Make it a ‘Caribbean Christmas’ With Fred. Olsen

Christmas is a time for celebration and relaxation, and what better way to do both than on a sunny Caribbean cruise? Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has a leisurely 25-night ex-UK ‘Caribbean Christmas’ cruise aboard Black Watch, departing from Southampton on December 17.



The long Atlantic crossing allows for plenty of time to relax and enjoy the many activities and facilities the ship has to offer. Guests can join in quizzes and traditional deck games, read in the peace of the library, swim, work out in the gym, or take part in many other enjoyable activities, as the ship makes her way to the warm Caribbean waters.



Christmas Day sees Black Watch in the middle of her Atlantic crossing, and the day is celebrated at sea in the traditional way – there is a sumptuous feast, a visit from Santa Claus for younger guests, as well as carol singing, festive entertainment, quizzes and, of course, a ship glittering with Christmas trees and decorations.



The first Caribbean port of call is Barbados on December 28 followed by the lovely islands of St Lucia, Antigua, Tortola and St Maarten, while the return crossing includes a visit to the Azores before arriving back in Southampton on January 11.



An extra-special attraction on this festive cruise is live entertainment from two of the best tribute bands around, appearing as part of the exclusive Fred. Olsen's ‘Music & Laughter’ programme. The acts are ‘Bee Gees Magic’ and ‘Abba Magic’, and they will be recreating the great sounds of the Seventies’ super-groups during the cruise.



Prices for this Christmas cruise start from £3,597 per person, based on two adults sharing an outside twin cabin, Grade ‘E’, and include accommodation, all meals and entertainment on board – including the ‘Music & Laughter’ programme – and port taxes.



Find out more at www.fredolsencruises.com or contact the specialst cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd at 0800 008 6677.

Big Autmn Savings With Crystal

As if Crystal Cruises’ autumn sale wasn’t big enough already, the ultra-luxury cruise operator is offering even greater savings on its 25th October New York to Miami Caribbean cruise with prices for this 12-night voyage starting from as little £3,723 per person – a saving of £498 per person.

Crystal’s “Pink Sands and White Beaches” voyage begins with a scenic sail-away from New York followed by visits to Bermuda, St Maarten, Antigua, Aruba and the Cayman Islands. Throughout, guests will be stimulated and enriched with an array of complimentary workshops and classes:



A “Digital Filmmaking” theme offers camera buffs hands-on tutelage in travel video production from Travel Channel Academy founders throughout the sailing. News junkies will relish insights from Shelby Coffee, formerly editor of the LA Times, president of CNN Business News and executive vice president of ABC News. Veteran US State Department Senior Foreign Service Officer, Robert Warne, will enthral world affairs enthusiasts with his vast experience in international economics. Animal lovers can help care for stray donkeys via Crystal’s free “You Care, We Care” voluntourism excursion in Antigua.



Prices include return scheduled flights, transfers, 12 nights in a deluxe stateroom with picture window with all meals and soft drinks, port taxes and a $500 per person onboard credit.



For further information, visit www.crystalcruises.co.uk or contact the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Peter Sissons and Terry Neill Cruise with Fred. Olsen

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is proud of its philosophy ‘It’s all about the people’ and the cruise line is famed for its personal touch. Part of the pleasure of a cruise is to meet new people and enjoy stimulating discussion – perhaps learning something new along the way. An eclectic mix of speakers appears as part of Fred. Olsen’s cruise enhancement programme, Vistas, which covers a host of fascinating topics that guests can enjoy at no extra cost.

Two very different speakers featured in the 2012/13 Vistas programme are veteran newscaster and broadcaster, Peter Sissons (above), and the Northern Ireland footballer and former Spurs and Arsenal manager, Terry Neill.

Thought to have been Britain’s longest-serving TV news presenter, with a career spanning 45 years, Peter Sissons is best known for his long and distinguished career with the BBC. Having worked for both ITN and Channel Four – where he won three consecutive BAFTAs – he joined the Corporation to present Question Time and the Six O’Clock News. Latterly, he presented the Nine O’Clock News from 1994 until it moved to its present ten o’clock slot.

Prior to his successful life in journalism, Peter studied alongside some famous classmates. Growing up in Liverpool, he was at junior school with John Lennon and Jimmy Tarbuck and then attended the Liverpool Institute, where, among his fellow students, were both George Harrison and Paul McCartney. Many people will remember Peter as the newsreader who was trusted with the momentous task of announcing to the nation the death of the Queen Mother in 2002 – and was castigated by some (and applauded by others) for wearing a burgundy tie, rather than a black one!

He left the BBC in 2009 to concentrate on writing his memoirs, since published under the title ‘When One Door Closes’, and promises to be a fascinating speaker on Boudicca’s 23-night cruise to the Mediterranean, departing from Portsmouth on October 12, 2012. The cruise visits Portimăo (Portugal), Ibiza (Spain), Valletta (Malta), Piraeus for Athens (Greece), Alexandria (Egypt) for an overnight stay, Tripoli (Libya), Algiers (Algeria) and Gibraltar, before returning to Portsmouth. Prices are from £2,379 per person.

From a very different world comes William John Terence (‘Terry’) O’Neill. Born in Belfast in 1942, Terry has been involved in football from his earliest days, playing as a junior for Bangor before moving to Arsenal in 1959. In the early 1960s, he made 29 league appearances for The Gunners, and was also a regular player for the Northern Ireland team. He became Arsenal captain in 1968 and played 275 games for them, scoring ten goals in total. He moved to Hull City in 1990, as one of the youngest ever player/managers, and was later manager of Tottenham Hotspur, returning to his beloved Arsenal as its manager until his retirement from ‘the beautiful game’ at the early age of 41. Since then, he has run a number of successful sports bars in London, and still commentates on Arsenal games for Arsenal TV.

Neill will be speaking on Boudicca’s 35-night voyage to the Caribbean, departing from Southampton on January 19, 2012. The cruise visits Tenerife, Barbados, Curacao, Colombia, Jamaica, Cuba (for an overnight stay in Havana), the Turks and Caicos Islands, St Maarten, and the Azores, before returning to Southampton. Prices are from £3,249 per person.

Prices are based on two adults sharing an inside twin cabin, Grade ‘I’ and include accommodation, all meals and entertainment onboard, including the celebrity speakers, and port taxes.

Find out more at www.fredolsencruises.com or contact the specialist cruise agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Windstar Unveils New 2012 Collection

Windstar Cruises, operator of a three-ship fleet of luxury yachts, has unveiled its new 2012 collection of luxury voyages in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, Baltic, Italy, Mediterranean and Greek Isles, with nine new itineraries and the lowest introductory pricing in years.

In addition, guests who book by June 30 will receive a $200 shipboard credit per cabin. Windstar’s Foremast Members receive an additional 5% discount on all itineraries.

The 2012 programme features a unique collection of islands, highlighting diverse countries, styles, landscapes and cultures of the Caribbean. For example, seven-night sailings on Wind Surf round-trip from Philipsburg, St Maarten, visit Le Marin, Martinique; Pigeon Island, St Lucia; Roseau, Dominica; Falmouth Harbour, Antigua; and Gustavia, St Barts, with cruise-only prices from £1,577 per person.

Or how about the Treasures of Northern Europe? Discover six of the region's most captivating countries with 11-night sailings on Wind Surf between Lisbon and Oslo, visiting Le Havre, Dover, Antwerp and Amsterdam and cruise-only prices from £2,376 per person.

Windstar’s 2012 voyages are available to book now. For more info, visit www.windstarcruises.com or contact the adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Learn Digital Film Making with Crystal

Lights, camera, action! Guests on Crystal Cruises’ October “Digital Film-Making”-themed voyage will get to hone their production skills with an intense video production programme that focuses on creating extraordinary travel videos.

During the 12-night New York to Miami Caribbean cruise, Michael Rosenblum - a digital film groundbreaker who led the BBC’s transition to digital production and created The Travel Channel Academy, among other credits - will lead a team of instructors in teaching guests how to create the best travel videos possible. The pros will cover every step of the production process and teach travellers to think through their videos before shooting, so the finished product will be a more watchable and compelling film to share with friends, family, or the world.

“Whether a complete novice, or a veteran videographer, there will be instruction geared toward every level of shooting experience,” says Crystal’s Vice President of International Sales & Marketing, Philip Ordever. “It’s an exceptional opportunity for travellers to gain a practical education in a fast-growing arena from one of the top experts in the field—all for free.”

Onboard, guests can attend multiple training classes, seek daily one-on-one assistance at a programme “base camp” and view other guests’ raw footage and finished films in a constructive workshop setting. On various excursions, instructors will accompany guests to provide hands-on shooting guidance.

Production areas that will be covered include:

Pre-production and storyboarding

Setting up/framing shots

Shooting time/clip lengths

Uploading footage

Editing

Graphics

Music

Finalising finished product for sharing

Crystal will provide all equipment for programme participation, including video cameras, Macintosh laptop computers and editing software.

The 12-night “Pink Sands & White Beaches” cruise starts in New York on October 25 and visits Bermuda, St Maarten, Antigua, Aruba and Grand Cayman before finishing in Miami. Prices start from £4,221 per person, including return scheduled flights, transfers, 12 nights in a deluxe stateroom with picture window with all meals and soft drinks, port taxes and a $500 per person onboard credit.

For more info, see www.crystalcruises.co.uk or contact the UK's leading luxury-cruise specialist agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

The Eclipse Experience

OK, this is WAY overdue, but here is a more detailed review (as opposed to a few hurried blog photos!) of our recent cruise on the new (in summer 2010) Celebrity Eclipse, summing up the main high points before our big World of Cruising feature in the summer edition.

To start with, this is the third (of five) Celebrity Cruises ships in the Solstice class, with the 122,000-ton vessels all garnering a huge amount of critical acclaim since their launch. This was our first full look at one of the ships on a regular cruise, hence it serves as a more accurate benchmark of their overall quality.

It is also highly pertinent to the European market, as Celebrity will have all three (to be joined by the new Celebrity Silhouette in July) in either the Baltic or Mediterrean this summer, offering an unprecedented range of cruises - and cruise quality. Eclipse is also based exclusively out of Southampton for the season, meaning she is a superb ex-UK cruise choice.

To begin with, our cruise sailed from the less than inspiring confines of the Port of Miami. This may be fine for the big, mass-market cruise lines, but Celebrity must be less than delighted that their passengers are herded around this huge, impersonal and less-than-user-friendly embarkation port like so many cattle. It is not a great starting point for an upmarket holiday and the lack of sign-posting as you drive in to the port (if you are not on an organised transfer from the airport) is quite astonishing. You can see where your ship IS, but getting to it is a whole 'nother story!

Anyway, that minor quibble aside, we were soon leaving the chaotic Florida port behind for 7 days visiting San Juan (Puerto Rico), Philipsburg (St Maarten) and St Kitts, with 3 full at-sea days to enjoy all the considerable facilities of the ship. As it turned out, it was a great balance, and we were very happy to just wander the three ports of call under our own steam (trying one ship excursion, on St Kitts) and soak up some much-needed winter sun.

Looking purely at the ship, this is a BIG proposition in almost every way. Far bigger (by at least 30%) than the other members of the fleet, we were slightly wary that Celebrity's usual style for fine food and service would be rather stretched with almost 3,000 passengers to cater for (and this was a nearly-full cruise).

But we needn't have worried. The ship may be big on the outside (and l-o-n-g on the inside - pick a cabin at either end and you are always seemingly a mile away from the nearest restaurant/lounge/show!), but it is beautifully designed to be small-scale inside, with a host of places offering a quiet corner or more personal experience.

True, the main dining room, the Moonlight Sonata, is a sizeable proposition, and dining upstairs with the Select Dining scheme (Celebrity's version of the dine-when-you-want policy) can be quite busy with people coming and going for much of the time. But otherwise everything is fairly modest in size terms and easy to get to grips with.

The selection of bars and lounges is superb and there is genuinely something for everyone, from the high-tech Molecular Bar with its bubbling cocktails to the elegance and sophistication of the Ensemble Lounge and Michael's Club. Dining is a similar proposition, with no less than five alternative choices to the main dining room for dinner (six if you count the AquaSpa suite category of the health-conscious Blu restaurant).

The choices during the day also extended to an extremely pleasant range, including the real 'discovery' of the AquaSpa Cafe (again with a range of very healthy options), the Mast Grill and extensive buffet-style Oceanview Grill, as well as the Moonlight Sonata itself. There is a $5/person charge to dine at The Bistro (for lunch and dinner) and the Cafe al Bacio and Gelateria also charges for its fare. But it is perfectly possible to dine at a range of venues without any additional levy.

However, if you did, you would be missing out on the real treats of the Tuscan Grille, Murano Restaurant and the oddly eclectic Qsine. The former two are real standout, stylish and high-quality supper-club style dining rooms (which must be pre-booked at a $30/head surcharge) while the latter is Celebrity's real novel touch, a wildly varied and fun restaurant that has iPads for menus and a tapas-style ethic that doesn't even begin to describe its culinary style.

In some ways it is a work in progress as the ship is still finding out what works in its quirky format and what doesn't, but for groups of four or more it is a highly enjoyable way to spend two hours over dinner and try a huge variety of food, from Chinese and Indian to Mexican and European, all opf varying proportions (from modest appetiser-size to gargantuan enough-for-six plates!). Each dish is served in a completely different way and it is meant to be as much a fun exercise as anything else and, if you're in the right mood, it is an absolute riot.

However, for all the elegance and style throughout the ship, the one surprise element that totally captivated us was the Corning Museum Hot Glass show up on the Lawn Club deck (where there is real grass!). Here, G Brian, Dan and Jamie put on some fabulous entertainment every day, several times a day, exhibiting a real art with hot glass blowing that fair took the breath away. The trio, all from the Corning Museum, were at once hugely engrossing, educational, fun and personable, making every show different and absolutely riveting watching.

When I first heard the concept announced a few years ago (it is only on the first 3 Solstice-class ships; Silhouette and Reflection will have a different restaurant/relaxation area on the Lawn Club deck) I was convinced it would be, at best, a gimmicky five-minute wonder, but I could not have been more wrong.

The fact they held regular (free) raffles to give away art pieces made just the day before and also held an end-of-cruise auction for three outstanding works just added to the experience; we were complete glass-blowing addicts by the second day! The trio kept up a highly enjoyable banter throughout each 2-hour show and they seldom seemed to repeat themselves, making every experience something new and truly worthwhile.

So, when we're now asked to sum up our Eclipse experience, we just say it is a really Hot proposition...!

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.

Blissful Caribbean Cruising

Here is the perfect reason to enjor a winter cruise, and sample some Caribbean sun and style. This is from our Celebrity Eclipse cruise this week, calling at the Dutch/French island of St Maarten/St Martin today.

This is the view from the Dutch town of Phillipsburg, looking over the beach to the cruise port. Wish you were here?!

Looking ahead - Chance to check on Celebrity Eclipse

We will be sailing on the Celebrity Eclipse (the third of Celebrity's eye-catching Solstice-class vessels in 2010) from Miami this weekend, which will be the ideal opportunity to report back on the latest updates on Celebrity's popular and award-winning ship.

More than any other recent class of cruise ship (with the possible exception of the luxury-orientated Odyssey-class of Seabourn and the brand new Marina of Oceania Cruises), this is one that has really captured the public imagination and provided almost faultless word-of-mouth feedback from the people who matter most - the passengers.

It will be my first chance to see the Solstice class on a regular cruise and see just how she performs under normal circumstances, instead of the usual media previews.

So expect 'live' reports from the Caribbean next week (Internet permitting!) and a host of photos from our itinerary, which includes San Juan (Puerto Rico), St Maarten and St Kitts.

Stay tuned, now...!

Message in a Bottle and Astronomy

Passengers on the tall ship Star Flyer, one of Star Clippers vessels ,will enjoy the company of an on-board astronomer for the four-masted square-rigger's transatlantic crossing from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean this spring.

Gerald Kistner, a journalist, author and astronomer, will accompany the three-week sailing from St Maarten to Lisbon, offering nightly stargazing sessions and a fascinating series of talks, including the sun; galaxies and nebulae; the Solar System; black holes; and photographing the night sky. In the middle of the Atlantic, with no light pollution, the stargazing is spectacular, with the Milky Way clearly visible.

Gerald's wife, Roswitha, an arts and crafts expert, will accompany him and show guests new technologies and styles of needlework and jewellery making.

Sister ship Star Clipper's spring crossing, meanwhile, which departs St Maarten on April 9, will be accompanied by war correspondent Anthony Paul, an expert in locations from Indochina to Afghanistan, Iraq and Iran. Anthony has reported for US Readers Digest, Business Tokyo, Fortune and The Straits Times and will deliver talks on subjects ranging from the fall of Phnom Penh to the war in Afghanistan.

His wife will accompany him. Anne, a noted gemologist and cataloguer with Christie's auction house, who will talk to guests about precious stones.

A transatlantic crossing on a Star Clippers tall ship is an unforgettable experience; a chance to appreciate real peace, and to commune with the sea and sky for days on end, either from a lounger on the sun-warmed teak decks, or from the bowsprit nets, high above the ocean.

For those who prefer to keep busy, days begin with tai chi or yoga on deck, while entertainment includes Captain's story time, where passengers can learn about the wind, the sails and navigation. There are classes in knot tying, origami and dancing, and instead of sending emails, guests are encouraged to post messages in bottles. Evening entertainment includes all the usual Star Clippers favourites, from guest talent shows to movies and music quizzes.

The 18-night crossings, which include just one port of call at Punta Delgada in the Azores, cost from £1,062 per person, including all meals and port taxes and a 20% discount on the published rates. Transatlantic crossings often attract single travellers and, as such, Star Clippers has reduced the single supplement for these sailings to just 20% in cabin categories 2 to 6. Prices exclude flights.

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

Yoga Under Sail in the Caribbean!

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Tall ship specialist Star Clippers is offering guests free daily yoga and meditation this December as part of a yoga-themed Caribbean cruise on board the 170-passenger Star Clipper.

Yoga classes will take place in the open air, on the tall ship's sun-warmed teak decks, under thousands of square feet of billowing sails – the ultimate relaxation for body and soul in a setting that will lift the spirits, with the sparkling blue of the Caribbean sea as a backdrop.

Qualified yoga teacher Christel Vollmer will be holding the daily sessions of Astanga yoga, also known as power yoga, on deck each morning, with a second session just before sunset, including meditation. Christel will also deliver lectures on the philosophy of yoga and advice for practice at home.

For those who want to follow a healthy or vegetarian diet during the cruise, Star Clippers’ usual sumptuous breakfast buffets, piled with fresh tropical fruits, and magnificent salads at lunchtime will be available, as well as vegetarian choices at dinner.

The cruise departs St Maarten on December 11, and calls at Nevis, Dominica, Iles des Saintes, Guadeloupe, Antigua and St Barths. Prices are from £1,145 per person, including port taxes and full board on the ship but excluding flights.

For more booking details, check out www.starclippers.co.uk or call the adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.