Check Out The Big Cunard Sale

Cunard Line has a wonderful offer to start the new year, with a value-for-money approach to their usual high-quality style and a 10% off booking incentive that runs until February 29.

The iconic line, who promise to over-deliver in their attention to detail, quality and attainable price-point, are featuring the ‘Your Cunard Sale’ for all voyages currently on sale in 2012 and 2013, if booked by the end of next month. Highlights include:

· Queen Mary 2's grand seven-night transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York, which start at just £799 per person, including a flight in the opposite direction (M233, 15-22 Dec 2012).

·  Queen Victoria's varied 2012 itineraries, including a 3-day voyage from just £399 per person (V211, 5-8 May 2012), and a 7-night fjords sailing from only £749 per person (V228, 13-20 Dec 2012).

· Queen Elizabeth, in her maiden season of Mediterranean fly-voyages, offers nine-night sailings from £1,099 per person (Q216, 28 Aug-6 Sep 2012); 14-night Caribbean voyages are also available from just £1,649 per person, plus complimentary spending money of $100 per person (Q302, 6-20 Jan 2013)

· The most spectacular value for money in the Big Sale period is offered on Cunard’s two World Voyages, which sail round-trip from Southampton in 2013. Queen Mary 2’s eastward 106-night full world voyage begins at just £10,699 per person, while for those booking the liner’s prestigious Grill accommodation, savings can amount to more than £12,000 per person. Complimentary spending money of $350-$1,600 per person completes the offer.       

Queen Victoria’s westward 105-night circumnavigation starts at £10,899 per person, plus $350 complimentary spending money. Sectors of the World Voyage are also available, such as the 18-night sailing from Dubai to Southampton (8-26 April 2013) featuring Aqaba for Petra, Sharm el Sheikh, Sokhna for Cairo, the Suez Canal, Rome and Lisbon, with prices including the outward flight from just £2,399 per person and $75 complimentary spending money.

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

Cunard Celebrates Royal Wedding In Style

In view of Cunard's long association with the British Royal family, it is fitting that the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton should be celebrated with enthusiasm and aplomb on all three of the company's ships.

Flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria - the first two named by Prince William's grandmother, Her Majesty The Queen, and the latter by his stepmother, the Duchess of Cornwall - will all be at sea on the day so it is anticipated there will be heavy demand for the live big-screen showing of the wedding itself in the ships' Royal Court Theatres. And each passenger will receive an invitation to the 'wedding', delivered the night before!

In the afternoon, after the screening, a Royal afternoon tea will be served in the appropriately decorated Queens Room on each ship; this will feature a special edition menu and a commemorative blend from tea specialists, Twinings. Champagne will be available with tea.

Dinner in the evening will boast an eight-page commemorative menu offering a celebratory four-course meal devised by Cunard's renowned Chef Zimmerman. As guests enter each dining room, they will see at the door a traditional multi-tiered wedding cake decorated with cream and white icing, and featuring the flower emblems of the four parts of the United Kingdom - the English rose, the Scottish thistle, the Welsh daffodil and the shamrock of Northern Ireland.

Each guest will be given a complimentary glass of champagne, together with a piece of wedding cake - and dinner in each restaurant will be 'interrupted' by a visit from the Captain, who will propose a toast to the bride and groom.

And, as is customary at British weddings, at the conclusion of dinner each guest will be able to take away with them a piece of wedding cake in an individual commemorative box. And, again as is customary with British weddings, the celebrations will conclude with dancing at a Royal Ball to be held in each of the ships’ Queens Rooms – the largest dance floors at sea.

In fact, being at sea with Cunard on April 29 will be just like being invited to Westminster Abbey - with only the bride and groom missing!

For more info on Cunard cruises, visit www.cunard.co.uk.

Cunard's Royal Flush

Here's a fun little press release from Cunard this week: The three most famous ships among UK adults, according to a new survey, were all named by The Queen.

The YouGov survey, which included a random sample of 2,065 adults and weighted to represent the population as a whole, showed the most recognised ship in unprompted responses from the general public is Cunard's former flagship Queen Elizabeth 2, closely followed by the company's current flagship Queen Mary 2, and the newly-launched Queen Elizabeth.

The survey also targeted those who had cruised in the last five years and the top three most recalled ships again comprise Cunard's total current fleet! In first place is Queen Mary 2, followed by Queen Victoria - named by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall in 2007 - and then Queen Elizabeth. Other findings in the survey, which was commissioned by Carnival UK and conducted last November, also show Cunard deliver against the key attributes which are important to cruisers in such areas as food quality, service standards, trustworthiness and standard of accommodation.

For information about Cunard Cruises, visit www.cunard.co.uk or contact luxury cruise agents The Cruise Line Ltd.

Crystal Showcases Emerging Artists on Alaska Voyages

Whether you’re addicted to X Factor or a patron of the arts, it’s always exciting to discover new talent. For this reason, Crystal Cruises is treating guests to its own performance series of high-calibre “Emerging Artists” during its new Alaska season, which kicks off in May.

Through its partnership with The Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County, seven “Experiences of Discovery” theme cruises from May to August will feature a total of 22 gifted young artists, including members of the San Francisco Ballet, accomplished composers and songwriters, students from Juilliard School and the Berklee College of Music and an “America’s Most Talented Kid” TV show contestant.

The 17-25-year-old participants are all alumni of the Center's renowned Spotlight Awards programme, which nurtures the audition and performance skills of senior school-aged artists from Southern California. The year-long intensive course of study culminates in the Spotlight Awards presentation, with many award-winners invited on Crystal Symphony to showcase their talents in ballet, classical piano, Broadway-style vocals, international dance, opera, jazz and blues.

While sailing amongst ice-blue glaciers and serene wildlife of the Last Frontier, guests will be able to enjoy performances as well as observe a Master Class between artists and Music Centre Master Class teachers/ambassadors. These exclusive seminars will give an insider’s peek at the intensive training professional performers undergo to perfect their art.

Round-trip from San Francisco, the 12-night voyages are set for May 21; June 2, 14 and 26; July 8 and 20; and August 1, calling at Sitka, Juneau, Skagway/Haines, Ketchikan, Victoria, Vancouver and either Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier.

Prices start from £4,188 per person (based on May 21 and June 2 departures) including free return economy class flights, 12 nights in a deluxe stateroom with picture window with all meals and soft drinks and port taxes. In addition, as part of Crystal's "All Inclusive - As You Wish" promotion, guests on this voyage will also receive onboard spending money of $500 per person, which can be spent on shore excursions, spa treatments, alcoholic beverages, purchases in the onboard boutiques, gratuities or Vintage Room experiences.

For reservations, visit http://www.crystalcruises.co.uk/ or contact the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

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.