2012 - What a year.

As the year draws to an end I can honestly say I have had a great year and have a lot of happy memories to take into the next one.

As a country we have grown and had a lot of good reasons to celebrate and I have enjoyed the party spirit that has prevailed.

I have had some amazing moments that won't be beaten for a long time. From seeing the Olympic torch being carried through the streets of Redditch, something I hope my son will never forget, to watching Federer win on no 1 court at Wimbledon having successfully bid for Olympic tickets.

In the summer I had a great holiday in France, watching Milo meet Mickey Mouse for the first time and a fantastic day out in Paris. We had a ticket for the Bateau Bus which cruises along the Seine stopping off at all the sights and I would highly recommend this to anyone calling there on a cruise.

The autumn was both happy and sad, I had the joy of pushing myself to the limit and running the Birmingham Half Marathon, I trained with some fantastic colleagues from Cruise.co.uk but it was all tinged with the great sadness of losing a dear colleague at a very young age.

And finally work wise I have had a great year. Whilst the industry has been tough the cruise lines have been keen to show off their ships and I have been lucky enough to either sail on or have lunch on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas, Regent's Seven Seas Voyager, Crystal Serenity and most recently P&O's Oceana. I'm hoping a get to see many more next year.

So that's 2012, it's been a good one and here's to next year being even better.

Celebrity Cruises - The best value cruises from the UK

I have always been a big fan of Celebrity Cruises, they have a huge fleet of modern ships and offer 5 star cruising with fantastic facilities, from relaxing days in the Aqua Spa to a choice of flavours in the Martini Bar.

For the last few years they have been really working on increasing their presence in the UK market and have offered sailings from Southampton at very competitive prices. The only problem is that as an American cruise line they so tend to be pricey on board. For 2013 though they are making things easier  and much better value for the UK customer. This summer they will have 2 ships sailing from the UK and are currently offering a complimentary Classic Drinks Package on both ships for bookings made during January and February. This package can normally be purhased for $50per person per day so offers a saving of up to $1400 per cabin.

The Classic Drinks Package will give you unlimited

Beers up to $5 per serving
Spirits up to to $8 per serving
Cocktails up to $8 per serving

Wines up to $8 per serving

Coca Cola brand cans including Fanta and Sprite

Freshley squeezed and bottled juices

Premium teas and coffees

Bottled water

Celebrity Infinity sails from Harwich to northern Europe, around the British Isles, the Norwegian Fjords and Iceland and prices start from just £919pp for a 10 night sailing,  just £91 per night including your drinks.

Celebrity Eclipse sails from Southampton, offering a range of itineraries to the Fjords, the Baltics and south to the Med and Canaries. Eclipse has sailed from Southampton for the last few years  and received good reviews from UK passengers.

Celebrity have always been one of my favourite cruise lines and now with this offering they are definitely my no 1 choice for cruising from the UK in 2013.

A Very Merry Christmas

Well it's Christmas Eve, the presents are wrapped, my son is very excited and I am too.
I've just had an amazing 2 days on board P&O's Oceana with the Cruise.co.uk staff pictured above and now I am ready to celebrate with friends tonight and family tomorrow.

Oceana was fab and I will post more pictures and a review soon but for now I just want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope that you all have a fun and relaxing few days.

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Are you celebrating in 2014?

If you are celebrating in 2014 then why not treat yourself to a cruise. It may seem really early to be thinking about 2014 but some of the cruise lines have this month announced their 2014 itineraries and prices. On sale already are;

Crystal Cruises

Silversea Cruises

NCL

By booking early you can give yourselves plenty of time to save for your holiday and you are ensured of the best deal. Crystal Cruises in particular work on a capacity controlled basis and the best prices are always at the early booking stage, as the cruise books up, the prices go up too. 

Booking early also gives you the best choice of  cabins and if you're travelling as a group you can ensure yourself of cabins by each other.

You can view these sailings and many more on our website www.cruise.co.uk

Try a mini cruise in 2013

P&O have today announced the programme of mini cruises for 2013 to replace their cancelled cruise as mentioned in my earlier blog post.

As these are now fairly late going on sale they are very competively priced with prices starting from just £199pp, they are also priced under P&O's Vantage Fare so customers will have their price protected should the Vantage fare be reduced.

If you haven't tried a cruise before then a mini cruise is the perfect way to test the water and I'm sure you won't be disappointed. These ships offer so much more than the facilities of a four star hotel and all of your food and entertainment is included. You also get to visit some interesting ports of call from the serenity of St. Peter Port to the cosmopolitan city of Amsterdam.

These cruises are on sale now and can be booked for a small deposit.

April departures on board Azura

 

16 April - 2 nights calling at St Peter Port.  From £199pp

 

18 April - 4 nights calling at Zeebrugge and St Peter Port. From £319pp

This cruise features Jonathan and Charlotte an operatic duo who shot to fame on Britain's Got Talent

 

22 April - 3 nights calling at Zeebrugge and St Peter Port. From £249pp

This cruise will feature a special celebrity guest.

 

25 April  - 2 nights calling at St Peter Port. From £199pp

May departures on board Ventura

 

27 May - 4 nights calling at Zeebrugge and St Peter Port. From £349pp

 

31 May - 3 nights calling at Zeebrugge and St Peter Port. From £249pp

 

June departures on board Ventura

 

03 June - 5 nights calling at Amsterdam and St Peter Port. From £449pp

 

July departures on board Oceana

 

14 July - 2 nights calling at St Peter Port. From £249pp

 

16 July - 3 nights calling at Zeebrugge and St Peter Port. From £349pp

Photos of Crystal Serenity

I was recently lucky enough to sail upon Crystal Serenity and thought I would share some of my photo's of the ship with you.

She is an amazing ship and you can read my full review by just clicking here

 Breakfast in the sun

My AA Verandah

 Afternoon Tea

Try your hand at some sports

Connoisseur’s Cigar Lounge

 

Standard bathroom - beautiful

Enhance your putting skills

Enjoy lunch in the Lido restaurant

Try a game of paddle tennis

A day at sea - there's hardly anyone around the pool, due to the low passenger numbers on board

Sushi in the Silk Road Restaurant - amazing and included in your cruise cost.

P&O Cancel Several Cruises for 2013 and 2014

P&O have been reviewing customer demand for next year and have taken the decision to cancel a number of cruises for 2013 and 2014 and replace them with more popular itineraries.

Customers are being offered alternative sailings and £50pp on board credit as an apology.

This is a shame for those customers that are already booked and now have to rethink their holiday plans and you have to question how P&O got it so wrong to be cancelling 6 cruises. Lets hope they get it right next year. However it does put some hopefully more popular itineraries on to the market details of which are below.

The cancelled sailings are:

Azura - 16 April 2013 - Atlantic Coast which is being replaced with a number of city break cruises

Ventura - 27 May 2013 -Canary Islands which is being replaced with a number of city break cruises

Adonia - 17 Jun 2013 - Northern Cruise which  is being replaced by a 16 night Baltic Cruise

Adonia - 25 Aug 2013 - Northern Cruise which is being replaced by a 14 night Norwegian Cruise

Oceana - 14 Jul 2013 - Canary Cruise which  is being replaced with a number of city break cruises

Oriana - 01 Mar 2014 - Atlantic Coast which  is being replaced with a 12 night Norwegian Cruise.

The new sailings are not on sale as yet but if you are interested in any of them just get in touch and I will contact you when more details are available.

Take your own wine on board Royal Caribbean

 Royal Caribbean have announced that passengers may now take their own wine on board their ships.
Passengers may take no more than two 750ml bottles per cabin on board and may consume it in their cabin or on the balcony free of charge. They may also consume it in a public area but will be charged a $25 corkage fee.

To prevent customers from smuggling anything else on board the wine must have the original manufacturers seals intact and if any additional bottles are found by the ship's personnel they will be confiscated until the end of the cruise.

Royal Caribbean have always been very strict regarding alcohol on board so it's good to see that they are moving with the times. A spokesman said it recognized that "vacationers may have a particular bottle of wine or champagne that they would like bring on board to commemorate a special day or event while on their cruise."

Birmingham Half Marathon

Well I thoought you'd like to know that I made it. I managed my 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 18 minutes which isn't bad for a first timer.

The run itself wasn't the most fun that I've ever had and I really struggled at the start to get into it but overall it was an amazing day. There were so many supporters cheering, and bands playing to keep us entertained that it really helped spur me along.

On top of this I knew that I was raising alot of money for a very good cause and my friends and family have helped me to raise nearly £500 for Sarcoma which I am really chuffed with it. Thank you to everyone who donated.

 As you can see by the end of it I was a very happy girl and what's more I have now finally stopped aching and am contemplating doing it all again next year.

Just 5 days to go until the Half Marathon

Well it's just 5 days to go until the Birmingham Half Marathon and I am now getting very nervous.

I have managed a few 10 mile runs which they tell me is as much as I need to do but an extra 3 miles on the day still sounds like a lot.

I am hoping to run it it under 2 and a half hours and ideally in around 2hours 20 but we will see.

On a positive point the money that we have raised so far for Drew's charity is amazing, and we have boosted his total up to over £10,000. The support from our customers and those that use the Cruises.co.uk forum has been fantastic.

Channel 5 are televising the run so please look out for us all. We'll be wearing blue Sarcoma vests and if any of you live in the Midlands region we will be featured on Central News this Friday evening as well.

If anyone would still like to donate you can do so via www.justgiving.com/ulegend

P&O announce a new ship

P&O have this week cut the steel on a brand new ship due to enter service in Spring 2015.

At 161,000 tons she will be the largest ship to have been built specifically for the UK market.
She will carry 3611 passengers and therefore take about 500 more people than Azura and Ventura.
However she will still be smaller than Independence of the Seas, which sails from Southampton but was not orinally built specifically for UK customers. Independence had a tonnage of 160,000 and can carry 3634 passengers.

The new P&O ship which is currently unnamed is being described as 'modern classic' and will offer a a unprecedented number of passenger facilities along with a number of P&O's classic features. Details of which P&O are keeping close to their chest for the time being.

I am curious as to whether they will be following the family route of Ventura, or going more sophisticated like Azura. I am also doubtful as to the need for another large British ship, however it is good to have a modern fleet so I imagine one of the older ships will be leaving the fleet and heading to P&O Australia.

However I am not a traditional P&O fan and do prefer her larger ships so I for one am looking forward to seeing what this ship has to offer.

I'm running a half marathon in aid of a friend and colleague

In just under 3 weeks I will be running 13.1 miles in the Birmingham Half Marathon. This is something that a group of us at Cruise.co.uk are doing to raise money for Sarcoma UK. A sarcoma is form of cancer that that attacks bone and soft tissue, it predominantly attacks young people and being a rare disease it is not as well supported as other cancer charities.

We started this training earlier in the year after a colleague Drew was diagnosed with the disease and whilst undergoing treatment Drew set up his own charity ULEGEND raising money directly for Sarcoma UK.

Drew sadly passed away on Monday and we are all devastated.

At 30 years old Drew was a fantastic and brave man. He was always the life and soul in the office and kept us all entertained, with his funny sayings and half-hearted attempts at dieting. Since being diagnosed in October 2011 and setting up his charity Drew managed to persaude people to do all sorts of challenges and raised over £6000 for Sarcoma and I hope that we can now double that for him.

13 miles will be hard but this is worth it, my training is going well and I am confident that I will get around, although I may be limping by the end of it.

I am asking everyone if they could spare a small amount of cash to help raise money for Drew's charity - donations can be made via www.justgiving.com/ULEGEND and more information on the charity is found via www.ulegend.co.uk

If you do donate just put my name in the box and please e-mail me too and then I can thank you personally

Crystal Serenity

Well I am now back from 4 amazing nights on board Crystal Serenity and thought I would share some thoughts with you.

Being a 6 Star Luxury Ship I thought she would be stuffy and pretentious but she was honestly one of the most relaxed ships that I've been on. With just over 800 passengers on board she was full of space and even on the sea day there were empty loungers and a feeling of tranquillity on board. She can take 1000 passengers but I really don't think if she was full you would ever feel crowded.

The other guests ranged in age and typically were predominantly in their  late 50's and 60's, probably 20%  older and 20% younger.  There were several 3 generation families and young honeymoon couples on board too. Whatever your age you won't feel out of place on Crystal Serenity. I also liked that there was a huge mixture of nationalities on board, American, British, Latin American, Europe, Australian, Chinese and Japanese.

The ship herself was furnished in a very luxurious manner, deep plush carpets, wall paper in the corridors as opposed to the plastic walls that I experienced on other ships. My stateroom an AA deluxe stateroom with verandah was spacious with lots of little extras - as well as the normal toiletries, cotton buds and cotton wool was provided, along with a kimono as well as the bathrobe. The towels were the thickest that I have ever used and I struggled to wrap it around my head. The Crystal ships are refurbished every 2 years.

 

 

Crystal differs from the other cruise lines in that they offer a large ship and with this comes a great choice of restaurants and bars, from cafe dining by the pool and al fresco dining with the Lido buffet or the more formal Crystal Dining Room or the speciality restaurants Preggo and Silk Road they all offer fanastic choices and exqusite food. Nobo's Silk Road was my favourite.

They also had a lot of entertainment for those that want it. In the daytime enrichment programmes are offered although I prefered to partake in Afternoon Tea and sunbathing and at night there is a choice of show lounges and a huge cinema.

All in all I was very impressed with Crystal. With its all inclusive value and excellent service it offers a fantastic premium product. It is pricey so isn't suitable for everyone but if you normally travel in a suite and like the big ship feel (Cunard, Celebrity, Holland America) but with lots of space then I would definitely recommend this ship.

The next few days...

I am a very lucky lady and am off on a Crystal Cruise next week. I will be boarding Crystal Serenity and sailing from Corfu to Venice calling in at  Montenegro and Croatia. Having never been to any of these ports of call I am really excited.

At the moment I haven't got my timetable so I don't know if I will be in a conference room for all the trip or whether I will get to go ashore but either way it will be a fantastic trip.

Crystal Cruises are a 6* luxury cruise line and have been voted the 'World's Best' by Conde Nast for 17 years. Their service is known to be impeccable and as a large ship she has plenty of facilities on board. With 5 dining venues for breakfast and 7 evening options I will be spoilt for choice, it's just a shame that I will only be on board for a handful of  nights.

The only downside of the trip is nbot being able to take my partner and son (or maybe that's an upside) but they needn't worry I'll take lots of photo's to update them and you on my return.

I will be back in the office on Monday 1st October but should you need an help whilst I am away please contact my colleagues on 0800 408 6200.

Regent Seven Seas Voyager

Following my review of Regent Seven Seas Voyager I thought I would post a selection of photos for you. They are all self explanatory but if you would like any more information just give me a call.

ore information on these cruises just give me a call.

My review of Regent Seven Seas Voyager

Last week I was lucky enough to be given a tour of Regent Seven Seas Voyager when she was on a turn around day in Southampton. It was my first time on a Regent ship and I was very impressed.

My first impressions were one of space, she is a mis sized ship but only carries 700 passengers and there is plenty of room for everyone, you could easily fit 3 people abreast as you walk along the corridors. The staterooms are all suite all balcony and the entry rooms - H grade deluxe suites are ample in size. At 356sq ft they are very similar in size and design to Cunard's Princess Grills. They also come with a bath and separate shower and L'Occitane toiletries.

As we went through the different suite levels the finishing touches were lovely from Illy coffee makers to telescopes.

With the ship sailing that day the restaurants were open and the food delicious. La Veranda was offering buffet cuisine with the largest side of beef that I'd ever seen and the fresh cooked pizza's amongst other things. I was treated to lunch in the Compass Rose restaurant and I can honestly say it was the best food that I have ever had on a ship. A lobster starter, and filet mignon cooked to perfection. Desert was followed by coffee and petit fours. In the speciality restaurants the table settings were Versace and customers are able to reserve dining in these restaurants ahead of their sailing.

For drinks Regent is an All Inclusive ship and the bars offer a full menu choice, I wanted to stay and sample the range of vodka martini's, full cocktail list, choice of premium brands within each type of spirit along with wines and champagne.

The Canyon Ranch Spa Club was large for ship of this size with several treatment rooms and saunas and steam rooms and if you are after something more active there is a tennis court, golf driving net and jogging track. There is also a fully equipped gym and seperate fitness studio.

All in all I was really impressed with this ship and as Regent are offering All Inclusive prices for next year, including flights, drinks and excursions they offer really great prices. I will definatley be recommending this ship to my passengers, especially those that normally travel with Cunard oe Celebrity - the prices are very comparable.

NCL announce a new dining package

Norwegian Cruise Line have announced a new Speciality Dining package which gives guests the opportunity to pre-purchase three specialty restaurants prior to sailing at a special rate. This isa fab idea and gives guests a great saving and value for money.

‘Signature Trio’ offers guests a meal in the Steakhouse, the French Bistro and the Italian Restaurant for $47 per person. Cagney’s Steakhouse normally carries a $25pp cover charge and the Italian Bistro $10pp.

Whilst the main restaurants’ provide wonderful food anyway, this deal allows you to sample the lines 3 most popular restaurants and a range of foods across your cruise.

The deal can only be booked in advance and not purchased on board, which saves you the hassle on board and also guarantees you a table in these restaurants.

If you are already booked on a NCL cruise you can add this package by going to your “myncl” account on www.ncl.com

 

NCL have always been innovators in the cruise world and as far as I'm aware they are the first cruise line to offer such a dining package. I think this will go down well with customers and I expect other cruise lines to follow suit soon.

Off to Disneyland Paris

Well we are now several weeks into the school holidays and I am finally off on my break to Disneyland Paris, I am also taking in an overnight in Paris itself and will be investigating just how easy it is to see the sights of Paris in a day.

We are planning on a quick boat trip along the Seine and a climb of the Eiffel Tower. Obviously I will be running around very excited in Disneyland Paris itself, probably more excited than my 6 year old Milo.

As always my colleagues at Cruise.co.uk will be very happy to help you in my absence and they can be contacted on 0800 408 6088

Pamper yourself with Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Regent Seven Seas Cruises are offering a great booking incentive at the moment. Any guests that book a 2013 Regent cruise will receives a 'his and hers' gift set from L'Occitane worth £180 including the award-winning ‘Immortelle’ Precious Cream.

  L’Occitane is a lavish Provencal body and skincare brand and is offered in the bathrooms onboard.

Regent offer the ultimate in All Inclusive cruises, offering not only your food and drink on board but including an amazing choice of free excursions in all ports of call too.

And for 2013 they are also offering a 1 night pre-cruise luxury hotel package on all itineraries. This gives a wonderful leisurely start to your holiday and takes away any worries about flight delays. You will be all fresh for your first night on board.

To see the wonderful itineraries that Regent are offering next year just look at our Cruise.co.uk or give me a call.

New Zealand volcano erupts

A volcano eruption on New Zealand's North Island has led to road closures and flight cancellations.

Hundreds of travellers have been stranded following the eruption of Mt Tongariro, which has been dormant for more than a century. Rocks and ash were thrown up to a kilometre from the mountain.

Air New Zealand flights to Gisborne, Rotorua, Taupo and Napier and Palmerston North, were delayed or cancelled following the eruption, affecting flights to and from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

There have been no reports of injuries or damage although authorities are keeping a close watch and have not ruled out further volcanic activity over the next few weeks.

Fortunately this shouldn't cause any hassle for UK cruisers as there are no cruise ships sailing North Island at the moment, most cruiselines head there for their summer months. The only ship in New Zealand this month is  Sun Princess which is due to call at Auckland on the 25th August. This is many miles away from the volcano and not an embarkation port so the ship will not be effected by this.

My thoughts are with those stranded and living in the area.

I'm off to the Olympics

I'm very excited as I'm lucky enough to have tickets for the tennis at Wimbledon tomorrow.

We have tickets for  No 1 court and I'm keeping my eye on the schedule closely as this won't be announced until this evening. It's funny to be going but not knowing what I'm going to be watching. Today they have the Men's singles 2nd round and Federer is through already and there are also women's singles and doubles matches going on too. So hopefully tomorrow we'll get to see a mixture too.

I'm going with my family and my 6 year old son Milo is really excited. I'm concerned as I haven't seen many children in the audience on TV so far, but I thought that this was too big an occasion to leave him out of and at only £6 a ticket for him it was a bargain. I'm sure he will have a wonderful day and some fantastic memories to tell his children.

My only last worry is the weather, the rain seems to be holding off so far so please keep your fingers crossed for me.

Whilst I am away

Well it's yet again the school holidays (they come around quickly don't they) and I now have a week off with my family.

Later in the holidays we're off to Disneyland Paris but this week is just a week at home. I'm praying that the sum comes out otherwise it's a week of playing on the Wii for me.

Whilst I am away my colleagues will be happy to help you and they can be contacted on
0800 408 6200. I will be back in the office on Monday 30th July.

P&O & Cunard Offer a Price Promise

P&O and Cunard have finally seen sense and are now offering a Price Promise for customers who book in advance in the form of their new Vantage Fares.

On the 23rd July they are reducing the prices on their 2013/14 cruises by 10-15% and offering customers who book under the new fares the following:

• Your choice of cabin number.
• Additional benefits such as on board credit or car parking or coach transfers.
• A secure booking with just a deposit payment.
• The flexibilty to make changes to the booking up until 90 days before departure.
• A Price Promise.

Once you have booked should P&O or Cunard reduce the Vantage Fare for bookings with the same terms and conditions you will  be recompensed in the form of on board credit or an upgrade. This should give customers peace of mind when booking early.

However P&O and Cunard will continue to bring out 'Getaway Fares' in order to promote sales closed to the cruise date. Customers booking on this fare will be subject to differing conditions:

• No choice of cabin number
• No on board credit or extra benefits
• 100% payment to be made at the time of booking
• 100% cancellation charges from the time of booking
• No amendments allowed.

These fares will be cheaper than the Vantage fares but not to the extent that we have seen in this year.
The cruise lines will not amend a Vantage fare to match a Getaway price as the terms and conditions differ.

By offering the reduced fares for 2013 P&O and Cunard should restore confidence in the early booking market. For those that have already book P&O will be looking at your bookings and applying the on board credit or cabin upgrade as appropriate.

This offer applies to all cruises from the 2013/2014 brochure excluding the World Cruises, ie for sailings from April 2013 onwards.

Introducing Norwegian Breakaway

Yesterday I was given a presentation on the new Norwegian Breakaway and she looks an amazing ship. NCL have always been innovators in the cruise industry being the first major cruise line to offer freestyle dining. Now they have gone and done it again with The Waterfront.

Situated on the promenade deck this is a bit like a boardwalk with a range and bars, restaurants and an ice cream bar in an alfresco setting. I think this is a wonderful idea. Royal Caribbean offer The Promenade with the same concept but it is set within  the centre of the ship. I am an outdoor girl and would much rather sit in the sunshine whilst enjoying a cool cocktail.

At 143,500 grt she will carry approximately 4000 passengers and has many of the facilities of Norwegian Epic. Focusing on entertainment she will have the Howl at the Moon Duelling Pianos and Cirque Dreams and Dinner. They have also secured Broadway's Rock of Ages for its theatre production. The older children will enjoy the massive water park including 2 vertical drop water slides whilst the younger ones will have the Nickelodean themed splash area.

Norwegian Breakaway launches next Spring with a transatlantic sailing from Southampton to New York. She will be based in New York for the summer offering 7 night cruises to Bermuda and then in the winter she will offer a series of cruises to the Bahamas and Florida and 2 twelve night Caribbean cruise in January 2014.

For more details on Norwegian Breakaway and her itineraries just get in touch.

Olympic Fever

On Sunday morning I had a wonderful time when the Olympic torch came to town. It was a great family occassion with my partner and my son, my Mum and Dad and friends of the family. I bumped into lots of friends from work too.

As you can see the weather was dry although only 12 degrees so we were very lucky, I don't think it's stopped raining since.

The show that was put on was great, it wasn't just the torch but a whole parade of sponsors, we laughed because everyone was playing load music and waving to get us in the mood which really wasn't required. Even the motorcylce police were giving high fives to the crowd.

This is the start of Olympic fever for me. I'm lucky to have tickets for the tennis which I'm really excited by. I just hope it stops raining by then though.

If you want to see the torch yourself, just check out the schedule here. Olympic Torch Route

Save money on your parking.

There are some great deals for cruises from Southampton this Summer but as with all great deals there is always a catch, free car parking is not included. C&PS the parking people affliated to P&O at Southampton charge £148 for 2 weeks parking at the docks which adds alot to your holiday cost.

At Cruise.co.uk though we can get you discounted and stress free parking. We offer 'Meet and Greet' parking which is easy and cheap. You just drive up to the ship and meet our man on the ground.
He then parks your car for you and meets you at the end of your cruise with your car at a time to suit you.

The costs for this service are much more reasonable.

Duration       Our price       C&PS price
7 nts              £86
10nts             £95                £114
12nts             £101              £132
14nts             £107              £148
21nts             £129              £213

We also have reduced prices at Dover and airports around the country. Just give me a call for details.

More info on luggage delivery in Barcelona

One of my good customers has just come back from Barcelona and used the luggage delivery service from the port to the airport and has passed on some useful information for us all.

You can prebook this service using the link in my earlier blog, however the staff are actually available at the port and it can be arranged on the day at a cheaper cost. Delivery staff will be waiting by the luggage pick up point at the cruise terminal and they just take your luggage and ask you what time you would like to meet them at the airport. The cost is just 9 euros 70 cents per bag, which is great.

With this is mind you can book a late flight home safe in the knowledge that you can spend the day sightseeing without having to lug your bags about too.

Regent enhance Seven Seas Navigator

Regent's Seven Seas Navigaotor has last week come from dry dock followind a wonderful refit making her even more luxurious.

Her new renovations include the complete redecoration of the ship’s eight Grand Suites and Master Suites and the debut of Sette Mari at La Veranda, an intimate Italian dining experience offering both buffet and a la carte service.

Renovation of the ship’s Grand Suites and Master Suites includes new built-in cabinetry, custom-crafted furnishings including new headboards and bedding, balcony furniture, plush carpeting, designer accessories and original art.
All Navigator Suites have also been refreshed with plush carpeting, wall coverings, new dining tables and outdoor furniture. 

The ship’s popular breakfast and lunch buffet venue, La Veranda, has been masterfully repurposed to create Sette Mari at La Veranda offering an extensive menu of authentic antipasti and Italian specialty dishes available from the buffet and also ordered al momento (cooked to order). Al fresco dining is also available so guests can dine under the stars.

Prime 7, the ship’s modern American-style steakhouse, has also been enlarged to accommodate 70 guests and features a new contemporary sculpture at its entrance. The popular Galileo Lounge has also been renewed and redecorated

At a time when most cruise lines are cutting back and trying to save costs it is good to see that Regent are spending some money and enhancing their fleet.

To receive a brochure or for more information on Regent Seven Seas Cruises just give me a call.

If you need me...

Having worked a couple of Jubilent Bank Holidays I am now taking the rest of the week off to spend with my family. My son had a Wii for his birthday last week so I will no doubt have to spend a lot of time playing games. We also have a trip planned to join friends in their caravan but I am slightly concerned about the weather. Keep you fingers crossed for me.

Whilst I am off please contact my colleagues at Cruise.co.uk on 0800 408 6088 who will happily help you with any new or existing bookings.

How much to clean your shirt?

The problem with cruising is that you have to have lots of lovely clothes as dressing for dinner can be a big part of the cruise. However if you're on a fly cruise then your luggage allowance is limited.

P&O cruises offer self service launderettes on board however Royal Caribbean do not and this is a large cause of complaint.

However when I was on board Independence of the Seas I had a peak at the laundry costs and they are not as expensive as I thought, you  wouldn't want to pay them to do all of your washing but if it is just a couple of items then it's not too bad.

Item                   Wash & Press   ($)            Dry Clean & Press ($)
Mens Jacket         -------                                   5.00
Jeans                    3.50
Shirt                     3.50                                     4.00
Tie                                                                   2.25
Trousers               4.00                                     4.50

Blouse                  4.00                                     4.50
Dress                    6.00                                     8.00
Evening dress                                                   9.50
Skirt                      4.00                                     5.00
Suit                                                                   9.00

Now some of these prices are cheaper than I pay locally for dry cleaning, and had I looked earlier I would have had my evening dress cleaned on board before going home. What do you think?

Luggage Delivery Service - Barcelona

The worst thing about the end of a cruise is having to wait for a late flight home. You have to leave the ship by mid morning and you either have to wait at the airport for the day or sightseeing is restricted by having a couple of suitcases and hand bags to lug around for the day.

Some cruises offer full day excursions and your luggage is taken care of but these can be expensive.
I though have just been given details of a luggage delivery service in Barcelona, for just 18 Euros per bag your luggage will be collected from the port and transfered to Barcelona airport for you to join later. This then free's you up for a full day of sight seeing.

For more information or to book just click here

I assume that similar companies exist in other ports, if anyone knows any details please let me know.

P&O offer Tuxedo Hire

P&O Cruises are now offering tuxedo hire from just £79 for a weeks cruise. So if you are trying your first cruise and do not want to commit to buying one then this is a good value and handy solution.

The price includes everything that you need:

• Dinner Suit Jacket
• Dress Trousers
• 2 x Dress Shirts
• Bow Tie
• Cufflinks

There is also a choice of black or white tuxedo and there are extras available such as a cummerbund for £5 or shoes for £12.

If you would like more information or to book you can just follow this link:
www.pocruisesblacktiehire.co.uk

What I thought of Independence of the Seas

Well I am now back in the office and I had a wonderful time on Independence last week. The ship was fantastic and I learnt a lot.

She sailed with 4046 passengers on board and check in took a while an hour and a half of queuing  however it was all organised and civilised and I've waited that long at an airport before. I believe this isn't the norm as well, it was just that this was a mini cruise and everyone turned up early. Once on board I had no idea that there were so many people.

My cabin was an inside and had plenty of storage space and I didn't miss the window, although given the choice I would upgrade to a balcony for the additional cabin space. Especially if I travelled with my family.

The ship herself held lots of surprises for me, the main dining room was much grander than I'd expected and in terms of food I thought the menu's were great. There was a good choice each night, with a couple of seafood and fish dishes, a roast, a pasta and and indian dish to choose from amongst other things. I found the offerings more continental and adventurous than on other ships that I've been on. However there were also some British offerings each evening for the less adventurous diner.

The entertainment on board was great, there is so much to see and do  at all times, I particularly enjoyed the cantilever whirlpool at midnight as a great way to end the day. I won't list all the activities as these can be seen in the brochures but I will just mention the things that I didn't know about. One evening the waiters all did a wonderful rendition of 'O Sole Mio' across the 3 floors of the restaurant and on two of the evenings there was a show on the Royal Promenade - the Welcome Aboard party with a free glass of champagne and a Rock and Roll show with singing and dancing.
This is where Royal Caribbean cruises differentiate themselves, they are lively and fun and give that little bit more.

They also surprised me with everything that is included in the price. I have always heard that they are expensive on board and yes they are - wine is $9, cocktails $9.50 and a can of coke was $2.50. However you really don't have to spend much across the day. There is iced water available all day, the Cafe Promenade serves coffee and tea with a choice of at least 20 tea bags and in the Windjammer restaurant there is a choice of 4 different flavours of soft drink. As well as food in the restaurant there is Pizza available 24 hours a day and sandwiches and cakes in the Cafe. On the pool deck you can help yourself to ice cream in a cone with a choice of 3 flavours. I was able to keep myself fed and watered all day without spending a dime. If only I hadn't wanted the alcohol at night.

The age group on board was really mixed, quite a few families with young kids, groups of ladies away for a weekend and elderly couples. This ship really does have something for every one. I came away wanting to go back with my husband and 6 year old and also separately on a girls trip, and with my Mum. I think I'm going to be doing a lot of mini cruises next year.

Read what others think about Independence of the Seas and other Royal Caribbean cruise reviews by visiting Cruise.co.uk.

I'm off on a mini cruise.

I'm really excited as tomorrow I will be boarding Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas for her 3 night mini cruise. We set sail for Le Havre where she will be docked for 2 full days so that we can fully explore Paris.

I am being hosted by Royal Caribbean as part of their Seminar at Sea programme during which I will learn all about Royal Caribbean and how I can sell their products better.  I'm not sure exactly what I'll be doing on this course but it starts with a cocktail party so can't be all hard work.

I haven't sailed on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship before although I was lucky enough to attend Liberty of the Sea's launch party, so as a sister ship I know what to expect of Independence. I am particularly looking forward to trying out all of the food venues especially Johnny Rockets as several customers have recommended it and I would really like a go on the Rock Climbing Wall, although I have been warned that this may make me ache.

I'm away until Saturday and then it's a Bank Holiday weekend so I get an extra day off and will be back in the office on Tuesday 8th May. For any help whilst I'm away please call my colleagues on
0800 408 6088

Low deposit for Regent Seven Seas

Alot of customers have been put off booking luxury line cruises in advance due to the high deposits charged. Regent and Silversea both charge up to 25% deposit which can mean paying out several thousand pounds as much as 18 months in advance of the cruise.

Regent though have alleviated this with their 10% deposit for the month of April.

So if you have been considering a cruise with Regent, you can keep some money in the bank and book with a low deposit now.

Whilst I am away

I am just having a few days off and will be back in the office on Monday 16th April.

For any queries on existing or new cruise bookings please contact my colleagues on 0800 604 6200

Thanks

Jo

P&O to pay on board credit to singles afterall.

Since I wrote my previous post last week P&O have now back tracked and said that they will pay on board credit to single passengers booking for 2013 this month.

They say that it was just a misunderstanding internally as to what they are offering, this may be true or maybe they have repsonded to the critiscism that they were getting. Either way it is great news.

Single passengers will now get the same per person amount as twin share customers and if they book a suite they will even get additional on board credit. A big thumbs up to P&O cruises.

P&O discriminate against single passengers

Single travellers have never been favoured in the world of cruise and they are often charged high single supplements when occupying a room that could sleep two or more guests.
However for 2013 P&O have gone one step further in actively discouraging single guests by offering on board credit to past passengers on all sailings of 7 nights or more and all cabin grades, unless you're a single passenger. As a single passenger there is no on board credit unless you book a suite. This to me seems like the worst marketing plan ever unless you no longer want any single passengers or their families on your ships.

Now I understand that cruise lines are not keen on having just one person in the room when they could sell it to 2. 2 passengers generate more revenue from the bars, casinos and shops on board, but they are charging 145 - 180% of the 2 share price which must help them a bit and let's face it not many ships are selling out quickly at the moment. The on board credit that is being offered ranges from £25pp to £100pp (inside - balcony) on a 14 night sailing and only up to £50pp for 7 nights so the amount that they would have to give a single passenger is minimal in the grand scheme of things.

When we spoke to P&O about the new campaign they advised that they cannot give single passengers on board credit as the single supplements are so low. Surely they must have known that by not giving it they would push passengers away and I can only assume that this is what they want - otherwise why not just charge a little bit more and include the on board credit?

 Interestingly they are not even giving on board credit to those sailing in the single cabins on Azura or Ventura and these are still priced at 45% more than the cheapest 2 share cabins.

I have quoted a few 3 generation families for next year who have all sailed with P&O cruises in the past. All of them have been outraged by this decision. By denying  Grandma or Grandad the on board credit P&O have alienated several single passengers, their families and friends. I really hope they know what they are doing with this campaign.

Do you fancy dinner with Marco Pierre White?

If so then book one of P&O's special food and drink cruises for 2013.

They have announced today the cruises on which their Celebrity Chefs are cruising.
Marco Pierre White and Atul Kocher will be giving cookery demonstrations and master classes and hosting dinners in their restaurants on board. And wine connoisseur Olly Smith will be hosting wine tastings and wine dinners.

You can also enjoy interviews and book signings as well as a range of culinary themed excursions to vineyards, breweries, restaurants and markets depending upon your itineraries.

These cruises will be popular so I would suggest that you book early - plus there are some great early booking offers for the sailings including free car parking for all and on board credit for past passengers

The celebrities will be on the following sailings

Marco Pierre White

Arcadia - Baltics - 08 May

Arcadia - Central Med - 04 Sept

Oriana - Baltics - 09 Jun

Oriana - Atlantic Isles - 07 Oct

Ventura - Cruise Break - 07 Apr

Ventura - Western Med - 11 Oct

Adonia - Caribbean UK UK - 22 Nov

Atul Kochhar

Azura - Western Med 27 Apr (with Olly)

Azura - Central Med - 09 Jul

Azura - Atlantic Isles - 20 Oct

Azura - Caribbean Transatlantic - 01 Nov

Olly Smith

Azura - Western Med 27 Apr (With Atul)

Azura - Black Sea - 07 Sept

Azura - Eastern Caribbean - 07 Feb 2014

You can pre-register for these cruises by calling or e-mailing me, I can give you the full itineraries and prices and then get everything booked for you on the day that they go on sale

Northern Lights on Sale for 2013

As I'm sure you know the Northern Lights for 2012 and 2013 are set to be at their best for decades and those that have been on a Northern Lights sailing this year have seen some spectacular sights.

This winter's cruise holidays all booked up really early and when we advertised a special Cruise.co.uk group for January this year we were inundated with enquiries.

Hurtigruten are the leaders in the Northern Lights sailings and they have announced that the January to March 2013 programme is going on sale on the 10th April. Whilst we don't know the full details as yet they will be offfering a choice of short 5 and 6 day trips or the full 12 day round trip. They are expecting the demand to be so high that they have significantly increased the number of flights that they are offering to the UK market.

It is best to book early for these as Hurtigruten have a fleet of ships which travel up and down the coast of Norway and some of the ships are newer than others. If you book when they go on sale you will get the better choice of ships available.

If you don't know much about Hurtigruten they are working ships that service the small towns and villages and also take tourists on board to see the amazing scenery of the Arctic Circle. As well as the Aurora Borealis that are free they offer a whole range of excursions from snowmobiling to husky rides to midnight choir concerts.


My parents did this trip earlier this year and would definitely recommend it.


If you would like to register for information on these sailings just get in touch with me.