Cunard's Grand New Programme

With three ships now in the fleet, Cunard Line has announced its widest ever range of voyages for 2012, with 84 voyages visiting 129 ports and 48 countries around the world. The launch is supported by a comprehensive range of Early Booking incentives including, for the first time, an additional 10% saving on all voyages booked before May 31.

Cunard Line will celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and Her Majesty’s long association with Cunard, with a unique Three Queens Event in Southampton on June 5, 2012, the Bank Holiday Jubilee Celebration.

Queen Elizabeth will spend the first half of the summer sailing out of Southampton before setting off on her inaugural Mediterranean Fly-Voyage season from Venice, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Athens on a series of 12-night voyages. In early 2013 she will embark on a new Pacific Islands voyage, offering a 91-night sailiing from Southampton or a 36-night voyage from Los Angeles.

Queen Victoria has developed a very loyal following and will spend the summer sailing out of Southampton to the most popular Northern Europe and Mediterranean destinations. A new feature will be overnight stays in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Istanbul, St Petersburg, Madeira and Venice – giving guests more time to experience the destinations.

Queen Mary 2 goes from strength to strength on her unique Transatlantic Voyages and will cross the Atlantic 20 times during 2012. She will also offer voyages to Northern Europe, Canada and New England and a new 16-night Central Mediterranean voyage. The Transatlantic is fast becoming a ‘must do’ choice for regular cruisers.

The programme goes on sale worldwide on April 4. Other highlights include:

Value for Money - This year, Cunard is offering exceptional savings to those booking prior to May 31. For example, Early Booking Savings of up to £900 per couple are available on a typical 12-night voyage. There is also complimentary onboard spending available of between $40 and $1000 per couple on Mediterranean fly-cruises and transatlantic crossings. And complimentary car parking is available to guests booking 2012 Southampton round-trip voyages with durations of five nights or more (excluding round-trip transatlantic crossings and World Voyages).

Overnight Stays – Feedback from passengers has shown that they would like to spend more time in big-hitting destinations, so all three ships will now offer overnight stays that include Amsterdam, Venice, Rome, Hamburg, St Petersburg, Boston, Quebec, Madeira and Barcelona.

Traditional Values – As the pace of life accelerates, the values, traditions and White Star Service experienced with Cunard are gaining more and more recognition, both from loyal Cunarders and with first-timers to the brand. For example, on many cruise lines shorts can often be seen in dining rooms. This would never happen on a Cunard ship. Dancing is going through a renaissance through high-profile television programmes in many countries. With state-of-the-art ball rooms, the biggest dance floors at sea, big bands and dance hosts, Cunard is setting the standards and attracting many passengers who hanker for a taste of tradition and class.

For more information, visit http://www.cunard.co.uk/ or contact the specialist agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Crystal Cruises + Canada/New England = Cruise Perfection

We are just back from a truly sublime 12-day voyage with Crystal Cruises from Montreal (above) to New York, taking in large parts of the late Fall Foliage scene through Canada and New England.

This was a brand new area for us, cruise-wise, and came as quite a revelation. In company with Crystal's peerless style, it makes for an absolute stunner of a cruise, with plenty of captivating ports of call, superb onboard ambience and an almost non-stop backdrop of eye-catching scenery.

The ports were the Canadian quartet of Montreal, Quebec, Halifax and St John, followed by Portland (Maine), Boston and Newport (Rhode Island). Each one offered a level of interest and diversity that can usually only be found in the most port-intensive of Mediterranean or Northern Europe itineraries, and there was much that came as a real surprise in terms of the activities, sight-seeing, history and, most importantly, the food en route.

We'll try to provide a few more details here on Time Spent At Sea in the coming weeks, but look for a BIG feature focus on this cruise, and the region as a whole, throughout 2011 in World of Cruising.

It is almost 15 years since we did a full cruise with Crystal and it certainly served to underline that nobody does it better in terms of big-ship deluxe voyaging, with the food and service quite superb. The onboard entertainment was first class and the relaxation factor was also noticeable in the comfort of one of their Penthouse deck staterooms (well worth paying the extra for, in our opinion) and we left with that rare feeling of real regret at the end of the 12 days!

Crystal Symphony may be 15 years old these days but her classic styling still make her seem new, she has been wonderfully well maintained and her 2009 refurbishment added a real touch of class to many staterooms and the Lido Deck.

We'd also have to say that this is a real thinking person's cruise. It is not an all-action, non-stop barrage of sunshine, beaches and activity, but it IS an absolutely fascinating look at a part of the world that is not too busy at this time of year (late September and October) and offers a lot to enchant and beguile in a subtle, sophisticated manner.

Standout ports were the UNESCO world heritage city of Quebec, the two-day visit to brilliant Boston, and the small-scale charm (and opulence!) of Newport, but every single stop included something new, vibrant and attractive, and that is a rare commodity these days.

The real test of any cruise is usually the question - would we want to go back? If it was the exact same voyage, and with Crystal - indisputably!