Norwegian Cruise Lines

Norwegian Cruise Lines

Transatlantic, Western Mediterranean or Canary Islands, you decide!

Cruise from 7 to 10 days on board of freshly renovated Norwegian Epic or on our newest ship Norwegian Escape.

Incredible cruise – Queen Mary 2

Incredible cruise – Queen Mary 2

Antarctic Cruise – Shackleton’s 100th Anniversary

Antarctic cruise – Ushuaia to Ushuaia, Argentina

Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, embarked from the UK towards Antarctica when, in 1915, just 200 miles from the Antarctic mainland, she was stuck in the Weddell sea between two ice floes. The crew stayed with the ship hoping that the winds would change and allow the ship free, however, after 10 months, they were forced to leave the Endurance and head out across the ice to find help.

The story of how Shackleton led his men over ice and ocean to safety. This is one of the greatest survival tales ever. This voyage allows you to follow in the footsteps of the greatest explorers including Shackleton, Scott, Ross, Mawson, Hillary, Gerlache, Fiennes, Cook, Charcot, Byrd, Weddell, Amundsen and Stromness.

You will see the Drake Passage, South Georgia Island, the Falkland Islands. Antarctica. All these places are remote and have their character and stories to tell of great explorers and adventures. Along the way, you will marvel at glaciers and icebergs, penguins, seals and whales in these remote and rugged landscapes. Look out for Macaroni, Rockhopper, Magellanic, Gentoo and more.
See the remains of whaling operations and also historic sites associated with the early explorers.

Itinerary

14 Nov 2015 Saturday – Ushuaia, Argentina

15 Nov 2015 Sunday – Day at Sea

16 Nov 2015 Monday – New Island, Falkland Islands

16 Nov 2015 Monday – West Point Island, Falkland Islands

17 Nov 2015 Tuesday – Stanley, Falkland Islands

18 Nov 2015 Wednesday – Day at Sea

19 Nov 2015 Thursday – Day at Sea

20 Nov 2015 Friday – South Georgia & Sandwich Islands

21 Nov 2015 Saturday – South Georgia & Sandwich Islands

22 Nov 2015 Sunday – South Georgia & Sandwich Islands

23 Nov 2015 Monday – Day at Sea

24 Nov 2015 Tuesday – Day at Sea

25 Nov 2015 Wednesday – Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

26 Nov 2015 Thursday – Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

27 Nov 2015 Friday – Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

28 Nov 2015 Saturday – Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

29 Nov 2015 Sunday – Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica

30 Nov 2015 Monday – Drake Passage

01 Dec 2015 Tuesday – Drake Passage

02 Dec 2015 Wednesday – Ushuaia, Argentina

CRUISES

Cruises are one of the best holidays I have ever had, I found them so relaxing especially with young children.  There are many things to do on board for the whole family and you will never get bored.

I like to board early to get all the check in and paper work done so that we can relax and be onboard in time for lunch. Although the ships carry lots of people, all the check-ins are done smoothly and quickly. You do not have to worry about carrying your luggage, from the time you check-in, you can relax. The next time you will see you luggage is in your room.

I highly recommend a balcony room as a minimum requirement as they are very airy and the fact that you can open the door whilst the ship is cruising is absolute bliss. You will never feel that the ship is too crowded either, there are lots of room for everyone.

There are many restaurants to choose from casual all day to dressing up in the evening and I can most highly recommend that you try their speciality restaurant on one or 2 nights.  The food is just fantastic and plenty and I can assure you that it is money well spent. You will never feel hungry onboard.

There is also plenty of entertainment for everyone, my children have never felt bored on the ships. They made lots of friends onboard and have loved every minute of it. They used to spend all day at the children and teen club and we only saw them at dinner time. Even during dinner, they are restless and cannot wait to go back to meet their friends at the teen club.

The trip goes so quickly that everyone is very sad at the end of the cruise. So go and try it, we never felt bored on a 2 weeks trip.

6* Azamara Cruises

The deluxe Azamara Cruises are the perfect way to cruise. With only an occupancy of 694 and a tonnage of 30,277 this intimate cruise ship offers the ultimate in luxury. As the ship is much smaller than some cruise lines it allows the Azamara Quest to visit ports that are often unavailable to other ships. With a 1:2 ratio of guest to staff onboard the service is exceptional, making it a very popular with repeat guests.

One of the benefits of the ship is the open seating dining policy which means you can eat where and when you like at a time to suit you. The quality of the food is what you would expect from a 6* ship – phenomenal! With a choice of 6 dining options including room service you really will be spoilt for choice. From Mediterranean and seafood to steak house and poolside grill.

All of the staterooms are furnished to a high standard to make your cruise as enjoyable as possible. With 70% of all staterooms having a verandah this is the perfect way to enjoy seeing the ocean while sipping a cocktail.

INCLUDED ON EVERY VOYAGE:

AzAmazing EveningsSM event
Select standard spirits, international beers and wines available throughout the voyage
Gratuities
Bottled water, soft drinks, specialty coffees and teas
English-trained butlers for suite guests
Self-service laundry
Shuttle service to and from ports, where available
Concierge services for personal guidance and reservations

 Call 0114 3273436 to book Now

Wind Surf – 180 degrees from Ordinary

I recently visited Wind Surf in Dover and she is one of 3 ships in the Windstar fleet. The cruise line says that it is “180º from Ordinary” and the experience certainly is. This is a cruise for people wou like sailing and experiencing unusual ports of call and is definitely not a formal cruiser. Life on board is strictly casual, with great dining experiences but NO formal nights.

A Few Facts about Wind Surf

She is the largest of the 3 ships in the fleet but at 14,745 grt is by no means large. 152 deluxe cabins and suites can take 312 guests. All cabins and suites have ocean views (no balconies) and have recently been refurbished and have flat screen TV’s and Bose I-pod docking stations.

191 staff give a good staff to guest ratio

3 restaurants: – The Restaurant and Degrees offer fine dining (no booking required) and there is also a buffet for breakfast and lunch.In the evenings you can dine under the stars with the onboard barbque (limited space so must be booked)

Wind Surf’s public areas will be refurbished in November, but at the moment still look pretty good to me.

Complimentary watersports include:- water-skiing, windsurfing, kayaking, sailing, ski-tubing and snorkel gear. Scuba is available at a fee.

All meals and standard soft drinks are included and it is possible to upgrade on board with an All Inclusive drinks package at $50 pp per day.

Other ships are Wind Star and Wind Spirit, they are smaller at 5703 grt and are more of a luxury yacht experience.

Sailing regions are Caribbean in Winter and Med/Europe in the Summer

World Cruises

There is nothing like forgetting all your earthly cares and embarking on a voyage around the world; just you (and a few other passengers, and the crew) against the vast deep blue ocean waters. But unlike the famous hero who conquered this quest in 80 days, you will be cruising through the journey at a leisurely pace riding on the lap of luxury. World cruises are many and varied, tailored to cater to different tastes. Crystal World Cruise for instance offers an itinerary that casts off from Miami, leads you through the Gulf of Mexico on to the Caribbean Seas. From there the ship transits the Panama Canal and makes a stopover at Peru, and another at Chile a few days later. It continues skirting the coast of the South American continent touching Brazil and takes voyagers along the famous River Amazon before continuing via the Atlantic Ocean. The beauty of this kind of cruise is that you get to see many destinations in one trip.

From the picturesque beaches of the Caribbean to the fascinating volcanic islands of Indonesia to the history-laden holy land, Israel. If you’re on a budget or have a particular destination in mind that you want to explore, you can go for the so called ‘cruise and stay’ packages that offer you a cruise to a particular location which you can then explore to your heart’s content instead of continuing to other destinations.

Each cruise comes with its own excursion itinerary of places you can expect to go on shore and explore. At each of these places there will be a set of activities you’ll have the option of indulging in. For instance on the Crystal World Cruise you can enjoy exploring the interior of the Antilles on an ATV as well as make a tour of the Hato Caves and the Seaquarium. Guided tours are a good way to spend time on shore as you will learn a lot and also get to spend time on only the places that really matter.

A few things you’ll be wise to consider before booking a world cruise include the general profile of the passengers on the voyage. If you’re a young couple going on the journey as part of your honeymoon or just a romantic outing, you may not be thrilled to find that most of your shipmates are in their sixties and seventies.

It is also prudent to expect the list of onboard activities carefully as unlike short cruises where there are stopovers every other day where voyagers can go exploring on shore, world cruises have fewer of these layoffs and you will be expected to stay on board for most of them. Therefore if you fail to find activities to your liking it could make for a rather miserable trip. It is common knowledge now that some cruises require passengers to dress up for diner. If this does not sit well with you it is important you find out beforehand and avoid a potentially embarrassing faux pas. To help you decide which liner will provide you with the best experience on your round-the-world journey, you could take a couple of shorter cruises on different ships.