Maiden Baltic Cruises for Star Flyer

One of our favourite cruise experiences, the blissful tall-ship style of Star Clippers, is branching out in 2012 with their 170-passenger Star Flyer sailing in the Baltic for the first time during summer 2012, offering a wide variety of voyages from two nights to 11 nights.

The highlights include:

· Special offer: A five-night voyage from Southampton to Hamburg, via Amsterdam, departing May 5, from just £999 per person, including five nights’ full board on the ship, five nights’ parking at Southampton, transfers to Hamburg airport and a return flight to Heathrow, with a private taxi transfer from Heathrow to Southampton to collect parked vehicles.

· A series of two and three-night mini-cruises out of Hamburg and Warnemunde, a German port with a great sailing tradition, to coincide with the 2012 Sailing Parade of tall ships. From £465pp for two nights in Warnemunde on August 10, including port taxes (flights extra).

· Seven-night voyages featuring the dramatic Norwegian capital Oslo, which is situated at the head of a long fjord - ideal for sail-cruising. Oslo to Copenhagen, for example, calls at Marstrand, Goteborg, Halmstad and Helsingborg in Sweden; and Kalundborg in Denmark, finishing in Copenhagen. From £1,490 for seven nights, departing Oslo May 26, including port taxes (flights extra).

· Three 10 or 11-night voyages round-trip from Stockholm, with an overnight in St Petersburg. Ports of call on the 10-night sailing departing July 21 include Visby, Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, and two additional ports in Finland, Hanko and Mariehamn-Aaland. From £2,120pp for 10 nights, including port taxes (flights extra).

For more info on Star Clippers or booking details, see this link from the luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Silversea Adds More Relais & Chateau Voyages

Ultra-luxury Silversea Cruises is pleased to announce that four additional voyages this year will feature the exclusive "Relais & Châteaux L'École des Chefs" interactive cooking school.

"Our L'École des Chefs cooking school is proving extremely popular with guests and we're pleased to roll it out to more voyages this year," said Rudi Scholdis, Silversea's director of culinary development.

The new L'École des Chefs voyages for 2011 are:

NORTHERN EUROPE

Voyage 4122: Silver Whisper departs Stockholm July 23 on a seven-day sailing to Copenhagen with calls in Tallinn, St. Petersburg (three-day/two-night stopover) and Helsinki. Silver Savings fares start at £3,068.

Voyage 1121: Silver Cloud departs Copenhagen July 30 on a 17-day round-trip sailing, with calls in Alesund, Geiranger, Helleysilt, Lofoten, Tromso, Honningsvag (North Cape), Murmansk, Archangel (overnight visit), Hammerfest and Kristiansund. Silver Savings fares start at £5,583.

FAR EAST

Voyage 3126: Silver Shadow departs Incheon (Seoul) September 23 on a 12-day sailing to Hong Kong, with calls in Qingdao, Shanghai, Jiangyin, Nanjing and Xiamen. Highlights include cruising the Yangtze River and overnight stays in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Silver Savings fares start at £3,968.

Voyage 3127: Silver Shadow departs Hong Kong October 5 on a 12-day sailing to Singapore with calls in Chan May, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Ko Samui, and Kuantan. Highlights include overnight stays in Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok. Silver Savings fares start at £3,968.

Through its exclusive partnership with Relais & Châteaux, the distinguished international association of charming properties and gourmet restaurants, Silversea enjoys the privilege of featuring the only Relais & Châteaux L'École des Chefs cooking school at sea. The innovative programme offers guests a special culinary curriculum, including hands-on instruction, and entertaining events hosted by Silversea culinary trainer David Bilsland. Educated in classic French cooking, Bilsland's career includes several years as a chef instructor at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in London. He presents a programme developed in collaboration with Jacques Thorel, the owner of L'Auberge Bretonne and a consulting Grand Chef Relais & Châteaux.

The curriculum for each of these cruises is carefully designed to celebrate the cultural flavour of the ship's itinerary. Highlights include specialised workshops covering a range of topics from basic knife skills and kitchen terminology to sauces and baking; cooking demonstrations with wine pairings and interactive Q&A sessions; lively cooking competitions between Chef Bilsland and the ship's own culinary team; a "Lunch and Learn" event offering small groups of guests a chance to sample a delicious meal of specially prepared dishes; and inspired "Take It Home" recipes that will give guests an edge when entertaining at home.

Also offered on certain voyages, when the itinerary permits, is a "Market to the Plate" experience that provides an escorted tour of a local market followed by a cooking class, and a "Culinary Outing," an instructor-escorted excursion to a local restaurant, hotel or other venue where guests can enjoy a unique culinary exploration.

All prices are per person, based on two people sharing a Vista Suite and include complimentary return economy class air, port charges, government fees and taxes. The $500 (V4122 and V1121) and $1,000 (V3126 and V3127) Onboard Spending Credit is offered per suite, based on two people sharing, for use towards additional benefits such as shore excursions, the spa, boutiques or the wine restaurant.

For more info, visit www.silversea.com or contact the UK's leading luxury cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd at 0800 008 6677.

Crystal's Northern Europe Sensory Adventures

Feel perfectly-chilled vodka slide down your throat while sitting snugly inside a Scandinavian "ice bar"; smell fresh-cut grass while swinging your 9-iron across championship golf courses in Ireland; hear the Russian Imperial Guard march to symphonic crescendos while welcoming you to the Royal Catherine Palace; taste homemade goat caramel among Norwegian fjords; and view Stockholm by hot-air balloon.

These are but a sampling of the extraordinary "sensory adventures" guests can savour as part of Crystal Cruises’ Northern European voyage collection that begins this May. Other shore-side excursions include:

Pop culture-related destinations such as Stieg Larsson’s Stockholm; the Beatles’ Liverpool; Belfast’s Titanic shipyard; St Andrews University, where Prince William and Kate Middleton met; and the Da Vinci Code’s Rosslyn Chapel in Edinburgh

Historical journeys related to Vikings in Stockholm, Dublin and Roskilde (near Copenhagen); genealogical emigration and the Cold War in Hamburg; and life behind Berlin’s Iron Curtain

Architectural tours spanning the Art Nouveau in Ålesund, Norway to the Modern in Berlin, plus eco-conscious trips like bird-watching in Runde Island (near Ålesund) and Shetland; kayaking the Finnish Archipelago (Helsinki); and exploring the wind-powered town of Paldiski (near Tallinn) by 4x4.

Adrenalin-fuelled adventures such as racing rally cars in Estonia; cosmonaut training, including zero-gravity weightlessness, near Moscow; and, in Crystal’s most over-the-top excursion of 2011, flying a MiG fighter jet over Russia - for $39,300.

Expanding on its “You Care, We Care” voluntourism initiative, Crystal is also offering a couple of excursions where guests can “give back” by packing and donating food at the Estonian Food Bank or volunteer at the Rostock Zoological Garden. These excursions are complimentary with Crystal Cruises, covering all logistical arrangements and costs.

Prices for Crystal’s Northern European voyages start from £4,207 per person (based on a May 22 departure), including free return economy flights, 11 nights in a deluxe stateroom with picture window, with all meals, 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 $1,000 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, see www.crystalcruises.co.uk/ or contact the UK's leading luxury-cruise experts of The Cruise Line Ltd on 0800 008 6677.

From Russia With Love - With Royal Caribbean

Head to some of Northern Europe’s most historical ports on Royal Caribbean International’s Jewel of the Seas (above) this summer, where a 12-night Scandinavia & Russia cruise-only costs from just £1,296.00 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

This price includes a 12-night cruise-only departing Harwich and calling at Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki, St. Petersburg, Tallinn and Gothenburg before returning to Harwich; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees. Price is based on May 30 departure.

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