INTRODUCTORY OFFER FOR AN EPIC JOURNEY

Cunard have just released an introductory offer on the Queen Mary 2 for Transatlantic crossings from New York To Southampton.. This is your chance to enjoy two memorable holidays in one at an affordable cost of just £699pp for an 8 night package including flights from London. In conjunction with Jetline Cruises you can fly to New York and experience all this city has to offer then cruise home.

Stay for 2 nights in a central Manhattan hotel – take advantage of the strong pound and shop till you drop on on 5^th Ave, Perhaps stop for fresh pasta in the food court at Macys, watch the sunset over the city at the top of the Empire State Building, take in a Broadway show, marvel at the Statue of Liberty, visit Central park and check out the museums and art galleries.

After all that take a well deserved rest on board the art deco splendour of the Queen Mary 2. Be sure to try out the canyon Ranch Spa, the Planetarium, fish and chips in the Golden Lion Pub and book a romantic dinner in the Todd English restaurant. Dinner reservations in the one of the fabulous Kings Court restaurants is highly recommended for speciality waiter service dinning with an oceanview.

There are some great advantages which ever way round you choose to enjoy a Transatlantic crossing either Westbound to New York or Eastbound to Southampton.

A Transatlantic crossing is not a cruise but a voyage. It is more of an occasion than a journey – rather like a birthday is an occasion. This is the ultimate chance to relax – escape your mobile phone and your laptop, enjoy pampered luxury and self appreciation without the interruption of ports of call.

Your days are taken up deciding on where to eat, plotting your progress across the ocean, wallowing in the atrium pool on the top deck or relaxing in the many areas of the Canyon Ranch Spa. The thalasso therapy pool and relaxation lounge are our favourites. Perhaps having a read in the well stocked library or quiet contemplation in the Commodore Club over a cocktail or coffee on deck 9 at the front! Go star gazing in the planetarium or take in a lecture from one of the guest speakers on board. When the stars are not out in the Planetarium watch a feature film being screened there. Watch the world go by in the Palm Court over a civilised pot of tea or decide how much or how little you want to work out in the fitness centre. By the end of your voyage you will wonder where the time has gone and will be reluctant to disembark.

Arriving and departing from New York is absolute fun and a highlight of the cruise.

On a West bound cruise from Southampton to New York it is a pleasure to board in Southampton and start your experience immediately without having to go through lengthy check in and security procedures at the airport then waiting around in the lounges before boarding your flight to the US. Your 5 days at sea are 25 hours long to make up for the time difference between the UK and the USA. Everyone gets up at 5 in the morning on the last day to watch the Statue of Liberty glide pass as the sun rises behind the picturesque Manhattan skyline. On arrival at Brooklyn (only 20 minutes by taxi to Manhattan) you are in tune with US time and ready to enjoy a full day shopping, enjoying the sights and nightlife this city has to offer.

On an East Bound cruise from New York to Southampton and after a frantic time fitting all of the shopping and sightseeing in – it is an utter relief to board the Queen Mary 2... Throughout your time in New York there is great realisation in the fact that you have not got to endure the laborious check in and security procedures at the airport then a cramped and impatient overnight flight back to the UK. Everyone joins in the sailaway party in the afternoon celebrating the farewell to New York and the ultimate landmark sailing under the bridge as the ships horn blows for a final goodbye to the continental USA. Each day on board your clocks are adjusted by an hour so that you arrive in Southampton in tune with UK time – with no jet lag!

All in all a cruise on the Queen Mary 2 is a memorable experience more for the quality of your time on board and the relaxation … rather than the ports of call and the activities there are to do.

Our two featured westbound cruises include 3 nights hotel stay in Manhattan.

AN EXPERIENCE NOT TO BE MISSED

We always though that a transatlantic cruise to New York was an extremely expensive way to spend either 6 nights on holiday or as a means of getting to New York. But when we came up with a price of just £69 pp for a 6 night Transatlantic cruise from Southampton to New York plus 2 nights hotel stay in New York and a return flight back to London - then a Transatlantic voyage has become an extremely attractive late holiday for this year. Particularly when it is on board the world famous and upmarket Cunard Queen Mary 2.

Not only is a great way to take a late holiday this year for 9 nights it is also extremely inexpensive -being less than a first class flight seat to New York and a great way to do some Christmas shopping and take in the sights of New York at the same time.

These are the lowest prices we have ever seen and is an experience not to be missed.

Our £699 price is available on 13th Oct this year or we have a £799 price on 22nd April next year.

Arriving and departing from New York is absolute fun and a highlight of the cruise.

On a West bound cruise from Southampton to New York it is a pleasure to board in Southampton and start your experience immediately without having to go through lengthy check in and security procedures at the airport then waiting around in the lounges before boarding your flight to the US. Your 5 days at sea are 25 hours long to make up for the time difference between the UK and the USA. Everyone gets up at 5 in the morning on the last day to watch the Statue of Liberty glide pass as the sun rises behind the picturesque Manhattan skyline. On arrival at Brooklyn ( only 20 minutes by taxi to Manhattan) you are in tune with US time and ready to enjoy a full day shopping , enjoying the sights and nightlife this city has to offer.

On an East Bound cruise from New York to Southampton and after a frantic time fitting all of the shopping and sightseeing in – it is an utter relief to board the Queen Mary 2.. Throughout your time in New York there is great realisation in the fact that you have not got to endure the laborious check in and security procedures at the airport then a cramped and impatient overnight flight back to the UK. Everyone joins in the sailaway party in the afternoon celebrating the farewell to New York and the ultimate landmark sailing under the bridge as the ships horn blows for a final goodbye to the continental USA. Each day on board your clocks are adjusted by an hour so that you arrive in Southampton in tune with UK time – with no jet lag!

INCREASED DEMAND FOR CRUISING, OCEAN STYLE

A trend in cruising: leisurely Ocean crossings between continents with few if any ports of call.

These trips, known as repositioning cruises, are a look back to a bygone era when plenty of onboard time added to the mystique and romance of a high-seas adventure.

No fewer than 15 major players, each a member of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), will soon move their fleets from summer seasons in Europe, Alaska and Canada to winter itineraries in the Caribbean, Mexico and elsewhere.

A total of 50 ships, ranging in size from intimately small to mega-liners, will be offering fall transatlantic or Pacific Ocean voyages this year, says Cruise travel columnist Michael Coleman.

"One of the world's most popular cruise lines, Princess, might be the busiest," he adds.

The luxury lines, are also repositioning their fleets.

Report by David Wilkening

‘SS OCEANIC' REVIEW

Originally intended for Transatlantic service, the delightful 39,000 ton ‘SS Oceanic’ entered service in 1965, but with the dramatic downturn in demand for such liner voyages in the mid 60’s, she effectively went straight into the embryonic cruise industry as a new build.

I have experienced the considerable pleasure of cruising on ‘SS Oceanic’ in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Indeed at his table on Gala Dinner evening in 2005, Captain Roman Krstanovic declared : “This ship is a masterpiece – she has the most beautiful and perfect hull, and after forty years is still a perfect cruise ship!” His admiration and affection for the last remaining of the great Italian liners of the 60’s is eminently understandable. She is every inch a classic, and the ship has proven to be a great success for her current owners, the Spanish company Pullmantur, now part of the ‘RCCL’ empire.

Sailing on her regular Western Mediterranean weekly schedule, departing Barcelona every Monday, she has acquired a formidable reputation for excellence throughout the Spanish cruise market, and is often booked to capacity. Her loyal followers embrace all age groups, and there is usually a sizeable group of British ‘expats’ on board.

Language is simply not a problem. All the officers and most of the crew speak English, and the daily cruise news and all menus are produced in both English and Spanish.

Being powered by steam turbines, Oceanic does not suffer from any of the unpleasant vibration sometimes associated with diesel propulsion. This is particularly beneficial in the cabins overnight, when you sometimes wonder if the ship is actually moving at all! Being built originally for the North Atlantic, she is fully stabilized, and has very good ‘sea-legs’!

Food is generally excellent, and certainly lives up to the ship’s four star rating. Drinks are on an ‘inclusive’ basis, and this means very acceptable wines – a good Rioja for example - with lunch and dinner, along with branded whisky, gin, vodka, brandy and liqueurs on demand from the ship’s bars. There is a nominal charge for certain premium brands.

The ship is very well appointed and maintained throughout, and certainly does not show her age! She was also the very first ocean liner/cruise ship to be built with a large retractable ‘magrodome’ roof over her upper deck, enclosing when necessary the Riviera Pools, and providing a very flexible space which is used to the full for everything from sunbathing, through buffet dining, to the Captain’s Gala Cocktail party.

I recommend Oceanic without hesitation – she is a graceful and elegant vessel externally, but with a friendly and wholly unpretentious atmosphere within. Her passengers clearly know how to enjoy themselves – sometimes noisily – and Pullmantur certainly knows how to manage a successful cruise operation. Oceanic is a truly wonderful experience – enjoy her while she is still around!

Colin R. Miell, July 2007.

Jetline Cruise are offering Amazing ALL INCLUSIVE 7 Night MED cruises on the Oceanic from only £399pp.