British cruises with P&O are snapped up!

P&O Cruises have sold out on their new itineraries featuring UK ports in just over half an hour. This is the first time P&O Cruises have offered such holidays in the UK and judging by the reception they look to be the holiday hit of the summer.

Among the trips on offer are cruises to ports such as Newcastle, Milford Haven and Belfast. So step aside St Tropez, Barbados and Venice – the hot new destinations for cruise ships seem to be much closer to home. P&O Cruises have introduced only one cruise on board P&O Atermis so far to gauge demand but it now looks like there is a strong desire to see parts of the country you couldn’t normally combine in a holiday.

Next year P&O Cruises will be deploying both Artemis and Oriana on round-Britain routes so if you missed out this time make sure you get in early for next year. Michele Andjel, a spokesperson for the cruise line, commented: "There's a strong desire to see parts of the country you couldn't normally combine in a two-week holiday. Programmes like Coast have been really popular, and the whole surge in interest in the provenance of British food has helped give people an appetite for exploring their own country."

In related news, cruises on board P&O Cruises newest ship Azura have recently gone on sale. Along with its sister ship P&O Ventura, Azura will be the largest ever built for the cruise line.

Princess Cruises offer two new three-day sailings on Ruby Princess

Princess Cruises have added two new sampler cruises for the new Princess Ruby Princess, giving guests the chance to experience the delights of the newest addition to the fleet at a great value price. There are two three day cruises from Fort Lauderdale departing on Monday 14 December and Thursday 17 December, both calling in at the line’s private island, Princess Cays – an exclusive beach resort offering a day of relaxation and water sports. The sailings replace a previously scheduled wet-dock which has now been deemed unnecessary.

Ruby Princess was launched in November 2008 and features many of Princess Cruises most popular new features, such as the dramatic piazza-style atrium with intimate small-bite eateries and engaging street performers. There are a whole host of enticing dining venues including the signature Sabatini’s Italian restaurant and the Crown Grill steak house. Ruby Princess also offers Princess Cruises’ newest innovation, the relaxing adults-only oasis called The Sanctuary.

Cunard and Oxford University Press introduce the Science Club

Cunard Cruises is joining forces with Oxford University Press (OUP) to introduce the Cunard/Oxford University Press Science Club. This innovative venture will be a multi-faceted membership programme featuring the new on board Science at Seas lectures performed by prominent science writers.

Guests on board with Cunard Cruises will also be able to join the Science Club providing ongoing opportunities to stay abreast of the most current popular science publishing through quarterly OUP email newsletters, invitations to book launches and much more. The programme is set to kick off on Queen Mary’s 8 April, 2009 westbound transatlantic voyage and there will be three leading scientists and science writers on board for lectures, book signings and interviews.

“We are delighted to partner with Oxford University Press, the world’s oldest and most prestigious publishing house, to offer the new Science at Sea programme that specifically addresses our guests’ passionate interest in this discipline,” said Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard Cruises.

“Our guests are not merely on a voyage, but on a quest for knowledge and a deeper understanding of the world around them. Whether tackling evolution, genetics or biodiversity, this programme will allow our guests to learn from some of the world’s most accomplished scientists,” Marlow added.

Science at Sea only further demonstrates Cunard Cruises ongoing commitment to providing their guests with the industry’s most compelling on board enrichment opportunities. Cunard Cruises have the award-winning Cunard Insights programme, as well as the Cunard Book Club and they also continuously pursue the best and brightest minds to tackle the most fascinating and relevant issues of the day.

Plans for Queen Elizabeth 2 put on hold

Cunard Cruises epic ship Queen Elizabeth 2

was reportedly sold to Dubai company Nakheel for a sum of £50 million, but it seems the Middle East is not impervious to the recession as plans to transform Cunard Cruises iconic ship have been put on hold.

Britain’s most famous ship offered luxury cruise holidays to passengers for over 40 years and ended its service with Cunard Cruises late last year when the company could not justify the expense it would cost to bring the ageing ship up to the new health and safety standards introduced to the cruise industry.

It was intended that QE2 would undergo a complete refurbishment, included turning the engine room into a large entertainment suite and removing the famous red funnel to be replaced with an enormous glass structure which would house the hotel’s grandest suites and penthouse.

It seems that a few months down the line the ambitious plans have ground to a halt and could even be shelved completely. The Dubai hotel company Nakheel have commitments to other hotel deals in Palm Jumeirah and the construction of Trump Tower, which seem to be priority at the moment.

We’ll keep you posted of any further developments; hopefully plans for Cunard Cruises best known queen will not be cast adrift.

Princess Cruises bookings surpass last years result in first 2 months of 2009

Princess Cruises have reported a boom in bookings during the first two months of the year, surpassing the same period last year by nearly 6 per cent. Princess Cruises have put this down to lower prices and travel agents who have maximised the cruise line’s sales support tools to generate business in the current economic climate.

"Travel agents gave us a record-breaking reservations day in January, and this further result shows that they continued to sell Princess cruises at an extraordinary rate throughout the first two months of the year," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service.

"Agents understand that the best strategy at this time is to promote what's selling--and Princess is selling. We want to thank, and congratulate, our travel partners for their exceptional efforts. Despite the headlines we see every day, now is a great time for agents to build their cruise business. And we're there to help agents do this not only with attractive fares, but also with great tools."

Amongst the promotional offers available was the Princess Balcony Bonanza, with free upgrades to a balcony stateroom at the price of a standard ocean-view stateroom and the Alaska cruises Wilderness Sale featuring four new Seattle based cruise tour options that included air and bus transfers, plus a free stateroom upgrade.

MSC Poesia rocking all the way to Jamaica

MSC Cruises are set to showcase a number of rock’n’roll acts on board their MSC Poesia ship in November, it has been revealed.

The events will take place between the 15^th and 20^th November, in which time MSC Poesia will sail from Fort Lauderdale in the US to Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

Among the bands that will be playing is StoneRider, Stereoside, enderafteR, Broken Teeth and Skid Row. There will live concerts as well as plenty of other activities to entertain guests throughout the cruise, including karaoke sessions, Guitar Hero tournaments, contests, charity auctions and Q&A sessions with the artists.

One of MSC Cruises newest ship, MSC Poesia was christened in Dover last year and will be making a voyage to Israel later on in the year, calling in at Rome, Turkey, Greece and Croatia.

Spring is on the way! Book up now for Bank holiday cruises

The seasons are changing and spring is finally on its way, which not only means daffodils and lambs being born but also some well earned rest for the Brits with all the up and coming Bank holidays.

What better way to escape from it and make the most of those extra days off then by setting off on a cruise closer to home and with many cruise lines offering cruises departing from the UK it is even easier to get away.

The first of the public holidays this year is the Easter weekend between Friday 10 April and Monday 13 April. After that there are two May bank holidays on Monday 4 May and Monday 25 May, followed by a final summer bank holiday on Monday 30 August.

There are some fantastic cruises sailing out from Southampton, with five big ships including Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and Princess Cruises’ new flagship Grand Princess, setting sail during the August bank holiday.

How about a two-night mini cruise on P&O Cruises’ incredible new ship Ventura, sailing to Brugge departing on the 30 August? Or Cunard Cruises’ 4 night Western Europe cruise on board Queen Victoria departing on the 2 May?

These are just a few of the many options available to take advantage of those lovely extra days off so why not give us a call to check out all the latest offers.