Fred. Olsen To Sail From Belfast In 2013

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines will commence cruises from Belfast next year, with 880-guest Boudicca making two turnaround visits in October 2013 - a 12-night Iberian titinerary and a 2-night mini cruise to Liverpool.

The traditionally British cruise line will also be adding Harwich to its list of regional departure ports in 2013, with Boudicca’s sister ship Black Watch operating four fascinating itineraries from the port in May and June, meaning guests living in the local area can take advantage of Harwich International Port’s excellent road and rail connections, and state-of-the-art facilities.

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

It's The Antiques Cruise Show With Fred Olsen

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is offering three cruises in 2012 with ‘Antiques’ as the special topic, through its acclaimed onboard enrichment programme Vistas. On each cruise, there will be celebrated experts from the world of antiques, sharing their knowledge and passion with like-minded guests. 

Each of these experts appears as an appraiser on the BBC’s celebrated and long-running Antiques Roadshow. Antiques-collecting is one of the UK’s most popular pastimes; the popularity of antiques fairs and auctions continues unabated, with TV shows like the Roadshow, Cash in the Attic and Flog It all going from strength to strength. So, what better way to indulge an interest in antiques than taking a cruise to some of Europe's most interesting cities, brimming with a wealth of art and antique collections, in the company of the most knowledgeable experts in the field?

The Fred. Olsen experts are:- Lars Tharp, Will Farmer, Marc Allum, Clive Stewart-Lockhart and Paul Viney, and guests can join these fascinating experts free of charge on the following Fred. Olsen cruises in 2012:

Black Watch, 13-night ‘The Baltic with Norway’ voyage, departing Dover on June 24 and calling at Kiel (Germany), Tallinn (Estonia), St. Petersburg (Russia, overnight), Helsinki (Finland), Turku (Finland), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Kristiansand (Norway), before returning to Dover. Prices start from £1,699 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside, twin cabin Grade E. The price includes all meals and entertainment on board, and port taxes. The Vistas theme on this cruise is hosted by Lars Tharp and Clive Stewart-Lockhart.

Boudicca, 12-night ‘Stockholm & St. Petersburg’ cruise, departing Newcastle on September 14 and calling at Stockholm (Sweden), Tallinn, St. Petersburg (overnight), Ronne (Denmark) and Kalundborg (Denmark), before returning to Newcastle. Prices start from £1,559 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin, Grade E. The antiques experts on this cruise are Marc Allum and Will Farmer.

Braemar, 12-night ‘St. Petersburg, Helsinki & Stockholm’ voyage, departing Dover on September 22, calling at Warnemünde (for Berlin), Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg (overnight), Rǿnne, Copenhagen and Oslo before returning to Dover. Prices start from £1,519 per person, based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin, Grade I. Hosting the Vistas ‘Antiques’ theme will be Lars Tharp and Paul Viney.

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

One Week To The New Edition!

The Winter edition of World of Cruising magazine goes to the printers this week and should be back with us next Monday (Dec 19) for distribution to all our subscribers - just in time for a good Christmas read!

The latest issue is absolutely packed with the exotic and the desirable; long-distance cruising and closer-to-home varieties; winter ideas and festive touches. It journeys from Japan to Alaska and the Caribbean to the Med. And all in the inimitable style and high-quality design you have come to expect from Europe's leading cruise publication.

Our cover story is a unique close-up look at Alaska, through the twin perspectives of Princess Cruises and the new Alaskan Dream Cruises, with some fabulous photography and brilliant story-telling. Then we take a Viking voyage in the company of Fred. Olsen Cruises and head to the FarEast to look at the growing cruise destination of South Korea.

Need some winter sunshine? Go straight to out feature on Caribbean voyaging with SeaDream Yacht Club, a real tropical tonic. Or how about another look at the Asian Far East, this time with Orion Expedition Cruises and their first ever visit to Japan?


Back on home ground, we have a feature-length look at Swan Hellenic's Minerva from her new home base of Portsmouth (and just prior to her big winter re-fit), and then head north again for a look at the Norwegian Arctic of Hurtigruten in the region of Spitsbergen, truly one of cruising's great adventure frontiers.

For river cruising, we head to Russia and a unique journey from Moscow to St Petersburg with Uniworld, while we add a touch of pure luxury aboard Azamara Club Cruises and their unique President's Cruise. We also fofer two Passenger Perspective pieces, looking at Azamara and Cunard's Queen Victoria.

All our regular features are, of course, firmly front and centre, from the inimitable blogging style of Captain Greybeard and the inimitable Admiral, to our Aft View section, the expert Fashion pages, the essential World of Spas section, Readers Letters and the essential Cruise Planner, our annual review of ALL the ships with ALL the lines, so you can sit and plan your next voyage in perfect style.

It is all here, capped off by the best writers on the subject, from Gary Buchanan and Yvonne Horn to cruise historian Peter Newall and adventuring supremo Steve Newman.

As ever, World of Cruising is subscription-only, so, to be sure of your copy, make sure you visit our subscription page - Here!

Last Call For A Caribbean Break on Braemar!

Winter 2011/12 will see the last of Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Caribbean fly-cruises aboard Braemar. The cruise line is moving towards ex-UK cruises for the 2012/13 cruise season, so this could be your last chance to enjoy one of these amazing value-for-money cruises.

And Fred Olsen tell us there is still some availability on several stunning January voyages at very competitive prices. Like M1201, a 15-night fly-cruise with an exciting itinerary, that includes calls into colourful Cuba and vibrant Jamaica. Fly from London Gatwick, or Manchester on January 5 and join Braemar in Bridgetown, Barbados. Stay overnight, with time to explore the island, then enjoy a fortnight of island hopping, seeing some of the most desirable islands in the Caribbean; Bonaire, Aruba, Jamaica’s Montego Bay, Santiago de Cuba, then Turks & Caicos, Tortola and Antigua, with a scenic cruise of the Grenadines, en route back to Barbados for the return flights.

The flights are with an exclusive, fully-escorted Fred. Olsen charter, and the journey from check-in to ship is seamless and relaxed; the perfect introduction to the Caribbean way of life! 

Currently, prices on this cruise start from just £1,199 per person, with a ‘Latesaver’ deal; this is based on two adults sharing an inside, twin cabin. The price is exceptional value for money when you consider it includes flights and transfers, en suite accommodation, all meals and entertainment on board, and port/airport taxes; all for less than £80 per person per day

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

Fred Olsen Sign Up Explorer Tim Severin

Explorer, author and historian Tim Severin is the latest illustrious name to join Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ Vistas programme as a special guest speaker. Perhaps best known for his Viking Series of historical novels, Tim’s new association with the cruise line is especially appropriate given the company’s Norwegian heritage.

During a spectacular career, Tim has: retraced the footsteps of Sindbad the Sailor, sailing from Muscat to China; steered a Bronze Age galley to seek the landfalls of Jason and the Argonauts and Ulysses; ridden the routes of the first Crusader knights across Europe to the Holy Land; travelled on horseback with nomads in Mongolia to research Genghis Khan; traced the origins of Moby Dick amongst the aboriginal sea hunters of the Pacific; and sailed a leather boat across the Atlantic from Ireland to Newfoundland, recreating the route taken by Irish monk St. Brendan the Navigator. One of his most recent quests has been to identify the ‘real’ Robinson Crusoe.

This eminent explorer and author will feature on ‘East of Suez: History and Culture,’ a sector of Black Watch’s 2012 World Cruise’. Departing from Southampton on January 11, this 32-night voyage covers the cruise as far as Singapore. Ports of call are Gibraltar, Cueta, Valletta, Port Said, then a transit of the Suez Canal, Sharm el Sheikh and Safaga. Tim will be joining in Safaga and stay aboard for the visits to Salalah (Oman), Mumbai (for an overnight stay), Cochin, Port Blair (Andaman Islands) and Singapore.

Prices start from £2,379 per person, based on two adults sharing an outside, twin cabin, Grade ‘D’. The cost includes return flights from Singapore to London and transfers, accommodation and all meals and entertainment on board, as well as port and airport taxes. There is no extra charge for taking part in Vistas activities.

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