Windstar Unveils New 2012 Collection

Windstar Cruises, operator of a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts, has unveiled its new 2012 collection of luxury voyages in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Baltic, Italy, Mediterranean and Greek Isles, with nine new itineraries and the lowest introductory pricing in years.

In addition, guests who book by June 30 will receive a $200 shipboard credit per cabin. Windstar’s Foremast Members receive an additional 5% discount on all itineraries.

The 2012 programme features a unique collection of islands, highlighting diverse countries, styles, landscapes and cultures of the Caribbean. For example, seven-night sailings on Wind Surf round-trip from Philipsburg, St Maarten, visit Le Marin, Martinique; Pigeon Island, St Lucia; Roseau, Dominica; Falmouth Harbour, Antigua; and Gustavia, St Barts, with cruise-only prices from £1,577 per person.

Or how about the Treasures of Northern Europe? Discover six of the region's most captivating countries with 11-night sailings on Wind Surf between Lisbon and Oslo, visiting Le Havre, Dover, Antwerp and Amsterdam and cruise-only prices from £2,376 per person.

Windstar’s 2012 voyages are available to book now. For more info, visit www.windstarcruises.com or contact the adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Windstar's New Ionian Sea Cruises

Windstar Cruises has introduced two new nine-night luxury holidays for Autumn 2011, The Hidden Treasures of the Ionian Sea, featuring sailings between Athens and Malta. The packages, which must be booked before May 15, include a seven-night cruise, complimentary hotel accommodation for two nights in Athens at a Windstar designated hotel, one complimentary transfer and an invitation to Windstar’s Yacht Club Party.

Hidden Treasures of the Ionian Sea voyages highlight the rich history and culture of enchanting destinations, UNESCO World Heritage sites, ancient Greek civilisations, charming coastal villages and breathtaking islands.

The 7-night sailing on the beautiful Wind Star departs October 15 and visits Gozo; Gythion; Cephalonia; Butrint National Park in Saranda, Albania; and Siracusa. Prices start from £2,440 per person, including seven nights in an ocean-view stateroom with all meals and entertainment and port taxes as well as two nights’ complimentary hotel accommodation and transfer plus the invitation to the Yacht Club Party.

Another 7-night Malta-to-Athens voyage on Wind Star departs October 22 and visits Siracusa; Butrint National Park in Saranda; Cephalonia; Gozo; and Gythion. Prices are again from £2,440 per person. This offer expires on May 15 and is not combinable with any other offers.

For more info, visit http://www.windstarcruises.co.uk/ or the adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Louis Cruises in 2011 From Under £42 per night

Louis Cruises’ full 2011 brochure, featuring cruises costing less than £42 per person per night, has gone on-sale.

A three-night Greek Islands cruise out of Piraeus (Athens) on the Aquamarine or Orient Queen starts from £179 in 2011, while a 12-night cruise out of Genoa or Marseille on the Louis Majesty leads in at £499 per person – just £41.58 per person, per night.

“Such outstanding value for a full-board cruise offers agents tremendous sales opportunities for 2011,” says UK General Manager Peter Adamou. “And now that Louis Cruises are available on Amadeus, it’s easy for agents to select our cruise-only offering, then bolt on flights and hotels, using the same GDS, to create a complete package.”

Louis Cruises has just been made available on the browser-based Amadeus Cruise desktop sales solution for travel professionals, and the Cruise Application Programming Interface (API) for online sales.

The new brochure, titled ‘Sea of Memories’, showcases the five Louis Cruises ships available to the UK market: Louis Majesty, Louis Cristal, Coral, Aquamarine and Orient Queen.

All ships sail in what Louis Cruises describe as ‘our home waters’, i.e. the Mediterranean, and the line prides itself on offering itineraries that offer the maximum opportunity for shore visits.

“Our intimate ships – the largest is the Majesty with a capacity of 1,790 – enable us to visit smaller, as well as large ports, with quicker disembarkation times and easy access to the sights,” adds Adamou.

The new brochure features 16 different itineraries, from the three-night ‘Aegean Legends’ cruise around the Greek islands on Aquamarine or Orient Queen to the Majesty’s 12-night ‘Eastern Mediterranean Highlights’ itinerary.

Sample shore excursions are listed for each ship, and the Greek line’s hospitality, or ‘filoxenia’, is also highlighted.

All prices include full board, on-board entertainment, port taxes and charges. Travel to/from embarkation points, shore excursions, drinks and gratuities are not included.

For more info, call 0800 018 3883 or visit http://www.louiscruises.com/.

Star Clippers New Brochure

By guest blogger Steve Newman

It’s that time of year again and the new brochures are now available featuring a wide range of cruises for 2011. Luxury boutique cruise line Star Clippers is no exception and their new brochure is now hitting the doormat. They have exciting itineraries in Central America (Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua) and the Caribbean, where the Clipper ships will visit dream locations in the Grenadines and British Virgin Islands among others. The company’s ever popular ocean crossings are ideally suited to those who dream of long sea voyages whilst the summer season will find the ships roaming the Mediterranean (French or Italian Riviera), the Greek Islands and a fascinating new route between Athens and Istanbul. To find out more, look at http://www.starclippers.co.uk/ or check out cruise specialists the Cruise Line.