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.

Costa Favolosa Makes Maiden Dubai Call

Costa Cruises opens its sixth consecutive season in the Emirates with the inaugural call in Dubai of the flagship Costa Favolosa, the largest and most advanced ship ever deployed in the region.

From December 16 to April 6, Favolosa will be sailing on seven-night cruises in the exotic seas of the Arabian Gulf, with two days in Dubai, one-day stopovers in Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Khasab (Oman) and ending with a further overnight stay in Dubai. 

The Jewels of the Emirates cruise also has an itinerary reminiscent of A Thousand and One Nights, offering a tantalising mix of past and future, unspoiled oases and stunning futuristic architecture, dune surfing, mosques and skyscrapers.

This year’s route features the additional port call of Khasab, which boasts towering cliffs and deep blue waters. Thanks to the positioning of Favolosa, Costa will make 58 port calls in the United Arab Emirates in winter 2011/2012.

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

Amazing Prices With Regent For 2012

For travellers looking for a truly all-inclusive cruise at unbelievable value in the Mediterranean next spring, Christmas may well have arrived early as six-star ultra-luxury Regent Seven Seas Cruises has announced some extraordinary fares on three voyages in 2012.

Sailing on the line’s all-suite, all-balcony vessels Seven Sea Voyager and Mariner, the cruises include free flights and transfers, overnights in ancient cities including Safaga, Haifa and Istanbul, as well as all onboard dining, beverages and gratuities.

And, with the privilege of unlimited shore excursions in every port, these itineraries boast up to 38 free excursions for guests to choose from to further enhance their cruise experience. The fares for a Deluxe Balcony Suite on a 10-night Med cruise now start from just £2,153 per person.

Details of the three voyages are: Seven Seas Voyager, Dubai to Athens (17 nights), departing March 30 and calling at Muscat, Salalah, Luxor (from Safaga), Petra, Sharm El Sheikh, Cairo, Ashdod and Haifa; Seven Seas Mariner, Barcelona to Istanbul and Tarragona to Istanbul, departing April 2 and 30 (10 nights) and calling at Monte Carlo, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Capri/Sorrento, Taormina, Santorini and Ephesus.

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

Costa’s Newest Flagship Set For Arabian Nights

Costa Cruises eye-catching new flagship, Costa Favolosa, will be sailing in the exotic seas of the Arabian Gulf this winter, offering seven-night cruises with two days in Dubai, one-day stopovers in Muscat (Oman), Fujairah (UAE), Abu Dhabi (UAE) and Khasab (Oman) and ending with a further overnight stay in Dubai.

This “Jewels of the Emirates” cruise season, which runs from December 16 to April 6, features an itinerary reminiscent of A Thousand and One Nights, with a tantalising mix of past and present, unspoiled oases and stunning futuristic architecture, dune surfing, mosques and skyscrapers. This year’s route also features the additional port call of Khasab (Oman), which boasts towering cliffs and deep blue waters.

For booking, be sure to visit the Costa Favolosa section of specialist cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd (0800 008 6677) on this link.

Unlock Your Past On A Genealogy Cruise

Tracing your family tree has never been more popular and, with so many different options available, your family history is just waiting to be discovered. Voyages of Discovery hopes to spark more interest in people’s ancestries by inviting guests onboard two cruises, Trade Routes to Bombay and Tales of India & Arabia, to start their genealogy journey sailing the high seas.

This winter MV Discovery will be joined by genealogy experts Paul Blake and Maggie Loughran, heritage event organisers with over 20 years’ experience. Both Paul and Maggie will be on hand to help passengers delve into their family history through guest lectures on a wide range of fascinating historical topics and via hosted workshops at sea and in port.

Continuing the historical theme, guests can take part in Discovery's 'Antiques Seashow' with resident antiques expert David Barby (above). Famous for his appearances on Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip, David invites passengers to come prepared with photos of relics and heirlooms to offer his valuations.
Unravel your past and sail on Voyages of Discovery's Trade Routes to Bombay - save up to 55% and get away on a 15-day cruise from as little as £899 per person.

Price includes return flights from London, transfers and the 15-day voyage departing from Safaga (Egypt) overnight and calling at Massawa (Eritrea), Salalah (Oman), Muscat (Oman) and Porbandar (India) before arriving at Mumbai (India), 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 a November 14 departure. Or choose to sail next March on Tales of India and Arabia from as little as £1,399, saving up to 30%.

For more info, visit www.voyagesofdiscovery.co.uk or the adventure cruise experts of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Enjoy a Seven-Day UAE Voyage with Silversea

We love all the special offers that roll into the office at this year, with some substantial savings on autumn and early-winter cruises. Take today's for instance:

Join Silversea Cruises on a seven-day Dubai round-trip from just £2,898 per person on an all-inclusive basis. Departing November 27, 2011, from Dubai (UAE), Silver Wind calls at Abu Dhabi (UAE), Khasab (Oman), Muscat (Oman) and Doha (Qatar) before arriving in Dubai (UAE) for an overnight stay onboard.

All prices are per person, based on two people sharing a Vista Suite and include complimentary air fare, port charges, government fees and taxes. An additional $500 'Passport to Luxury' shipboard credit is offered per suite, based on two people sharing, for use towards additional benefits such as shore excursions, spa treatments, boutiques or select restaurants.

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

Dubai Delights With Royal Caribbean

Here's another great winter cruise offer (and another featuring the very happening destination of Dubai) from the folks at Royal Caribbean, who seem to come up with one of these excellent-priced specials every week: Join Brilliance of the Seas for an eight-night Dubai fly/cruise from £849 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

Price includes return flights from London Heathrow, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing Dubai (UAE) and calling at Fujairah (UAE), Muscat (Oman) and Abu Dhabi (UAE) before returning to Dubai; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. The price is based on a December 12 departure.

For more info, see www.royalcaribbean.co.uk or the cruise agent experts of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Royal Caribbean's Great Dubai Deal

Join Royal Caribbean’s Brilliance of the Seas for an eight-night Dubai fly/cruise from just £999 per person this winter (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

The price includes return flights from London Gatwick, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing from Dubai (UAE) and calling at Fujairah (UAE), Muscat (Oman) and Abu Dhabi (UAE), before returning to Dubai; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on 28 November 2011 departure.

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

MSC Lirica to be based in Abu Dhabi

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Abu Dhabi's ambition to become an international cruise hub has received a significant boost following the signing of a landmark co-operation agreement between Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and MSC Cruises that will see the company deploy one of its top vessels to the UAE capital on a home-port basis from October 2011. Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed Port will serve as the primary embarkation and disembarkation point for MSC Lirica.

Surrounding Lirica's 19 regional forays will be repositioning cruises from and to Genoa in Italy. On October 14, 2011, the vessel will depart Genoa for a 17-day/16-night maiden voyage to Abu Dhabi, where she will begin her maiden regional season.

A southland course will take Lirica through the Mediterranean, calling at Naples and Port Said (Egypt), before going through the Suez Canal and reaching Aqaba (Jordan). The vessel stops in Salalah and Muscat in Oman, then Dubai, before reaching her home port in Abu Dhabi. The luxury ship then leaves the UAE for Genoa on March 9, 2012.

With regional tours departing Abu Dhabi every Sunday from October 28, 2011, Lirica will travel round the Arabian Gulf peninsula to Muscat, before turning round en route for the UAE's eastern emirate of Fujairah on the Indian Ocean. It will continue heading north to Bahrain, then sail southwards to Dubai, before completing its journey in Abu Dhabi.

For further information log on to http://www.msccruises.co.uk/ or visit specialist agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

Amazing Middle East Offer

By guest blogger Steve Newman

You can now join Royal Caribbean International’s Brilliance of the Seas (above) next year on an eight-night Dubai fly/cruise from just £919 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

This terrific low price includes return flights from London Heathrow, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing Dubai (United Arab Emirates) and calling at Fujairah (United Arab Emirates), Muscat (Oman) and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) before returning to Dubai, with all meals, entertainment on board and all relevant cruise taxes/fees also included.

Price is based on February 28, 2011, departure.

You can also learn more about Royal Caribbean's offerings 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 Royal Carribean cruises, check out this link with top specialist cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

Whoever decided that Dubai was the ideal place for a new cruise hub is probably giving themselves a hearty pat on the back about now.

The opening of their Port Rashid cruise terminal in February, and the decision of the likes of Costa Cruises and Royal Caribbean to base ships there for prolonged periods, indicates that someone really knew what they were doing.

It had to start with Dubai themselves, of course, and the splendid new facilities of the Port Rashid terminal, which gave the Middle East its first purpose-built, year-round and high-quality cruise capability in keeping with the bigger ships being built today.

But it also needed a fair leap of faith on behalf of at least one of the major cruise lines to invest some of their key tonnage in an area not previously known for anything other than the more occasional visit.

As recently as 2004, Dubai received just 10,000 passengers, nearly all of them on fleeting visits by the likes of Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn and Silversea on various legs of world cruises or similar long, one-off voyages. This year, an estimated 325,000 will step through the doors of Port Rashid.

Today comes the news that Royal Caribbean are extending their commitment to Dubai with a longer winter season in 2011/12 for their 2,501-passenger Brilliance of the Seas.

Brilliance debuted in the United Arab Emirates this January, with the ship operating a series of 8-night voyages, mainly for the UK and European markets. And, according to Royal Caribbean, sales were some 30 per cent ahead of target for the line’s first four-month season from Dubai.

According to agent feedback, there is even stronger interest in Middle East cruises in future, along with increased airlift to Dubai, hence the ship will return to the UAE two months earlier than planned, in November 2011. Royal Caribbean will also offer an increased range of itineraries, including longer cruises up to 12 and even 18 nights.

Jo Rzymowska, Royal Caribbean's associate vice president and general manager for UK and Ireland, explained: “Dubai is very popular with UK and Irish travellers, and cruises consistently offer significant value for money. We have adjusted the itinerary based on our trade partner feedback and replaced Bahrain with an overnight stay in Muscat. Also included within this itinerary is an overnight stay in the city onboard the ship at the end of the cruise, which makes this an affordable way to enjoy this fascinating Emirate. The chance to explore more of the Middle East, Arabian Sea and even India make these additional longer sailings truly exciting options."

The enhanced 2011-2012 season will be the ship’s third year based from the destination, following its winter cruises from Jan-Apr 2011. New itineraries during the longer 6-month season include a 12-night Dubai and India cruise featuring calls at Muscat in Oman and Cochin, Goa and Mumbai in India.

Brilliance will also feature the first ever call by a Royal Caribbean vessel to the New Mangalore port in Panambur on the west coast of India. The town is famed for its beautiful beaches on the Arabian Sea, the Nandaneshwara Temple and the Gurupura River.

The 2011-12 season will continue to offer double the number of regular 7-night cruises, with minor changes to the route, including an overnight in Dubai at the end of the voyage rather than the beginning, and a revised order in the other ports of call to simplify visa processing. The featured ports include Fujairah and Abu Dhabi in the UAE and Muscat in Oman. The 7-night itineraries for the upcoming 2010-11 season also will reflect these changes.

The repositioning cruise from Barcelona to Dubai will be an 18-night option via the Suez Canal and calls at Alexandria, Aqaba and Safaga.