MSC drop the price on their drinks package

MSC have announced a reduction in there All Inclusive drinks package for 2012.
Passengers travelling this year have paid £33.30 pppn which is a good price but from the 15th September you can add on the package on to 2012 sailings for just £21pppn.

Included in the package are:

• All drinks in bars list with bar list price up to € 7,00 / $ 7,00, including wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks. 
• Take-away ice-cream in cone or cup
• A selection of wines in the main restuarant and self service buffet, along with mineral water, draft and bottled beer and soft drinks

Unfortunately the mini bar is excluded along with bottles of wine and anything with a list price of over
€ 7,00 / $ 7,00

This package can be added to all bookings for 2012 including Winter 11/12 and Dubai. And what's more there is a rumour that they are launching this with an 'Upgrade to All Inclusive for £1' offer for all new bookings, I suspect the cruise prices may increase though but will keep you posted.

Viking River Cruises give something back

I have just completed some additional reading about Viking River Cruises and it bought a smile to my face to learn that they sponsor two elementary schools in China along the Yangtze river.

The schools in the Jingzhou and Yueyang regions give children who due to their economic status would be unable to attend school without this sponsorship, the chance to learn. I think this is fantastic, as a company there is no benefit to Viking River Cruises in sponsoring these schools and it shows a respect for the countries and people that they visit.

Thomson cruises also give something back although they actually do it via their customers.  With every booking customers are given the opportunity to pay £1 towards a 'Worldcare Fund' which is used to fund projects overseas and help lead to sustainable tourism.

I would like to say well done to these two companies, I am not aware of any other companies that actively fund projects overseas or give to charities, as tourists we can cause quite a lot of destruction to an area and it is nice to know that people care enough to give something back.

Reminder to book your free car parking - Celebrity Eclipse

Just a quick reminder to you all that today is the last day to book Celebrity Eclipse for summer 2012 and receive FREE car parking. This will save you well over £100 if travelling for 2 weeks.

Celebrity have said that the offer will definately not be extended after today.

If you have already booked Eclipse then you must call AB parking to confirm the car parking by the 7th September. After this date the free car parking will no longer be honoured.

To call AB parking just dial 0844 8806848 or visit http://www.abparking.co.uk/ and have your Celebrity reference number and car details available.

My holidays are over

Well it's Bank Holiday Monday and my holidays are over. I'ved just had a lovely week in Cornwall with my family and a friends 5 year old too. We stayed at Well Farm Cottage in North Tamerton which is about 20 minutes in land from Bude. The cottage was lovely and ideal for our needs, it was really well equipped and was set in a courtyard with a play area for the kids which was ideal for the boys.

The weather was kind to us too and as a family that like to explore we had some great days out at Bude, Polzeath and Tintagel Castle. The area is fabulous for families and we all enjoyed the walks, beaches and rock climbing. In particular I loved the great choice of clotted cream ice creams on offer everywhere!

But now alas it is time to return to reality, I have spent the day washing and ironing and am now ready to return to work. However  I am really looking forward to it, September is going to be a great month - next weel I am off to see MSC Opera in Southampton and on the 17th I get to look around Grand Princess. Both of these ships are really important to us as the both sail from the UK and are big for both the couples and families markets. Grand Princess has had a major refurbishment this year so I am really looking forward to seeing what they have done to her.

I will get some good photo's of both and write a review for you all and if there is anything in particular that you would like me to look at just let me know.

Whilst I am off.....

I am now away from the office until the 30th August, enjoying a nice break with my family.

Whilst I am away please call 0800 408 6200 or e-mail contactus@cruise.co.uk and my colleagues will be happy to help you.

If you would like to leave a comment regarding my service, or telling me what you think of my blog in the boxes on the left of this page I'd appreciate it.

Are you a Crown and Anchor member?

If you are, and you've achieved either Diamond, Diamond Plus or Pinnacle status then you need to book a cruise for December.

If you sail in December you  will be recognised and pampered by the entire Royal Caribbean Crew, regardless of the ship you are on or duration of the cruise. (I would expect that from Royal Caribbean anyway) but they are also giving double points for the sailing and triple points if sailing in a suite as well as special commemorative gifts and exclusive events.

There are some great deals for December at the moment to and you could sail with Royal Caribbean in the Med, Caribbean or Dubai at this time of year, have a look at our website or give me a call.

Taking your laptop on P&O ships

I have just investigated this for a customer so thought I would share it with everyone.

You can take your laptops on board P&O ships which is always an advantage if you have work to do whilst on holiday or just want to stay in touch with friends and family. There are a number of wi-fi hot spots as listed

Adonia: Full Wi Fi access available throughout the ship.


Arcadia - F Deck: The Globe & Spinnaker Bar, Deck 3: Cyb@ Center, Cafe Vivo, Horizon rooms, & Library and Deck 9: Gymnasium, The Belvedere & Aquarius pool and bar.

Aurora - D Deck: Cyb@ Study, Crow's Nest & Library.

Oceana - Promenade Deck : Cyb@ Study, Library, Deck 5: The Atrium Lobby & Explorers Bar.

Oriana - Sun Deck: Cyb@ Study & Crow's Nest

Azura & Ventura - Promenade Deck: Cyb@Study & all public lounges. Also in cabins using equipment that can be provided with the purchase of a time plan.

They do charge you for using their wi-fi and a variety of time plans can by purchased on board, a sample cost is £35 for 100 minutes of use (personally this seems quite pricey to me, but I am only comparing to my monthly at home charges)

If you only need a small amount of use you can also purchase 'Pay As You Go' for 50p per minute.
P&O also offer the chance to use their on board computers when you purchase a time plan or you can hire a lap top on board for £10 per day, subject to availability.




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