Crystal's VIP Fireworks To Ring In New Year In Sydney

Although it’s only February, Crystal Cruises is reminding travellers it’s never too early to start planning New Year’s Eve by releasing details of an ultra-luxury, private floating party in Sydney Harbour to welcome in 2013. The over-the-top celebration offers exclusive front-row “seats” to the world’s biggest New Year’s fireworks, free for guests of all ages on Crystal Symphony’s culinary-themed seasonal cruise through New Zealand and Australia beginning December 20.

The New Year celebrations unfold onboard two luxury catamarans, sailing past Sydney’s crowd-lined shores in the exclusive, select-vessel Harbour of Light Parade flotilla. Crystal has specially-arranged final VIP stationing under Sydney Harbour Bridge, inside the off-limits Harbour Exclusion Zone, for the pre-eminent fireworks vantage point. The intimate post-dinner soiree includes hors d’oeuvres, desserts, premium open bar, music, dancing, midnight champagne countdown, Crystal’s renowned six-star service and spectacular city views, with guests among the globe’s first ringing in 2013.

This 16-night Christmas and New Year sailing from Auckland to Melbourne features stunning festive decorations, gourmet Christmas dinner, Chanukah traditions and other seasonal delights during overnights in Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney (two nights), plus calls in Tauranga, Napier, Christchurch/Lyttleton and Dunedin. Numerous experts - including guest chefs, mixologist, oenologist, oceanographer, conservation biologist, CBS News correspondent and South African Ambassador - are also scheduled to host enlightening destination-related presentations.

Until February 28, “Book Now” cruise-only fares for the 16-night voyage start at just £8,005 per person, based on two sharing a deluxe stateroom with picture window on an all-inclusive basis, including fine wines and premium spirits throughout the ship plus pre-paid gratuities for housekeeping, bar and dining staff.

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

Last-Minute Bargain With Voyages of Discovery

Treat yourself to some last-minute sunshine this month by joining Voyages of Discovery’s MV Discovery on a 26-day Australia & Indonesian Islands cruise, from just £1,999 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

Visit the cities of Sydney and Brisbane before exploring the magical Great Barrier Reef and the stunning islands of Bali and Komodo (Indonesia). Price includes return flights from London, transfers and the full 26-day voyage departing from Sydney (overnight) and visiting Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Darwin (overnight), Komodo, Bali (overnight), Semarang, and Singapore.

Based on February 7 departure; price 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 more booking details, and more on Voyages of Discovery, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Wine Experts To Lead Six Silversea Voyages

Silversea Cruises has chosen renowned wine experts Lyn Farmer and Richard Nurick to host a Wine Series enrichment programme on six voyages this year.

On each wine-themed cruise, discerning travellers with a passion for fine wines will enjoy sampling great vintages and learning about the tradition and art of wine-making in special tastings and lectures. Depending on the itinerary, guests may also have the chance to explore some of the world's most celebrated wine regions on optional guided shore excursions.

The following Wine Series voyages will be hosted by Lyn Farmer: 

Voyage 3203: Silver Shadow departs Auckland February 4 on a 19-day sailing to Fremantle (Perth) with calls in Napier, Wellington, Picton, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Port Lincoln, and Albany. Fares start at £6,599.

Voyage 4210: Silver Whisper departs Monte Carlo May 1 on a 12-day sailing to Southampton with calls in Palma de Mallorca, Cadiz, Portimao, La Coruña, Bilbao, Bordeaux and Le Verdon. Fares start at £3,899. 

Voyage 1220: Silver Cloud departs London August 13 on a 14-day sailing to Monte Carlo with calls in Saint-Malo, Bordeaux, Bilbao, Lisbon, Cadiz, Malaga and Sete. Fares start at £4,999.

Voyage 1232: Silver Cloud departs Buenos Aires December 22 on a 16-day sailing to Valparaiso (Santiago) with calls in Montevideo, Punta del Este, Puerto Madryn, Stanley (Falkland Islands), Punta Arenas, Laguna San Rafael, Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Montt. Fares start at £6,199.

Richard Nurick will host the following: 

Voyage 4220A: Silver Whisper departs Southampton July 26 on a nine-day sailing to Lisbon with calls in Bordeaux, St. Jean de Luz, Bilbao, Gijon, La Coruña and Vigo. Fares start at £3,899

Voyage 4220B: Silver Whisper departs Lisbon August 4 on a nine-day sailing to Southampton with calls in Oporto (Leixoes), Bilbao, Bordeaux, Saint-Malo and Honfleur. Fares start at £3,899. 

All fares are per person, based on double occupancy for a Vista Suite. Silver Savings is a capacity-controlled programme and subject to availability.

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

Voyages of Discovery Down Under

You know it's the New Year when the cruise sale offers pour in thick and fast. Here's a typical example to start the week:

Guarantee yourself some sunshine this year by joining Voyages of Discovery on a last-minute winter cruise.

South East Asia & Australia - from £1,699 per person (based on two sharing an inside cabin), a saving of up to £1,370. Price includes return flights from London, transfers and a 23-day voyage departing from Manila (Philippines, overnight) and calling at Sandakan (Borneo, Malaysia), Bitung (Indonesia), Ambon (Indonesia), Darwin, Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Brisbane and Newcastle before arriving at Sydney (overnight stay). Price is based on January 21 departure.

Australia & the Indonesian Islands - from £2,199 per person (based on two sharing an inside cabin), a saving of up to £370. Price includes return flights from London, transfers and a 26-day voyage departing from Sydney and calling at Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Darwin (overnight), Komodo (Indonesia), Bali (Indonesia, overnight) and Semarang (Indonesia) before arriving at Singapore. Price is based on February 7 departure.

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

Celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Tour In Royal Style

With members of the Royal family set to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee by touring the globe in 2012, why not follow in their footsteps and embark on a majestic adventure of your own with Royal Caribbean? 

Follow in Prince Harry's footsteps and visit The Bahamas on board the world’s biggest cruise ship Allure of the Seas, on a nine-night Eastern Caribbean fly/cruise from £1,516 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin). The price includes return flights from London Heathrow, one-night pre-cruise hotel accommodation, transfers and a seven-night cruise departing Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and calling at Nassau (Bahamas), Charlotte Amalie (St Thomas) and Philipsburg (St. Maarten) before returning to Fort Lauderdale; all meals and entertainment on board; and all relevant cruise taxes/fees, based on a March 4 departure. 

Or follow the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall Down Under on Radiance of the Seas on a 20-night Australia & New Zealand fly/cruise from £2,585.00 per person (based on two sharing an inside cabin). This price includes return flights from London Heathrow, one-night pre-cruise hotel accommodation, transfers, and an 18-night cruise departing Perth (Australia) and calling at Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart (all Australia), and Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington (all New Zealand) before arriving in Sydney; all meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on an October 28 departure.

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

Go Down Under This Winter With Voyages of Discovery

Here's a great pre-Christmas deal that is worth passing on this week: Save up to £1,370pp and snap up a great deal on Voyages of Discovery’s recently reduced South-East Asia and Australia cruise.

A remarkable melting pot of Asian and Latin cultures thick with history and flavour, Manila promises an exciting start to a voyage inviting you to meet the ‘Wild Man of Borneo’ and immerse yourself in local life on charming Indonesian islands. ‘Tamed’ territory, Darwin is an eclectic blend – modern city, Asian village and frontier town.

‘Untamed’ Australia comes in its rich rainforests and then the underwater riches of the Great Barrier Reef. Sample life on the Gold Coast with its miles of glorious beaches, or stroll along with some of the Hunter Valley’s finest wines before sailing into the ‘Harbour City’ – its twin icons Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge stealing the limelight.

With an itinerary carefully crafted to get the most out of each port of call and bring to life destinations with renowned Guest Speakers and excursions, a cruise with Voyages of Discovery is a cruise you’ll never forget.

This 20-night cruise now costs from as little as £1699 per person (based on two people sharing an inside guarantee cabin). The price includes return flights from London, transfers and the voyage departing from Manila (Philippines, overnight) and calling at Sandakan (Borneo), Bitung (Indonesia), Ambon (Indonesia), Darwin, Port Douglas, Brisbane and Newcastle before arriving at Sydney for another overnight stay. Price is based on a January 21 departure.

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

P&O's 175th Anniversary Sale

P&O Cruises is offering a special 175th anniversary discount of up to 10% on its cruise holidays during the peak “wave” period of December, January and February. Prices will start from just £599 for a seven-night voyage, such as Ventura’s March 25 itinerary to Spain and France, and £949 for a 14-night cruise such as Azura’s November 5 cruise to Gibraltar, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal.

World cruises are also included in the anniversary sale, with onboard credit of up to £1100 available on bookings. Other destinations include the Norwegian Fjords, Caribbean, Canary Islands, Iceland and Mediterranean. Wave prices also start from £349 for a three-night cruise break to Bruges and Le Havre, up to to £3,059 for a 35-night Caribbean cruise.

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

Crystal's World-Class Guest Speaker List

Television legend Regis Philbin, sporting Hall of Famers Hank Aaron (baseball) and Don Shula (American football), Olympians Dorothy Hamill (ice skating) and Kathy Rigby (gymnastics) and astronauts “Hoot” Gibson and Rhea Seddon join a line-up of political insiders, military leaders and foreign correspondents on Crystal Serenity’s 94-night 2012 World Cruise.

In addition to dozens of guest entertainers, Crystal Cruises has tapped top experts from varied fields to enrich and inspire via complimentary presentations throughout the epic voyage, including:

· General Hugh Shelton - Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under two US Presidents.
· Deborah Fallows - Linguistics expert, whose book, Dreaming in Chinese, was one of Oprah’s 2010 “Books to Watch.”
· Major General Pat Brady - Chief US Army spokesman and top helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War.
· Ambassador Wendy Chamberlin - Former US Ambassador to Laos and Pakistan who played a key role in the post-9/11 campaign against al Qaeda.
· Tom Faranda - Global trend forecaster who predicted China’s rise.
· Farhana Qazi - Counter-terrorism expert and most prominent American-Muslim woman to study al-Qaeda and Muslim conflicts.
· Shelby Coffey III - LA Times, CNN Business News and ABC News management veteran.
· Neil Leifer - Considered the greatest sports photographer in history.

Also back by popular demand is “Ocean Views,” where noted panellists debate issues of the day.

Departing January 18, 2012, the grand round-trip Los Angeles itinerary consists of five 16-22-night segments through Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia, Alaska, and Canada, with numerous port overnights (including a 3-night Beijing exploration) en route.

Prices for the full World Cruise start from £33,356 per person, including complimentary World Traveller Plus flights, onboard accommodation in a deluxe stateroom with picture window with all meals and soft drinks, port taxes, complimentary gratuities, a complimentary three-day package to Beijing and $4,000 per person onboard credit.

Prices for the cheapest segment of the World Cruise start from £8,090 per person (based on the 19-night Los Angeles to Sydney leg departing January 18), including return scheduled flights, overnight in Los Angeles pre-cruise, 19 nights in a deluxe stateroom with picture window with all meals and soft drinks, port taxes and $1,000 per person onboard credit.

For more info, visit www.crystalcruises.co.uk or contact the luxury cruise experts of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Regent's 'Build Your Own Cruise' Formula

In a first for the world’s most all-inclusive cruise line, Regent Seven Seas is offering guests the exclusive opportunity to create their own, longer voyages with the new ‘Build Your Own Cruise’ concept. And, in addition to the usual all-inclusive benefits included on every Regent cruise (free return flights and transfers; unlimited shore excursions; food, drink and gratuities), guests combining cruises totalling 90-nights or more will enjoy further additional benefits.

Launched this month, guests will be able to personalise their own adventure with sailings onboard Seven Seas Voyager across Asia, Australia and Europe in three ways:

· Combination cruises over 90-nights embarking in either: Auckland, Sydney, Singapore or Dubai and disembarking in either: Rome, Barcelona, Southampton, Reykjavik, Copenhagen and Stockholm.

· Combination cruises from 50-71 nights between November 2011 and March 2012

· Creating their own cruise by choosing from 18 individual segments (ranging from 7-21 nights) sailing across Asia, Australia and Europe from November 2011 to July 2012

The line is also offering guests the opportunity to create their own adventure in South America, onboard Seven Seas Mariner, combining segments or cruising the full 72-night circumnavigation of the continent. Guests sailing the full 72-nights will also enjoy additional benefits including: private care transfer pre and post cruise, free internet access, complimentary phone usage and $600 per person onboard credit.

For more info, visit http://www.rssc.com/ or contact the luxury cruise experts of The Cruise Line Ltd.

A Real South Pacific Discovery

Paul Gauguin Cruises has launched a fabulous new package, the South Pacific Discovery (Australia, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Cook & Society Islands), which allows guests to discover all the scenic splendours and fascinating cultures of the South Pacific, exploring the shores of nine distinctive islands in five archipelagos on a single voyage. Departing January 23, 2012, prices start from just £6,188 per person.

This 20-night hotel and cruise package commences in cosmopolitan Sydney, with three days at leisure in Australia’s oldest and largest city and one of the most culturally diverse in the world. Guests will stay at the Four Seasons Sydney, located in the historic Rocks area of the city. After basking in Sydney’s enviable harbour setting, guests will fly to Brisbane to board the Paul Gauguin to begin their experience of the beautiful South Pacific. The sailing includes exceptional visits to New Caledonia, Fiji and the Kingdom of Tonga, ending in French Polynesia which boasts some of the most beautiful islands in the world.

• Noumea, New Caldonia: This capital city has been named the “Paris of the Pacific” due to its French ambience, heritage and culture.
• Suva, Viti Levu, Fiji: The largest of the island chain is comprised of high mountains, lush vegetation, shimmering water and pristine white-sand beaches. Fiji’s urban culture and easy-going ambience are present in this island nation.
• Vava’u, Tonga: Never colonised by Europeans, the Polynesian culture remains strong in this South Pacific Nation. Crystal clear waters and high mountain tops offer unparalleled views of the Tonga islands.
• Aitutaki, Cook Islands: Consisting of three volcanoes and 12 coral islets, the islands offer beautiful coral reefs and pristine lagoons. The islands are nearly flat, affording ocean views from virtually any point on the island.
• Taha’a: Visit Motu Mahana, Paul Gauguin Cruises’ private island featuring white-sand beaches with swaying palms, crystal-clear waters and gentle breezes. A delicious Polynesian barbeque lunch and local entertainment will prove a highlight of any sailing.
• Bora Bora: Described as the most beautiful island in the world, guests will have the opportunity to view the famous marine life or relax on a beautiful, private beach on a motu off the coast.
• Moorea: The lush scenery is out of a dream, with green vegetation, an abundance of fresh fruit and flowers, spectacular mountain peaks and palm-fringed beaches.

While onboard Paul Gauguin, guests will experience a relaxed and elegant setting in which to enjoy the amenities of the award-winning, newly-refurbished ship. The ship will host lectures by the onboard naturalist, Scuba-diving lessons, local entertainment and a mouth-watering variety of cuisine. Special guests, activities and entertainment introduced especially for this unique voyage add to the experience of sailing on the region's most highly acclaimed luxury vessel.

Prices are from £6,188 per person, including returned scheduled flights from the UK, three nights in Sydney, 17 nights on the Paul Gauguin in an ocean-view stateroom with all meals, soft drinks, selected alcoholic beverages and gratuities.

For more info, visit www.pgcruises.com or contact the UK's leading adventure cruise specialist, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Celebrity Solstice Heads Down Under

Another thing of beauty will share Sydney Harbour when premium cruise brand Celebrity Cruises sends its award-winning Celebrity Solstice to Australia and New Zealand for the first time in the winter of 2012-13.

Australians will enjoy the return of the Celebrity Cruises brand to the region this coming winter with the deployment of the 1,814-guest Celebrity Century while her subsequent replacement will be the 2,850-guest Solstice (above).

Upon arriving in Australia, Solstice will present a series of 12 and 13-night sailings between Sydney and Auckland. The season also will include a circumnavigation of Australia, consisting of two sailings between Sydney and Perth (Fremantle). Many of the itineraries include overnight stays in Sydney.

Celebrity will also continue to offer its popular Australia/New Zealand cruise-tour programme geared toward guests who wish to combine a land-based holiday with a cruise.

Premium concierge-style service is the hallmark of Celebrity’s four and five-night pre and post-cruise escorted packages, which include Port Douglas (Great Barrier Reef), Ayers Rock (Uluru) and Sydney. A six-night pre-cruise New Zealand package will visit Auckland, Rotorua, Queenstown and Sydney. Highlights include a full-day tour over the Great Barrier Reef and a gourmet barbecue dinner at Ayers Rock. All of Celebrity’s cruise-tours are escorted by local tour directors and include hotel accommodations, transportation, select activities, breakfast and some additional meals.

Full details will be available on March 23, when bookings for the new 2012-13 Australia/New Zealand itineraries will open for sale. Bookings for the 1,814-guest Celebrity Century’s 2011-12 Australia/New Zealand cruises are open now.

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

Legendary Journeys (At Discount Prices!)

Here's something to make us sit up and take notice here at Time Spent At Sea - exceptional cruises to inspirational destinations with Regent Seven Seas, including....FREE flights, shore excursions and all-inclusive on board.

Asia & Australia - Seven Seas Voyager (above)

Free Flights, free transfer and free unlimited shore excursions on every cruise; Combine cruises to create longer voyages and benefit from preferential cruise fares; free Business Class flights on selected combination cruises and suite categories. Choose from:

Dubai-Singapore December 19, 18 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,429pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

Singapore-Sydney January 6, 2012, 17 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,149pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

Sydney-Auckland January 23, 2012, 15 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,269pp

Auckland-Sydney February 7, 2012, 15 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,269pp

Sydney-Singapore February 22, 2012, 19 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,799pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

Singapore-Dubai March 12, 2012, 18 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,039pp, with complimentary 3-night pre or post-cruise stay

South America - Seven Seas Mariner

Free flights, transfers and unlimited shore excursions on every cruise; combine cruises to create longer voyages and benefit from preferential cruise fares. Choose from:

Fort Lauderdale-Lima January 6, 2012, 14 Nights; Balcony Suite from £5,669pp

Lima-Buenos Aires January 20, 2012, 24 Nights; Balcony Suite from £9,949pp

Buenos Aires-Rio De Janeiro, February 12, 2012, 12 Nights; Balcony Suite from £5,489pp

Rio De Janeiro-Fort Lauderdale February 25, 2012, 22 Nights; Balcony Suite from £7,679pp

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

Be a Celebrity Down Under

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Marking their return to the region after an absence two years, Celebrity Cruises have announced their new Australia and New Zealand 2011 cruises aboard Celebrity Century, visiting 36 ports. Apart from viewing the lands of the wallaby and the kiwi, guests will also be able to call in at French Polynesia, Indonesia, the U.S. and Mexico.

Some of the fascinating places being visited include Honolulu, Auckland, Sydney and Ensenada in Mexico. The company have also included a string of places being visited for the first time, such as Bali, Darwin, Cairns, and Burnie, Tasmania.

New four and five-night pre- or post-cruise land tours are also available, which include two nights in Sydney and a full day at the Great Barrier Reef. In line with the ship circumnavigating Australia, a similar four or five-night pre- or post-cruise land tour is operating out of Perth. Both tours include a stay at Uluru (Ayer's rock) with a desert tour and full night-time dining experience.

All tours are accompanied by expert guides and lecturers and ample time has been provided for shopping! Savings are offered on back-to-back sailings and on cruises booked between 29th July and 31st September this year.

For more information, look up http://www.celebritycruises.co.uk/

New Added Value from Orion

ORION EXPEDITION CRUISES OFFERS OUTSTANDING

EXTRA ACCOMMODATION PACKAGES

Orion Expedition Cruises, the leading operator of five-star expedition cruising in the Australasian region, has launched a range of inclusive value-added accommodation packages aimed at enhancing guest experiences on Orion’s seven-night Australian voyages in November and December 2010. This effectively adds another two or three nights to the holiday experience at no additional cost to the regular Orion expedition fare.

Guests can select from one of the following pre or post voyage accommodation options, staying in some of the finest and most sought after hotel and spa/lodge properties available:

Cairns – Qualia or Pullman Reef Hotel Casino
Sydney – Emirates Wolgan Valley Resort or Four Seasons Hotel
Melbourne – Chateau Yering or Crown Metropol Hotel
Hobart – Saffire, Freycinet or Henry Jones Art Hotel

These premium two- and three-night accommodation packages are worth up to AUS$5,000 and include meals, transfers and private tours, representing significant added value for guests.

The added value promotion applies to new bookings only based on Category A staterooms and above. Only one accommodation package can be chosen for each relevant voyage and it must be chosen at the time of booking. Accommodation packages subject to availability. For guests not wishing to take the inclusive accommodation package, savings of up to 15% are available. Some conditions apply.

Prices for the seven-night voyages start from £2,780 per person cruise only, based on twin share. Price includes seven nights onboard accommodation, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes.

Sizzling Seabourn

Call me biased, but when it comes to truly distinctive, ultra-deluxe cruising, Seabourn have pretty much set the standard since their inception in 1988. Their original trio of chic, classy small-scale vessels introduced a whole new way of enjoying life at sea, and they maintained that style and reputation right through the 1990s and early 2000s.

Then, when their crown was in danger of being stolen by several high-quality rivals, they set out to restore their class-leading advantage and raise the bar still further. The result was the stunning Seabourn Odyssey in June 2009, a new vessel of such breathtaking vision and clarity the usual caveats of waiting to see how a ship's first 2 months panned out went completely by the wayside.

Here was a newcomer that immediately demonstrated that it knew exactly what it was supposed to be, how best to appeal to regulars and first-timers alike, and how to launch with everything perfectly in sync service-wise (the usual bane of new vessels). Odyssey maintained the same handsome, sleek profile but also looked the part of sharp 21st century technology (as opposed to yet another floating tower block).

More importantly, Odyssey wasn't just a larger-scale version of the original trio. Although she was three times the size of her stablemates, she both refined the highly successful formula and expanded on it in a totally delightful way, making the suites more sumptuous, the public rooms more glamorous, the service more personable and the whole experience more memorable.

Now, just a few months before the launch of sister Seabourn Sojourn and with third vessel Seabourn Quest set for 2011, the company has announced a visionary range of new itineraries and options for 2011 and 12.

From March 23 (the day the new programme goes on sale) to June 30, the full Europe and Asia schedule of voyages will be available at special promotional fares from £2,300 per person. These incredible fares will also include round-trip airfare for the first time, making it the most inclusive launch campaign Seabourn have ever done.

From January 2011 to April 2012, the line will offer its most extensive and diverse menu of itineraries ever, calling at a record 266 ports in 78 countries during 252 scheduled voyages visiting a wide variety of popular destinations and exotic locations across the world. Fares and details will be available on Seabourn’s website on March 23rd, and a lavishly illustrated catalogue will be published in April.

It will feature:

New Itineraries
In 2011/12, Seabourn returns to Canada and New England with a series of 9-day Autumn Maritime cruises on Sojourn, which will include the yacht’s maiden call to New York. Sojourn will also operate six 14-day Patagonian Passage voyages to the picturesque Chilean Fjords, Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands between Valparaiso, Chile, and Buenos Aires, Argentina. Seabourn Pride remains in Asia for a second season of year-round exotic cruises to major destinations such as Japan, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Thailand and Taiwan. New for 2011, Pride will operate a series of 12-day cruises from Singapore-Bali with calls to exotic ports in Borneo, Sulawesi and Java.

(Big cheers for that Patagonia series, by the way - the ultimate combination of great destination and perfect vehicle)

In early 2012, Seabourn Legend will be based in the Arabian Sea and offer Indian Ocean Delights, with stops to Oman’s capital city of Muscat, also known as “Arabia’s jewel,” and the vibrant city of Mumbai, India. Other new itineraries include a 60-day Stars of the Southern Cross cruise round-trip from Los Angeles to French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia and Hawaii aboard Odyssey; new seven-day St Petersburg & the Baltic cruises between Copenhagen and Stockholm aboard Sojourn; week-long Gems of the Adriatic and Dalmatian Discoveries cruises round trip from Venice aboard Spirit; an 18-day Path of the Vikings transatlantic voyage from Dover to Quebec, and a 12-day Canada & Colonial Autumn voyage from Quebec City to Fort Lauderdale aboard Sojourn.

New, Exotic Ports of Call
Seabourn’s record number of port visits will include more than 50 destinations that are either maiden calls or ports the line has not visited in years. New stops include Bangaram (Laccadive Islands), and Porbandar, India; Matarani, Peru; Brindisi, Italy; Burnie, Tasmania; Cape Town, South Africa; Chan May, Vietnam; Constantza, Romania; Pointe des Galets, Reunion; Doha, Qatar; Port Elizabeth, South Africa; Port Louis, Mauritius; Fanning Island, Republic of Kiribati; Port Stanley, Falkland Islands; Gili Sudak Island and Waikelo, Sumba, Indonesia; Qaqortoq, Greenland; Sir Bani Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; the island of St Helena; Sur and Khasab, Oman; Manama, Bahrain; Maputo, Mozambique; and Walvis Bay, Namibia.

New Seabourn Journeys
In 2011/12, Seabourn will offer two new Seabourn Journeys, fully-escorted packages for guests wishing to extend their stays on land. A new 3-night pre- or post-cruise Journey from Sydney, provides an in-depth exploration of the Australian Outback, including a sunset camel safari to a bush barbecue and visits to the breathtaking scenic wonders, the Olgas and Uluru, and the largest monolith on earth, also known as Ayers Rock. Also new is a 5-night Safari Journey from Cape Town, South Africa, to the Singita Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve.

To my mind, it all adds up to a stunning array of luxury cruising and superb destination planning. So, if March 23 (when Seabourn's 2011 programme goes on sale) isn't already in your diary, is should be pretty soon!