Seabourn's Free Upgrades On Select Cruises

Ultra-luxury cruise line Seabourn has welcomed in the New Year with the offer of free upgrades on selected popular European cruise-only and fly/cruise itineraries. For UK travellers seeking a luxurious ocean-bound adventure, before the height of summer, Seabourn’s early-season fully inclusive cruises offer exceptional value and variety.

Whether guests opt for the charm and style of the chic 208-passenger ships Seabourn Legend and Spirit or the sleek design and modern comfort of the larger, 450-passenger Seabourn Odyssey, the luxury and comfort of a Seabourn voyage is hard to beat.

All itineraries listed below offer the free suite upgrade:

10-Day Italy & Adriatic, April 5; Seabourn Spirit - ports of call: Malaga, Menorca, Naples, Lecce, Dubrovnik, Sibenik, Pula and Venice. Prices: £1,999pp cruise only, £2,419pp fly/cruise.

9-Day Mediterranean, April 11; Seabourn Legend - ports of call: Athens, Cesme, Mykonos, Corfu, Crotone, Messina, Naples and Rome. Prices: £1,799pp cruise only, £2,189 fly/cruise.

12-Day Atlantic Odyssey, March 21; Seabourn Odyssey - ports of call: Fort Lauderdale, transatlantic, Funchal and Lisbon. Prices: £1,699pp cruise only, £2,499pp fly/cruise.

Prices are all per person, based on double occupancy and fully inclusive of all tips and gratuities, fine-dining, open bars and a fully stocked mini-bar in each suite.

For booking details, see this link for UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Put Your Best Foot Forward In 2012 With Swan Hellenic

Did you over-indulge during the festive period? Then put your best foot forward in 2012 with Swan Hellenic and resolve to spend more of 2012 outside enjoying the natural world courtesy of their invigorating voyages.

Embrace the great outdoors on Vintage Iberia and Italy this spring and mark your first milestone with a Levada hike. Take in the best views of Madeira from the eastern flanks of the Paul de Serra plateau as you walk along the island’s unique irrigation channels. Go on to enjoy the rest of the cruise seeing more of Europe’s finest landscapes and landmarks on other guided city walks visiting Seville, Tangier and Malaga. 

This cruise costs from £1,495 per person and includes return flights from the UK, transfers, a 14-day voyage departing from Funchal (Madeira) and calling at Cadiz (Spain), Seville (Spain), Tangier (Morocco), Malaga (Spain), Palma de Mallorca (Spain, above) and Livorno (Italy) before arriving at Livorno (Italy); meals, entertainment and gratuities on board and all relevant cruise taxes/fees, plus onboard lectures from a team of renowned Guest Speakers. Price is based on a March 16 departure.

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

PS: For more info and insight on Swan Hellenic, be sure to check out this feature in the Winter edition of the magazine.

Star Clippers New Cruises from Malaga

Here's an exciting new itinerary series from our favourite sail-cruise operator Star Clippers next year.

In the autumn 2012, the eye-catching four-masted Star Flyer (above) will operate five 7-night cruises round-trip from Malaga between September 15 and October 13, exploring the Moorish heritage of Andalucia and the North African coast.

The ports of call include Casablanca and Tangier in Morocco, and Gibraltar, Cadiz and Motril, for Granada, setting of the magnificent Alhambra Palace. It is priced from £1,370pp, excluding flights.

And be sure to check with adventure-cruise specialist The Cruise Line Ltd for any special booking offers on this link.

Free Balcony Upgrades With Celebrity

Head to the geysers in Iceland, learn how to dance like a Russian or just soak up the sun in the Med, and do it all in the ultimate luxury of a private balcony with a new offer from Celebrity Cruises. Book a holiday on Celebrity Eclipse in 2012 by October 31 and receive a FREE upgrade to a veranda stateroom.

A typical 14-night Mediterranean cruise in September costs from just £1,699 per person and qualifies for the free upgrade offer (based on two people sharing). Departing from Southampton, the voyage calls as Malaga, Nice (Villefranche), Rome (Civitavecchia), Florence (Livorno), Genoa, Gibraltar and Lisbon before returning to Southampton and includes meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. The offer is available on 22 sailings on Celebrity Eclipse from May to October 2012.

In addition, Celebrity Cruises is also offering guests $100 onboard credit per stateroom on any cruise over six nights in 2012 (except Alaska and Galapagos).

For more information, visit www.celebritycruises.co.uk or the UK's leading cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Swan Hellenic's Highlights of the Ancient World

Two offers for you this morning everyone!

1) Swan Hellenic's Highlights of the Ancient World

Prices start from only £1,495 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin) and include return flights, transfers and a 13-night cruise departing from Valletta (Malta) and calling at Sousse (Tunisia), Heraklion (Greece), Alexandria (Egypt), Rhodes (Greece), Kusadasi (Turkey) and Nauplion (Greece) before arriving at Piraeus (Greece); gratuities and service charges, meals and entertainment, on board talks from a team of renowned Guest Speakers and a full programme of tailor-made shore excursions. Price is based on October 28 departure.

For more information, visit www.swanhellenic.com or he cruise specialist agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

2) Voyages of Discovery’s Classic Mediterranean

Explore the Mediterranean this September with Voyages of Discovery’s 12-day Classic Mediterranean for only £999 per person aboard the classic MV Discovery (above).

As the temperatures drop and the crowds disperse, September presents the ideal month to explore the Med. Travel at ease while visiting Europe’s finest cities from Rome to Dubrovnik taking in the breathtaking scenery and varying cultures of this colourful continent.

Price includes return flights from London, transfers and a 12-day voyage departing from Lisbon (Portugal) and calling at Cadiz (Spain), Malaga (Spain), Cartagena (Spain), Ajaccio (Corsica), Livorno (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy), Messina (Sicily) before arriving at Dubrovnik (Croatia; overnight); meals, entertainment and gratuities on board and all relevant cruise taxes/fees, plus onboard lectures from a team of renowned guest speakers. Price is based on September 19 departure.

For more info, visit www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk.

Save With Voyages of Discovery

Here's a good cruise saving to be had today, as announced in this press release from one of our favourite 'discovery' cruise lines:

Further reductions have been made to Voyages of Discovery’s 12-day Classic Mediterranean – save up to £740 and cruise from as little as £859 per person.

This price includes return flights from London, transfers and a 12-day voyage departing from Lisbon (Portugal) and calling at Cadiz (Spain), Malaga (Spain), Cartagena (Spain), Ajaccio (Corsica), Livorno (Italy), Civitavecchia (Italy) and Messina (Sicily) before arriving at Dubrovnik (Croatia) for an overnight stay; all meals, entertainment and gratuities on board and all relevant cruise taxes/fees, plus onboard lectures from a team of renowned guest speakers. Price is based on a September 19 departure.

For more info, visit www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk or contac the specialist cruise booking agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Scroll down for a superb offer at New Year with SeaDream Yacht Club

Introducing The New Seabourn Quest

As the sun set over the waterfront of Barcelona, Seabourn introduced the new 450-guest Seabourn Quest to the world on June 20 during a glittering naming ceremony presided over by Blythe Danner. The award-winning actress served as godmother to the new luxury vessel, Seabourn’s third new ship and the sixth to join its fleet, completing a three-year expansion for the line.

Guests booked on Quest’s Maiden Voyage had the unique opportunity to participate in the festivities. A full orchestra was arrayed on either side of the swimming pool, and a projection screen set above the deck allowed guests to view the climactic moment when a bottle of champagne smashed against the bow of the ship. Adjacent to the screen, a contingent of crew members who had served in the start-up teams of all three new-ship launches instantaneously broke confetti-filled champagne bottles in a synchronised wave pattern as the bottle crashed. The memorable evening was capped off by a dazzling fireworks display sparkling against the city’s skyline.

Quest is the third iteration of the sleek and widely admired design that first appeared as Seabourn Odyssey in June 2009, and has been hailed as "a game-changer for the luxury segment." The second sister-ship, Seabourn Sojourn, entered service in June of 2010.

Quest’s 225 luxurious and spacious suites, 90 per cent of which offer private verandas, feature separate living areas and bedrooms, writing desks with personalised stationery, and generously sized granite bathrooms with separate bath and shower and twin sinks. Suites are fitted with walk-in closets, an interactive flat-screen TV with a wide selection of music and movies, and iPod and MP3 connections. There are a host of other amenities and features, including two swimming pools, six whirlpools and a unique marina with a variety of watersport activities.

Following the naming ceremony, Seabourn Quest departed on a 14-day Maiden Voyage to Athens, stopping at beautiful seaside towns and ports in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey.

Her maiden season includes seven-day Eastern Mediterranean cruises, operating alternately between Athens, Istanbul and Venice, as well as a seven-day Black Sea voyage. In the Autumn, the ship will cross the Atlantic Ocean from Malaga, Spain, to Fort Lauderdale, from where it will sail on a series of round-trip voyages in the Caribbean. On January 5, Quest will begin a 109-day Maiden World Cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Venice on a unique eastbound course via South America, South Africa, the Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia, the Middle East and the Mediterranean.

For more info, visit www.seabourn.com or the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Big Savings on Grandeur

Here's another eye-catching bargain to start the week: join Royal Caribbean’s Grandeur of the Seas for a seven-night Spanish Mediterranean fly/cruise from just £699 per person (based on two people sharing an ocean-view stateroom) this summer.

The price includes return flights from London Gatwick, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing Palma De Mallorca and calling at Barcelona, Ibiza, Malaga and Gibraltar, before returning to Palma; all meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on a July 17 departure.

For more info, see www.royalcaribbean.co.uk or contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Tall Ship Cruising From The UK

Tall ship sailing specialist Star Clippers, who offer fully-crewed, sailing cruises on board magnificent head-turning tall ships, will bring the 170-passenger square rigger Star Flyer to the UK in 2012 for the first time since the vessel's launch in 1991, as part of the company's first ever season sailing the Baltic.

During summer, the Flyer will cruise out of Hamburg, Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen as well as to and from Southampton. She will be seen in the Solent and harboured in the British port on May 5 and September 1, 2012, attracting plenty of attention with her four masts, thousands of square feet of sail and graceful lines, modelled on the great clipper ships of the 19th century.

New Star Clippers cruises into and out of Southampton include:-

On April 14, Star Flyer sets out from St Maarten in the Caribbean on her repositioning cruise to Europe, arriving into Southampton on May 5, after a 21-day trans-Atlantic sailing (fares to be announced shortly).

She then departs Southampton later on May 5 for a five-night voyage to Hamburg, via Amsterdam - a unique chance to sail on a genuine tall ship from a British port, with two days at sea included, on which there will be plenty of chance to relax on the teak decks, learn about the wind, stars and navigation or even help the crew hoist the sails. The five-night sailing costs from £1,035 per person, including all meals on board and port taxes (excluding return flights from Hamburg).

On August 25, Star Flyer will sail from Hamburg to Southampton on a seven-night voyage via Amsterdam, Ijmuiden, Antwerp and Zeebrugge, presenting another chance to sail up the Solent in one of the most dramatic-looking ships afloat.

This seven-night sailing costs from £1,490 per person, including all meals on board and port taxes (excludes one-way flight to Hamburg).

On September 1, the head-turning square rigger departs Southampton once more, sailing for Lisbon and on to Malaga, from where she will operate five 7-night cruises in the Mediterranean prior to her transatlantic crossing back to her winter base of Costa Rica. This will be bookable in sectors, for which prices will be announced shortly.

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

Oceania Cruises offers up to $1000 onboard credit

By guest blogger Steve Newman

For selected departures between April and July 2011 on three of its upper premium luxury ships, Oceania Cruises is offering $1,000 of onboard credit per booking. Included among the offer sailings are:-

23rd April: Wonders of the Ancients – 14-night cruise on Insignia (above), embarking in Civitavecchia (Rome) and cruising to Sorrento, Taormina, Zakynthos, Alexandria, Cairo, Haifa, Jerusalem, Limassol, Tartous, Alanya, Ephesus and Athens. The price of £2,571 per guest is based on 2 sharing and includes all meals, complimentary soft drinks and bottled water, as well as the $1,000 credit per stateroom (excludes flights).

27th May: Gems of Europe – this 15-night voyage on Insignia now comes with a $1,000 onboard credit per stateroom and is priced from £2,690 per guest, including all meals, complimentary soft drinks and bottled water (excluding fights). The cruise sails from Rome (Civitavecchia) to Marseille, taking in Barcelona, Malaga, Seville, Lisbon, Oporto, La Coruna, Bilbao, Bordeaux and Lorient before completing the voyage in Greenwich.

Other sailings with the enticing $1,000 onboard credit include in Alaska on Regatta and winter 2011/12 voyages on Nautica.

To find out more, visit http://www.oceaniacruises.co.uk/ or check with the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Regent Seven Seas Autumn Sunshine

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Five nights of Autumn sunshine are now possible with Regent Seven Seas Cruises on their new Barcelona cruise this November. The voyage includes Valencia and Funchal (Madeira) on Seven Seas Voyager (above), departing November 8, with 5 nights in a balcony suite from £1,499 per person.

The full itinerary is as follows:

8 November, sail from Barcelona
9 November, Valencia 8am-6pm
10 November, Cartagena 8am-6pm
11 November, Malaga 8am-6pm
12 November, At Sea
13 November, Funchal, Disembark

The generous price includes the 5-night all-inclusive cruise, free return economy flights, free unlimited shore excursions in every port, fine dining including speciality restaurants, all drinks and beverages, all gratuities, all onboard activities and use of luxury amenities, and 24-hour room service and in-suite dining.

For more information, look up http://www.rssc.co.uk/ or visit Regent Seven Seas at the Cruise Show at Birmingham NEC on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia next March (26-27). For more great deals on RSSC cruises, check out top specialist agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

Celebrity Luxury Property Spain

Celebrity Luxury Property Spain

For many years Spain has been the number one choice for holidays and real estate investments. The statistics show the most popular regions for property investments are Malaga, Granada or Alicante. And talking about celebrities favorite place for investments that is Majorca Island. Many American and European famous people have vacation residencies in Palma de Majorca.

Many people are attracted to this place probably because of its histroy that is associated with King Juan Carlos. The entire royal family’s presence is familiar among the inhabitants of Majorca. Another royal visitor of this Spanish Island was Queen Elizabeth of England. With so much blue blood, Majorca attracted many American celebrities too. Michael Douglas, Patsy Palmer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mike Oldfield and many more invested in vacation properties on the island.

This region is so full of famous people that a regular tourist can spot a celebrity on any given day. This has been happening for the last 50 years. But it also has its private beaches, mountain isolated facilities meant to offer the celebrities just the ideal proportion between intimacy and public recognition.

Celebrity Luxury Property Spain

Celebrity Luxury Property Spain

Celebrity Luxury Property Spain