Take a Waltz With Johann Strauss in 2012

Noble Caledonia have just released their new MS Johann Strauss brochure for 2012 featuring cruises along the Dutch Waterways, Rhine, Moselle and Danube Rivers.

The vessel has just been refurbished to offer some of the most comfortable accommodation on the European waterways and the company's themed cruises continue to be extremely popular, including some of the best wines of Europe as well as a garden themed cruise.

The ‘Rivers of Music’ cruise went on sale last month and has already sold out, so there are now an additional two dates for this fascinating cruise with the London Festival Opera.

There are also some new inclusions for 2012 along with a greater range of pre and post-cruise extensions, such as Transylvania, Prague and Lucerne.

For more info, visit Noble Caledonia or contact the river-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

A 'Royal' European River Cruiser

eWaterways, the niche and river cruise experts, continue to expand their luxury cruise portfolio with the addition of five-star river yacht Royal Crown. The luxury cruiser renowned for its private members’ club feel and bespoke client service will begin a new sailing programme with eWaterways this April, offering an authentic exploration of some of Europe’s most iconic cities via historic rivers and lesser known waterways. To promote the launch, there will be NO single supplement for solo travellers throughout 2011.

Royal Crown will launch 10 thoughtfully assembled itineraries across 12 European countries for a rediscovery of popular destinations such as Prague, Vienna and Budapest from a more intimate, relaxing perspective. Taking in the myriad sights along the enchanting Rhine; encountering the less familiar but infinitely beautiful Mosel as it winds through the Black Forest or enjoying the magnificent Danube as it traverses fairytale landscape on its way to the Black Sea, each cruise ensures that every stage of the journey is an awe-inspiring and integral part of the travelling experience.

On the Dutch Golden Age Journey, guests will see up close the charming canals and gabled town houses of 17th century Amsterdam onboard the Royal Crown II, the river yacht’s private sloop, before setting sail on the Ijsselmeer for the picturesque port towns Hoorn, Enkhuizen and Volendam. Those opting for a longer cruise holiday, such as the two-week Grand Europe Journey. will follow in the steps of the Romans as they voyage to celebrated cities including Budapest, Vienna, Bratislava and the Bavarian region.

At full capacity, Royal Crown caters for just 88 guests in a total of 44 luxuriously appointed cabins with flatscreen TVs and fully-stocked mini-bars to promise an all-inclusive and sophisticated cruise holiday. Often described as an 'Orient Express on Water', the river yacht exudes 1930s glamour and style with Art Deco design and bespoke butler service.

The 52-strong team caters to each individual’s needs with every comfort onboard considered, from the choice of pillow to a favourite drink, everything is taken care of. The traditional ambiance and décor is propelled into the 21st century with modern facilities, including a deluxe spa, golf putting area, well-equipped fitness room and 24-hour multimedia business lounge. On each cruise, guests - and particularly solo travellers - will enjoy a luxurious offering: exquisite fine dining, classical music concerts and, of course, Europe’s most stunning vistas, all at great value.

For more info, visit www.ewaterways.co.uk or contact the river-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Save up to £1,450 per person on a cruise to Prague

To celebrate the New Year, luxury boutique river-cruise line Uniworld is offering some fantastic discounts. Save up to £1,450 per person with the ‘Manager’s Discount’ on the Treasures of Prague cruise that goes along the Rhine and Main rivers, if booked by January 31. This is a wonderful opportunity to see some of the most beautiful parts of Central Europe, as well as the fabled city of Prague, the ‘City of Spires’.

There are also other remarkable discounts available, with cruises on the Imperial Waterways of Russia, the enchanting Danube, Portugal , Spain and the Douro river, Castles along the Rhine, Paris and Normandy and Burgundy and Provence. Book by January 31 and you can look to savef up to £900 with the Manager’s Special Discount and from £150 if made before March 31.

Remember that the Uniworld ships are some of the most luxurious sailing the rivers of Europe and have the only Zagat-rated restaurants on the waterways. Other points of distinction include private car door-to-door transfer service, flights from your choice of departure airport and luxuriously appointed riverview staterooms. An added attraction for single people is that many cruises are now available without having to pay a singles supplement.

Check out http://www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk/ or contact the river-cruise specialists at The Cruise Line Ltd.

Special offers for River Cruises

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Titan HiTours Elegant River Cruises has released a series of special offers across its award-winning river cruises for bookings made before January 31.

Examples include savings of up to £3,200 per couple on the 15-day ‘Imperial Capitals of Europe’ itinerary departing April 16, which now costs from £2,499 per person if booked by Jan 31.

Taking passengers on a European odyssey through seven countries from Istanbul to Vienna, the journey starts with three days in Istanbul before flying to Bucharest to join the River Princess at Giurgiu (Romania) for the beginning of its journey along the Danube. Highlights will include cruising through the Iron Gates, an 80-mile long stretch of scenic gorges, as well as city tours of Belgrade, Budapest, Bratislava and Vienna (above); wine tasting in the Villany Hills and a home-hosted lunch in the Croatian town of Osijek.

Savings of up to £2,000 per couple are also available on the 'Treasures of Prague - Rhine and Main' tour departing on April 17 and offers amazing value from £1,659 per person.

For further information, click on to Titan Hi Tours.

A night at the Opera in Prague - River Cruise

By guest blogger Steve Newman

How about a Night at the Opera in Prague, combined with a nine-day journey along the Main and Rhine Rivers aboard the MS Johann Strauss, all with a 10-night price from £1595?

Music-themed tours from Noble Caledonian in 2011 will include musical performances either on board your vessel, at your hotel or ashore in idyllic settings. There will also be an expert to provide informal talks and accompany you on excursions.

The musical journey begins in Prague. No central European tour would be complete without a few days in the magnificent Czech capital. To make your stay in this beautiful city even more memorable, the company have included a performance of Puccini’s La Boheme in the magnificent and historic Opera House.

After two days in Prague, you drive through the delightful countryside of Bohemia to Bavaria and the river port of Regensburg, just across the border in Germany. Sailing along the Main and Rhine, guests will get to enjoy the subtle changes in architecture and reflect on the many ways in which these mighty rivers have influenced the flow of history.

Just north of Regensburg is a great feat of engineering, The Danube-Main Canal, that allows vessels to connect between the Main and Rhine Rivers. Having meandered along the Main, you reach the Rhine passing through the dramatic Rhine Gorge, the steep banks dotted with romantic castles before arriving at the great city of Cologne and crossing the border into the Netherlands.

Enhancing your river cruise will be London Festival Opera who will be aboard for the duration of the voyage. Bringing together established opera singers from major British opera companies, the LFO have achieved a considerable reputation for presenting opera and music performances in a variety of worldwide venues and will perform on board in the lounge on three evenings.

Price Includes: Economy class scheduled air travel, two nights hotel accommodation in Prague with breakfast and dinner, lunch on day 3, 8 nights aboard Johann Strauss on full board, house wine, beer and soft drinks with dinner on board, shore excursions, guest speaker, performances by London Festival Opera, services of a cruise director, tour manager, transfers, port taxes, airport taxes, gratuities to crew and on shore excursions.

For more information, visit http://www.noblecaledonia.co.uk/

Avalon Launches Spring Discounts

By guest blogger Steve Newman

AvalonWaterways, the USA-based luxury river cruise company which launched its UK operation last year, has announced a range of discounts on its 2011 spring departures of up to £450 per person.

Operating the youngest, quietest and most spacious fleet of ships currently on Europe’s rivers, which include the Rhine, Moselle, Rhone, Main, Danube and Seine, Avalon kicks off the spring discounting by offering £450 off its April 10 sailing of the popular 11-day ‘Legendary Danube’ cruise from Prague to Budapest on the 5-star MS Tapestry, now priced from £1509 per person (reduced from £1959), to include return flights, full board with complimentary regional wine, beer or soft drinks with dinner and free door-to-home pick-up within a 75-mile radius of the chosen UK departure airport.

Still on the Danube, a discount of £450 is also offered on the 13-day ‘Blue Danube Discovery’ departing on May 6 from Budapest to Prague on Avalon Tranquility now priced at £1845 (reduced from £2295).

Discounts of £325 are also available on the 11-day ‘Burgundy & Provence’ route departing from Paris to the Cote d’Azur on Avalon Scenery and the 8-day ‘Romantic Rhine’ departing from Zurich to Amsterdam on Avalon Felicity, both on April 24.

Other itineraries available with discounts include the 13-day ‘Blue Danube to the Black Sea’, the 15-day ‘Magnificent Europe’ and the 13-day ‘European Splendour’.

For further information on the range of itineraries available, visit http://www.avaloncruises.co.uk/ or call the river-cruise specialist agents of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 088 6677.

AMA's New Brochure

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Award-winning river cruise line AMA Waterways has launched its 2011 UK brochure, featuring luxurious voyages in Europe, Russia, Cambodia and Vietnam with a lead-in price of £1,422pp for a seven-night cruise, including all meals, wine with dinner (in Europe), daily excursions and free Wi-Fi.

Eighteen itineraries take in the Rhine, Main, Danube, Rhone, Saone and Moselle, as well as the Volga-Baltic Waterway in Russia and the Mekong in Vietnam and Cambodia. Next year will also see AMA Waterways introducing two new vessels, special events ashore and a wide range of pre- and post-cruise options.

Steve Williams, managing director of Fred. Olsen Travel, which represents AMA in the UK, says: “We are very excited about the launch of a new brochure for 2011 which embraces the introduction of a new ship, AmaLotus, on the Mekong and the AmaKatarina, destined to be the best ship on the Volga."

For maximum flexibility, as many guests prefer to choose their airline or travel by train to join their ship, AMA offers cruise-only pricing. These prices can, however, also be packaged with flights, train, transfers and hotels. For example, Prague, Budapest or Istanbul can be added to the Grand Danube voyage, while hotels in Paris and Barcelona can be combined with the Provence and Spain itineraries. Guests visiting South-East Asia can choose between an eight-day cruise from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh City (or vice versa) or a 16-day itinerary combining the cruise with accommodation in Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City.

Oh, and don't forget to come along to the Cruise Show at the Birmingham NEC this weekend!

First 'All Suite Ship'

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Avalon Waterways is to introduce the very first ‘All Suite Ship’ – the Avalon Panorama – in May 2011.

Featuring in the company’s new European River Cruise brochure (Mar-Nov 2011), the Panorama is the first of its kind in the industry. Offering two full decks of suites with wall-to-wall sliding panoramic windows (above) that are 50% wider than the industry standard, the Panorama Suites are 200sq ft (30% larger than the industry standard) while the Royal Suites will measure an astonishing 300sq ft and feature a king-size bed, full size designer bathroom and separate toilet.

The Panorama will operate the 15-day ‘Magnificent Europe’ cruise (Amsterdam to Budapest and reverse) from May to November 2011, priced from £2,249 in a Panorama Suite and from £4,022 in a Royal Suite; and on the 13-day 'Blue Danube Discovery' (from Budapest to Prague) on 14 November, priced from £1,949 and £2836 .

Cruises offered as ‘no fly’ options and which operate in conjunction with Eurostar departures from London’s St. Pancras or Ebbsfleet include the 8-day ‘Paris to Normandy’s Landing Beaches’ and the 11-day ‘Burgundy & Provence.’

New for this edition is the possibility to book ‘cruise only,’ thus affording additional flexibility pre or post-cruise. Also new is the ability to pre-purchase a drinks package (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) which complements the existing free regional wine, beer or soft drinks served with dinner.

All holidays include a free door-to-door home pick-up service within a 75 mile radius of the chosen airport or Eurostar station. Prices in the new brochure start from £999 per person based on the 4-day ‘Taste of the Danube’ from Vienna to Budapest on board Avalon Tapestry departing on 16 October from London Heathrow or from a range of UK airports at a supplement.

For further information on the full range of itineraries available or to request a brochure, visit http://www.avaloncruises.co.uk/.

Avalon will also be exhibiting at the must-see Cruise Show in Birmingham in October.

Treasures of Prague, The Rhine and Main

By guest blogger Steve Newman.

We seem to be writing a lot about River Cruising lately and it certainly is becoming more popular. After all, discovering the opulence and majesty of a bygone era in total relaxation just has to be an attractive proposition.

Now you can journey for eight days from the heartland of Germany along the Rhine and Main rivers to Prague, the "City of a Hundred Spires", on Uniworld’s new 'Treasures of Prague, the Rhine and Main' itinerary starting in April 2011.

Sail from Cologne to Nuremberg onboard the completely remodelled beautiful boutique cruise ship, River Ambassador. Then be whisked away to Prague, where you’ll spend three days in one of the world’s most captivating cities with its eclectic mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture, all standing seamlessly side by side, and its UNESCO World Heritage city centre.

This cruise offers an up-close look at the magnificent castles and gardens of European royalty - reminders of life lived on a grand scale. And, for those who’d like to share the gift of Europe with the special young people in their lives, Uniworld offers select family-friendly sailings during the summer. Visit the Wurzurg Residenz with the largest fresco ceiling in the world and cap the tour off with a private wine tasting of fabulous Franconian wines in the historic Residenz cellars

The cruise includes door-to-door UK airport transfers; return scheduled flights; a 7-night cruise in a riverview stateroom; 2 nights in Prague at the superior first class Art Deco Imperial Hotel, with breakfast daily; all meals onboard with complimentary fine European wines, choice of beer and soft drinks during dinner; seven shore excursions, fully hosted by English-speaking local guides; an exclusive Epicurean Adventurer Programme and all transfers on arrival and departure days.

Prices begin at £2,275 per person and, if paid in full by October 31 2010, guests can save up to £900 per couple. For more info, see http://www.uniworldrivercruises.co.uk/

River v Ocean Cruising

It's a question I hear time and time again - what's the difference between river cruising and it's Big Brother ocean variety?

It goes hand in hand with the alternative version (usually from die-hard big-ship cruisers), why would I want to down-size to a river-boat?

Both are valid queries, but both can be met with an equally emphatic response: river-cruising IS a very different animal to the ocean-going variety, but it also affords a rich and diverse experience that big-ship folk ignore at their peril!

To take the first issue, the difference between the two, requires a lengthier reply, though.

The differences between the two types of cruising are significant but well worth detailing. The obvious issue is one of size - river-boats rarely hold more than 150 people (although the new Victoria Jenna on the Yangtze in China will hold an amazing 378 passengers), and there are far fewer public rooms.

Fewer rooms means less space and fewer frills in terms of big-ship glamour and glitz. You won't find fancy casinos, high-tech Spas (although, again, the Jenna is an exception), elaborate theatres and multiple dining venues. If you're looking for expansive pool facilities, water-slides and rock-climbing walls, this isn't the right choice for you either.

But you will find plush, comfortable surroundings, well-fitted cabins, high-quality fittings and furnishings, and an overall commitment to service and attention to detail normally found only on the more deluxe, smaller-scale ocean vessels.

There is also a substantial difference in pace, both in terms of your actual travel and also of the onboard ambience. River-boats typically procede at a very leisurely speed, sometimes not much above walking pace, and the need for periodic negotiations of locks and other river traffic means you can't count on vast changes of scenery as you can in places like the Baltic and Alaska.

But this also lends itself to a more relaxing and comfortable vibe, with no discernable hustle and bustle, no need to go dashing from one show to another or requirement for lengthy daily activity programmes.

River-cruising really allows you to unwind, decompress from the real world and chill out, in a comfy environment that provides no great demands of time or choice.

Finally, and this is an important distinction as cruise ships get ever larger, it is an immensely personal experience, both in terms of your fellow passengers and the destinations you visit.

The slow pace affords plenty of time to get the know the people around you, with plenty of opportunity for conversation and social intercourse, while at the same time providing an almost slow-motion tableau of scenery and cities.

Cities are also the bread and butter of the typical river cruise, especially in Europe, with the river routes offering all manner of wonderful urban backdrops (as well as fabulous rural scenes).

In France, you can take in the likes of Lyon, Tournon, Viviers and Avignon ; in Germany, you can enjoy a cruise that includes Frankfurt, Mainz, Nuremberg and Heidelberg; further along the Danube, the routes takes in Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Bratislava; and in Russia you can cruise from Moscow to St Petersburg, and unveil some marvellous mysteries along the way.

And that's before you consider the alternative destinations of the Nile, China and Myanmar, all of which can add the a taste of the exotic to the river-cruise experience.

River-cruising is probably not ideal for families with younger children, but for those with children of senior school age (especially those learning a language), it can also be a wonderful opportunity, and for the river-cruise exec who recently stated that his product was not for "the 40-somethings," that is a shocking undervaluing of the possibilities.

Put simply, river-cruising is for those who really like to get under the skin of a destination, to take their time and savour a country, a city or a countryside. It is highly personable and often provides memorable dining. And it reconnects us with our fellow traveller.

There are other reasons why you might want to give river-cruising a try - notably the chance to avoid any vestige of seasickness! - but I'll save those for another day and another argument.