Voyages Of Discovery Go Musical In St Petersburg

Enjoy a free exclusive musical excursion in St Petersburg with Voyages of Discovery next summer on a Baltic cruise overflowing with fine art, architecture and history. As an alternative to the Mediterranean, it’s no surprise this destination is emerging as the new must-see holiday hotspot.

With a rapidly growing choice of sailings, Voyages of Discovery also make this part of Northern Europe hard to resist with amazing fares and now a free excursion to the world-renowned Hermitage in St Petersburg.

Now included in the price is a magical evening in St Petersburg at the Hermitage for a musical reception reminiscent of a performance during the reign of the Tsars. Whilst the museum is closed, guests are invited to enjoy an in-depth guided tour, a champagne reception and an exclusive performance from the State Hermitage Orchestra concert.

This exclusive offer is now available on the following cruises: Baltic Treasures (from £1,649 per person in an outside cabin), 15-day voyage departing from Harwich and calling at Kristiansand, Copenhagen, Tallinn, St Petersburg (overnight x 2), Gdynia, Szczecin, Sassnitz and transit through the Kiel canal before returning to Harwich. Price is based on June 28 departure.

Timeless Baltic (from £1,599 per person in an outside cabin), 15-day voyage departing from Harwich and calling at Copenhagen, Saaremaa Island (Estonia), Tallinn, St Petersburg (overnight x 2), Gdynia, Szczecin, Sassnitz and transit through the Kiel canal before returning to Harwich. Price is based September 3 departure. Prices for all cruises include meals, entertainment and gratuities on board and all relevant cruise taxes/fees, plus onboard lectures from a team of renowned Guest Speakers.

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

Fred. Olsen's Worldwide Voyaging

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has launched its new worldwide brochure for 2012/13, detailing a comprehensive programme of ex-UK cruises aboard classic ships Balmoral, Braemar, Boudicca and Black Watch. All the new cruises feature Fred. Olsen’s ‘No Fuel Surcharge Guarantee’.

The 2012/13 programme includes an enormous choice of destinations, varying in duration from a mini-cruise of just two nights to an epic world voyage of 112 nights. The itineraries feature new and exciting destinations, along with many old favourites, with departures from convenient regional British ports, Dover, Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle, Greenock (Glasgow) and Rosyth (Edinburgh).

Highlights include:

- A ‘Christmas Markets’ cruise aboard Black Watch, travelling to the Baltic and calling at Warnemünde (Germany), Tallinn (Estonia), St Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Kiel (Germany).

- The chance to sail over 50 miles up the Guadalquivir River to Seville, in Spain.

- A return call to the newly-accessible Banjul Harbour in The Gambia, on Balmoral’s 21-night ‘West Africa and Cape Verde’ cruise.

- Three brand new destinations on Canada’s east coast – Port Saguenay, Trois Rivières and Havre St. Pierre.

- Some enticing longer cruises in 2013 – Balmoral’s new ‘Around the World’ itinerary and Black Watch’s epic cruise, down the West Coast of Africa and into the Indian Ocean.

- Another opportunity to take a Winter cruise to Norway, ‘In Search of the Northern Lights’, with Boudicca in February 2013, or to cruise into the heart of the mighty Amazon River, also aboard Boudicca, on a long (35-night) cruise in early 2013.

- Christmas 2012, when both Balmoral and Braemar will be visiting the Cape Verde Islands, as part of their festive itineraries, while Black Watch offers a real getaway, with her ex-UK ‘Caribbean Christmas’ cruise of 25 nights.

Fred. Olsen also continues to make regular enhancements to its fleet. Boudicca benefitted from a major refit in January 2011, allowing for extra cabins, smart new shopping outlets and a top-deck fitness centre. The onboard experience continues to benefit from an ever-increasing choice of activities and interests for guests to pursue. The cruise enrichment programme, Vistas (formerly The ArtsClub), has been re-launched and reinvigorated, with many distinguished new names joining the panoply of on-board experts, covering an even wider range of subjects.

Other additional attractions, on selected cruises, include ‘Flagship Golf‘, boasting even more top courses in 2012/13, and, for the best in entertainment, Fred. Olsen’s ‘Music and Laughter’; programme. This gives guests a wonderful opportunity to enjoy live music and comedy in an intimate setting, from some of the top names in the business, and all at no extra cost. Past favourites include the Divas of Motown, The Drifters and Lulu, and big names lined up for this season include The Operababes – back by popular demand – The Sounds of Boney M, featuring Sheyla Bonnick, and The Tornados – the first UK group to top the US charts, with ‘Telstar’, and original backing group to 60s legend, Billy Fury.

For more info, see www.fredolsencruises.com or contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Fred Olsen's Baltic Bonus

The Baltic is one of the most beautiful and fascinating cruise destinations for the summer, and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has two exceptional Baltic itineraries, with very competitive rates available.

Braemar’s cruise, M1114, is a 13-night voyage departing from Dover on 2nd July 2011. This is an exceptional itinerary, beginning with a transit of the Kiel Canal, bringing Braemar to Warnemünde in Germany, for excursions to Berlin. The cruise then visits two ports in Finland; first Turku, celebrating its status as a ‘European Capital of Culture’ in 2011, then the attractive, cosmopolitan capital, Helsinki, with a wealth of galleries, museums and tempting pavement cafés to enjoy. The highlight of this cruise is a two-night stay in Russia’s stunning St Petersburg, home to some of the world’s finest works of art, and some of the most stunning architecture in Europe. The extra time spent here allows visitors to immerse themselves in all the wonders of this unique city.

A similar itinerary is offered by Balmoral, on her cruise L1108, of 14 nights, departing from Southampton on 24th June 2011. This summer cruise also begins with a transit of the Kiel Canal, but continues on to visit two lovely ports in the Baltic state of Estonia. Saaremaa is the largest island in Estonia, and still retains many national traditions, in its architecture, costumes and dialect. The only town on the island - Kuressaare - has a lovely and well-preserved old town to explore. Next port is the better-known, and always popular, capital, Tallinn, with its beautiful architecture, domed churches and cobbled streets, before Braemar cruises on to Helsinki.

This cruise additionally offers Flagship Golf, Fred. Olsen's exclusive package for golfers. It comprises four rounds of golf, played at hand-picked courses ashore, onboard tuition from a PGA professional, practice sessions and social activity for golfers and non-playing partners, and is charged at £375 per player. Flagship Golf must be pre-booked.

For more info, visit www.fredolsencruises.com or contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Free Cabin Upgrades in 2011 with Hurtigruten

By guest blogger Steve Newman.

Hurtigruten is offering a free cabin upgrade on selected voyages spread across a wide variety of cabin categories for anyone booking between January 1 and March 31 in 2011. Available on specific Spitsbergen and European voyages, the offer allows customers to book and pay for a cabin and then enjoy an upgrade into the next cabin grade for free.

Offer applies to :

6-Day Spitsbergen Polar Encounters – July 31 and August 4; from £2283pp for a voyage around the north-west coast of Spitsbergen. Price includes an upgrade from an N to U cabin worth £110pp, five nights’ full board on the ship and return flights between Oslo and Longyearbyen. Based on two sharing,

9-Day Spitsbergen Polar Encounters – August 17; from £2830pp for a voyage around the whole west coast of Spitsbergen. Price includes an upgrade from an N to U cabin worth £160pp, seven nights’ full board on the ship, one night’s B&B in Longyearbyen and return flights between Oslo and Longyearbyen. Based on two sharing.

9-Day Spring in Western Europe – April 7; from £1031pp, calling at Lisbon, Porto, La Coruna, Bordeaux, Sark, Guernsey, Honfleur and Dover. Price includes an upgrade from an N to U cabin worth £240pp, eight nights’ full board and transfer from Dover to London Heathrow. Based on two sharing.

11-Day Pearls of the Baltic Sea – April 25; from £2511pp, calling at Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, St Petersburg, Tallinn, Gudhjem and returning to Oslo. Price includes an upgrade from an N to U cabin worth £220pp, 10 nights’ full board and transfer from Dover to London Heathrow. Based on two sharing.

8-Day Climate Voyage – July 21; from £2603pp, a special voyage, themed around climate change from Iceland to Spitsbergen via one of the world’s most isolate islands – Jan Mayen. Price includes upgrade from N to U cabin worth £130pp, seven nights’ full board on the ship, return flight from Longyearbyen to Oslo. Based on two sharing,

For more information, visit http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or check with the adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

European Capital of Culture with Celebrity Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Now you can combine luxury and culture by heading to Tallinn, the 2011 European Capital of Culture onboard Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Constellation (above). A 12-night Scandinavia and Russia fly/cruise costs from £1,575 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

Celebrity also offers a selection of shore excursions, such as ‘Glory of old Tallinn’, a walking tour of Tallinn’s Old Town, and ‘Panoramic Tallinn’, a coach tour that takes in the best sights of the city to ensure guests can experience everything it has to offer.

Price includes return flights from London Heathrow, transfers and a 12-night Scandinavia and Russia fly/cruise departing Amsterdam and calling at Berlin (Warnemunde), Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki and Copenhagen before returning to Amsterdam; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees.

Price is also based on June 15, 2011, departure. For more details, visit http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/ or call the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

A Russian Odyssey (plus Scandinavia!)

By guest blogger Steve Newman

After the demise of the Soviet Union there has been a renaissance in the cities of the Baltic and, as such, the area is becoming ever more popular as a cruising destination. From medieval architectural styles to modern, world-renowned museums and theatre to excellent shopping, gentle rolling hills and dramatic towering fjords, an amazing adventure awaits you around every corner.

Now there is the opportunity to see not only these ancient trading cities but explore the famous architecture, winding canals and local Russian culture with Royal Caribbean International’s Jewel of the Seas on a twelve-night Scandinavia and Russia cruise from just £1,326 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

As a ship, Jewel (above) has a guest capacity of 2, 501 and has a lot going for her. Amongst the spectacular features are the 10-storey Centrum glass lifts facing the sea, and the highest percentage of outside staterooms in the Royal Caribbean fleet.

The cruise begins and ends at Harwich and takes in Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki.
A full day is in store at St Petersburg, with famous palaces and museums including The Hermitage, one of the world's greatest treasures, which features more than 3 million exhibits. The most European-influenced city in Russia, St Petersburg is also the most spectacular. Finally, the voyage calls at Tallinn, Estonia, and Gothenburg in Sweden.

Price is based on 23 June 2011 departure. For more information or to book, see http://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/

Royal Caribbean are also exhibiting at the Cruise Show in Birmingham in October.