Restricted View Cabins

Cruise ships have to have life boats in case the worst occurs and these have to be positioned somewhere, which unfortunately results in some cabins having a restricted view. These cabins though often offer great value for money, outside restricted views can be cheaper than a high grade inside cabin and give you the benefit of some natural light in your cabin and balcony cabins can offer substantial savings.

You can still sit out in the open and enjoy the breeze and privacy, albeit without the full view. Customers also forget that even with a clear view the view is not always that pretty. When in port you often just see cranes or buildings and whilst at the sea you cannot always see the coast. If you want to make your money go further I would strongly recommend an obstructed view cabin.

These photos give a good indication of a restricted view cabin and are taken from Fred Olsen's Boudicca. - BS grades with restricted view.

Swan Hellenic lead the way with podcasts

Swan Hellenic have announced that their respected cruise director Paul Carter has produced a series of podcasts to accompany their 2011 itineraries.

These podcasts are a first for the cruise industry and present Paul's expert insights, highlighting elements of each cruise on board Minerva that cannot be seen in the brochure. They provide a personal narrative that really bring each cruise to life.

The podcasts are available to download from www.swanhellenic.com/podcasts

Looking for a family cruise this August..read on

Royal Caribbean have still got availability for families of 3 or 4 on Voyager of the Seas this August.

The sailing which goes from Barcelona on the 22nd August for 7 nights calls at Naples/Capri, Rome, Florence/Pisa, Nice and Provence has family availabilty on inside, outside and balcony cabins.

 She is  a great ship for families with an ice skating rink, rock climbing wall, sports court and teen disco on board. Along with a spa and fitness centre, theatre and champagne bar for adults.

The prices are good for school holidays too - cruise only rates for a family of 4 start at;
£2530 for an inside cabin, £3150 for an outside cabin and £3430 for a balcony cabin. Flights and transfers can be added with Royal Caribbean from London for £390pp or you can add your own low cost air. Many companies offer flights to Barcelona and the port is just half an hour from the airport so can be reached easily by taxi.

Azamara Journey - my recommendation for the Caribbean this winter

If you're looking for a Caribbean deal this winter then my absolute recommendation would be Azamara Journey.

Azamara Club Cruises are an informal luxury cruise line, with more intimate ships that can reach smaller ports of call, and with just under 700 passengers on board you receive excellent service and experience a friendlier ambience on board, than many of the larger ships in the Caribbean.

They class themselves as ‘Primarily All – Inclusive’, this means that as well as your food being included in the cost they also include wine with your meals, bottled water throughout the day, speciality tea and coffees (which are often $5 each on other ships), gratuities, free shuttle buses in ports of call and the self service laundry.

Now with all of this included you would expect the prices to be high, however they are actually on a par with P&O’s Azura. I have just priced a balcony cabin on Azura in November for £1959pp whereas Azamara Journey comes in at just £40 more - £1999pp. What’s more – P&O are offering £50pp on board credit, whereas Azamara are currently offering $500pp. And don’t forget with P&O you have to pay for all of your drinks and pay gratuities. This Azamara sailing is 2 nights shorter in duration being just a 12nights cruise, but this can often be preferable by the time you’ve allowed for a hotel stay before the cruise and overnight flights returning. Both prices quoted include return flights from London.

If you’re worried as to why the prices are so good – don’t be. Azamara cruises are a fairly new brand are are trying to build their presence in the UK market, they have good reviews which you can read on our main website. With offers like this they won’t need to promote themselves for long so my advise would be to try them now, before everyone else has heard of them.

By the way -  I believe the on board credit on selected sailings is being increased next week in a four day sale too.

Cunard and P&O 2012 World Cruises

Cunard and P&O will be launching their 2012 world cruises on the 15th July, but I can give you a sneak preview of what is to come and if you want prices in advance just give me call.

Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth are offering full world cruises from Southampton, both departing on the 10th January 2012. Queen Mary 2’s World Voyage includes a 22 night inaugural Circle Australia voyage after which she returns to Southampton via the Far East, arriving home on 27 April 2012, whilst Queen Elizabeth sail a more traditional itinerary of Southampton to San Francisco, Australia, New Zealand, the Far East and Dubai. She also arrives home on the 27th April. Queen Victoria is doing a series of Exotic Voyages between 8 and 25 nights in length through the Panama and Hawaii, but on a fly cruise basis from the USA.

P&O’s Adonia embarks on her first World Cruise from Southampton to South America and the Amazon, around Cape Horn and into the Chilean Fjords. Aurora and Oriana will take passengers on a full world circumnavigation. Aurora heads west towards the Caribbean, while Oriana heads east out through the Mediterranean. Finally, Arcadia will undertake an epic 109-night Grand Odyssey, which takes in the Orient, Australia and South Africa.

Early booking offers include additional discounts and on board credit for both cruise lines, the amounts varying dependant on the cabin grade and length of cruise chosen. Cunard are also offering to free gratuities on the full world cruises.

There is too much information to detail all the prices and benefits here but if you would like further information on any of the voyages or sectors then just give me a call or send me an e-mail. I’m offering great discounts too!