scenic beauty.

To learn more about this voyage, visit www.zeco.com or contact the UK's adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Costa Starts Cruising The Red Sea

Here's an interesting press release from Costa Cruises this week, with news of new destinations:

Two Costa ships to depart weekly from Sharm El Sheikh in a first for the cruise industry

Costa Marina and Costa Allegra have new departures from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, visiting Cairo, the Negev Desert (Israel) and Petra (Jordan) for the first time in an exclusive winter 2010/2011 itinerary.

Costa Cruises is offering new one-week cruises in the Red Sea departing from Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, for the entire 2010/2011 winter season. The Red Sea, along with the Far East, the Arab Emirates and the Indian Ocean, will become yet another destination where Costa offers a regular cruise service.

Costa Marina (25,600 gross tonnage and a capacity of 1,000 guests) and Allegra (28,400 gross tonnage and a capacity of 1,000 guests) will depart from November 25, 2010, to February 17, 2011 and November 29, 2010, to March 21, 2011, respectively. The unique itineraries include Egypt, Israel and Jordan, and call at Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), Eilat (Israel), Aqaba (Jordan), Luxor-Safaga (Egypt) and Cairo-Sokhna (Egypt).

Both ships will call weekly in Sharm el Sheikh, making a total of 38 calls and transporting a total of 60,000 passengers over the winter months.

The itineraries of Marina and Allegra combine both relaxation and culture from one shore of the Red Sea to the other. Passengers on the Red Sea voyages can expect to experience incredibly beautiful sea vistas and cultural and archaeological treasures.

From Eilat, guests can take Costa excursions to a natural oasis in the Negev Desert , the fortress of Masada or the incredible landscapes of the Dead Sea . At Aqaba, guests can visit the pink city of Petra, carved into the mountains. In Safaga there is the option to enjoy excursions to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, visit the tombs of the Pharaohs, observe the natural wonders of Hurghada and visit the crystalline waters of the island of Mahamya. From Sokhna, excursions visit the grand pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx.

With spectacular architecture, Costa Marina and Allegra are ideal for Red Sea cruises, as the beautiful panoramic circular glass wall of the stern allows for breathtaking sea views. Onboard, guests can enjoy a myriad of facilities including restaurants, bars, wellness and fitness centres, treatment rooms and saunas, swimming pools, outdoor jogging tracks, theatres, casinos, discotheques, shopping centres and internet access points.

For more information or to book, go to www.costacruises.co.uk or call 0845 351 0552, or try the specialist cruise travel agents of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 7766.