Crystal Cruises annual ‘Presidents Cruise’

Crystal Cruises annual ‘Presidents Cruise’ will have a number of special guests attending this year. Hosted by the line’s president Gregg Michel and his wife Adrianna, the 12 night ‘Isles of Antiquity’ cruise departs on 24 August from Athens to Rome aboard Crystal Serenity. Crystal Serenity has recently been awarded ‘Best Mid Sized Ship’ by the readers of Conde Nast Travelor magazine.

One of the special guests will be American singer, actor and once teen idol Frankie Avalon. Other special guests will include Tom Lippman, the former Washington Post Middle East bureau chief and the author of Inside the Mirage: America’s Fragile Partnership with Saudi Arabia.

Scott O’Grady, also known as Captain O’Grady, author of Return with Honor, which chronicles his story of surviving capture when his F-16 was struck down in Bosnia will also be a guest.

There will be a ‘Presidents Shore Excursion: An Evening at Ephesus’ which during the port call in Kusadasi, Turkey , Michel will host a private elegant evening cocktail party in Ephesus at the ancient Library of Celsus, which is normally closed to the public. Classical musicians and modern dancers from the Izmir State Ballet will perform at the ruins.

There will also be a question and answer session with the President where Michel will field questions from guests in a candid open forum.

"I am looking forward to sharing the extraordinary experiences on board and shore-side that our team has created for the President's Cruise," says Michel. "Besides enjoying some of the most stunning cities in the Mediterranean, our guests particularly relish personally voicing their thoughts and ideas about their connection to the Crystal product. It's important to them and it's important to us."

Her Majesty the Queen to bid farewell to QE2

Her Majesty The Queen is to make a farewell visit to Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 in Southampton on Monday 2 June 2008. This will be the fourth time Her Majesty has visited QE2, the first being on 20 September 1967 when Her Majesty launched EQ2 at Clydebank.

EQ2 , the most famous ship in the world, has been Cunard’s flagship of the fleet for 35 years. QE2 has travelled over 5.6 million nautical miles, more than any ship ever; has carried over 2.5 million guests; has completed 25 World Cruises; and has crossed the Atlantic 802 times. The QE2 leaves Cunard service in November 2008.

Her Majesty visited QE2 on 1 May 1969 immediately prior to the Maiden Voyage and on 27 July 1990 to mark Cunard’s 150th anniversary.

Details of the visit on 2 June will be announced shortly, but Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Carol Marlow, comments:

“We are delighted and honoured that The Queen has chosen to visit QE2 to wish her farewell. Her Majesty has taken a close interest in the ship over the last forty years, and I am certain this will be a memorable occasion for all involved”.

P&O Ventura arrives in Southampton

P&O Cruises new superliner Ventura has now arrived in it’s homeport of Southampton after the official hand over ceremony. The long awaited super liner designed for Britain arrived into Southampton on Sunday 6 April and passed sister ship Aurora before arriving into the Mayflower Cruise Terminal at 11am.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, P&O Cruises managing director, Nigel Esdale, said: “Ventura’s maiden season is almost upon us and this ceremony is the culmination of many months of hard work, creativity and innovation.

“Ventura marks a new era in contemporary British cruising and great attention to detail has been spent designing each and every bar, restaurant and cabin.

“That so many British icons have put their name to this ship – Dame Helen Mirren, Marco Pierre White, Nick Munro and Tate Modern – makes us extremely proud and reaffirms that we have created something very special with Ventura.”

Ventura’s godmother was recently announced as being Dame Helen Mirren who has the honour of officially naming the ship in a glamorous and dramatic ceremony on Wednesday 16 April.

The amazing new super liner arrived into the Mayflower Cruise Terminal to a crowd of people, despite the weather trying its best to snow. Ventura will begin her maiden cruise sailing from Southampton to the Mediterranean on Friday 18 April, with a farewell show of fireworks from nearby Stokes Bay.

Cruises to South America

A region known for its passion, raw energy and scenic delights, South America is a place like no other. Diverse and spectacularly beautiful, its attractions range from Chilean fjords to lively cities, exuberant people and captivating wildlife. A cruise to South America will be one that lasts in your memory forever.

Columbus, Darwin, Pizarro – the list of explorers who travelled through South America is almost as long and diverse as the land itself. A Royal Caribbean cruise can allow you to follow in their footsteps…

Royal Caribbean has an amazing selection of cruises to South America and with an area so large and so much to see it could be difficult to make a decision of which to cruise to embark on.

Argentina’s capital Buenos Aires is a good place to start with. The capital city of Argentina is so strongly influenced by European culture it’s known as the ‘Paris of South America’. More than just the main Argentina cruise port; Buenos Aires is also a stylish, sophisticated city whose broad tree-lined boulevards and elegant mansions are reminiscent of Paris at its most romantic.

Manta is a new port of call for Royal Caribbean cruises and is a picturesque and important port in Ecuador’s Manabi province. Located in a dry tropical forest it enjoys a warm pleasant climate and its wide Pacific Ocean beaches stretch for miles along the peaceful shores. A great place to enjoy the refreshing evening breeze is by taking a stroll along the waterfront Malecon (jetty).

Rio de Janeiro in Brazil is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. The 120ft Christ the Redeemer stature makes up part of its background and is a sight you will never forget. Famous for its colourful carnival and its fabulous beaches, as well as the dramatic entry to its cruise port, Rio de Janeiro in the south-eastern corner of Brazil has much more to offer than sun and sand.

The Chilean Fjords are a truly beautiful part of the country set within the southern west portion of Chile. An amazing sight will behold you when you sail from Puerto Montt into waters framed with snow-capped volcanoes, deep forests and hot springs. Make sure you look out for the wide variety of local wildlife such as the soaring Andean condor, orcas, seals and penguins.

Puerto Madryn, Argentina has two slightly unusual attractions: the wildlife and the Welsh! Close by in Punta Loma, there is a protected reserve for sea lions (or "lobos" - as they are called in Argentina). It is very enjoyable to watch hundreds of them jostle for space on the rocks and then companionably scratch each other's backs with their fins once settled.

On the way to a huge penguin colony, several hours' drive north of the port and deep into the Patagonia region, there is the chance to stop off for a traditional Welsh High Tea in Gaiman. Funnily enough Welsh is still spoken here 150 years after Welsh Nationalists were first invited to settle in Patagonia.

MSC Cruises launch new ship MSC Poesia

MSC Cruises launched their new ship MSC Poesia this weekend from Dover. Sophia Loren, the ship’s Godmother, helped launch the new ship and Andrea Botcelli gave a live performance.

MSC Cruises offers an Italian style cruising experience and is an up and coming cruise line committed to encouraging more British holidaymakers to take a cruise with them. Their modern fleet of ships offer cruises excellent value for money when compared with the mass market cruise companies such as Thomson, Island and Ocean Village.

The MSC Poesia is the third ship in a class of three which started with the Musica launched in 2006 and the Orchestra in 2007. Poesia is just under 90,000 tonnes and has been superbly designed with an attractive array of public space which easily competes with the better known American cruise lines.

The ship has a range of amenities, with a large self service buffet style restaurant with panoramic windows, two formal dining restaurants and an award winning Japanese restaurant. There are seven hot tubs and two spacious pool areas with two inviting pool bars. A Balinese style spa adds to the impressive style of the ship, with amazing sauna, steam and indoor whirlpool areas.

There is a wealth of evening entertainment to experience on board, whether you choose the theatre, casino, the jazzy Zebra bar, the Moulin Rouge Lounge come Nightclub, wine bar and a further four separate bars. There is also an extremely trendy night club S32 at the back and top of the ship for dancing into the small hours.

Although the staterooms are a little smaller by comparison to other cruise lines they are decorated in a modern luxurious style.

Cruising Down Under

For a holiday with a difference venture Down Under with a memorable cruise to Australia. Traditionally when people think about a cruise their first thoughts are of the Caribbean or a lazy cruise around the Mediterranean. If you are looking for something a bit unusual and the chance to take in some amazing sights then Australia might just be the cruise for you.

Royal Caribbean Cruises are one of the few cruise lines to offer a cruise to Cairns and the Barrier Reef; in fact it has newly been added to their itinerary. They offer a 11 night cruise from Sydney, Australia taking in Hamilton Island, Port Douglas and Cairns to name but a few of the destinations en route.

You will make a stop off at Hamitlon Island which is one of the 74 tropical islands in the Coral Sea, between the Queensland coast and the Great Barrier Reef. From here you will cruise to Cairns.

Cairns is an amazing tropical city and it often considered the ‘capital of the Great Barrier Reef’. It is the last major outpost of civilization before the remote jungle of Cape York Peninsula overtakes the landscape. It has long been a favorite holiday destination and it’s not hard to see why with it’s offering of some of the most exciting and original attractions in Australia. For beach lovers there are golden sandy beaches flanked by pristine rainforests, rivaling anything the Caribbean has to offer.

The Great Barrier Reef is less than an hour away and is one of the wonders of the natural world. It is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and was declared a World Heritage area in 1981. The reef is scattered with beautiful islands and idyllic coral cays and covers more than 300,000 square kilometres. The Great Barrier Reef system consists of more than 3000 reefs which range in size from 1 hectare to over 10,000 hectares in area. Top tip is to take a glass bottom boat tour if water isn’t for you!

Port Douglas has a distinctive laid back atmosphere, and a low-rise tropical old world charm. The world famous 4 Mile Beach is right at your door and is a great place to see the sun rise. From here you will cruise to Cooktown which is the last port of call on the Eastern side of Australia before cruising out to sea again past Willis Island.

The final port of call before Sydney is Queensland’s capital Brisbane, a bustling, adventurous city. There is so much to see it will be difficult to fit everything in a day but it provides a great insight into Queensland life.

City and Short Break Cruises with P&O Cruises

P&O Cruises City and Short breaks offer the chance to experience life at sea. P&O Cruises work on the belief that our time is precious so their short breaks are designed to help you get the most out of your time away. They offer a range of entertainment; dining options and leisure facilities that you would only expect to receive on a longer holiday.

A 2 night party cruise offers a weekend of sailing from Southampton to Zeebrugge from where you can visit Bruges, a medieval city with a wealth of charm. You can have a fabulous time on board as well, maybe socialising at the Captain’s cocktail party, enjoying a Gala dinner and then partying the night away!

P&O Cruises have a range of 4 night cruise breaks, particularly good are the cruises to Amsterdam and Bruges, extremely interesting cities with a huge amount to offer. The great thing about the City and Short cruises is that they all leave from Southampton so you don’t need to waste any valuable time struggling at airports or stressing about missing planes.

The 7 night cruises take in a wide range of destinations and there is a massive choice, from Vigo in Spain, Brest in France, Lisbon in Portugal or Stavenger in Norway to name but a few. Particularly interesting are the Northern cruise breaks which take in the natural wonders of Norway’s fjords, the sheer cliffs and cascading waterfalls of Briksdal Glacier in Olden, not to mention the charming towns and idyllic villages of Bergen.

If you look around there are some amazing offers available and the misconception that cruises are too expensive will truly be put to the back of your mind. You should be able to find a 7 night med cruise for around £399 per person, which when you consider the sights you will be seeing and the luxury you will be travelling in you wouldn’t be able to find something equivalent with a package holiday to one destination. A short break taster cruise could start from only £199 per person.

The great thing about cruises is that the price generally includes most things – your stateroom accommodation, food virtually 24 hours a day and the majority of the facilities and entertainment on board. These can include theatrical shows each night, night clubs, variety shows, fitness centre, swimming pools, hot tub and much more. Plus you will always find tea and coffee on top 24 hours a day.

Extras may include tips for the cabin crew, some transfers, on board drinks that are served to you at the bar and at dinner, speciality restaurants, excursions and any additional service such as massages etc but when you consider what is included this is not too bad.

So go on, take a chance and embark on a cruise – I promise you won’t regret it and will undoubtedly find you will be organising your next cruise adventure as you are disembarking the first.