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Fred. Olsen to offer three overnight stays on Balmoral's cultural city cruise

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Latest offers Latest offers; Published: 09 October 2014 09 October 2014

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines is giving guests the perfect opportunity to visit three cultural European cities – Oslo (Norway), Amsterdam (The Netherlands) and Antwerp (Belgium) – with Balmoral's ten-night L1416 'European Cities & Waterways' cruise, departing from Southampton on 24^th October 2014 – all from just £79 per person, per night*. With overnight stays in each destination, guests can get the chance to relax and explore these bustling capitals at their leisure.

The first port of call on this 'Artistic City Break' cruise is Oslo. Found between the Oslofjord and surrounded by dense forests, Norway’s lively capital boasts an extraordinary combination of city life and 'the great outdoors'. Guests can explore Oslo’s artistic side, with a visit to the National Gallery, home to Munch’s world-famous 'The Scream'. The Vigeland Sculpture Park is wonderfully unique, containing 212 of Gustav Vigeland’s sculptures reflecting all stages of the human lifecycle. For modern art and culture, go to the Waterfront area, which blends new museums with restaurants and contemporary living; and do not forget the eye-catching ‘Barcode’ buildings!

Balmoral then continues onto Amsterdam, for another overnight stay. Part of what makes this city so appealing is the perfect contrast of 17th Century history and modern city life, creating a relaxed and friendly environment. Don’t miss the three most famous museums of the 40 within the city: the Rijksmuseum, with important paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals; the Van Gogh Museum, housing 200 paintings; and the Stedelijk Museum of Modern Art, with major works by Picasso. Why not take a canal cruise, the ideal way to see this diverse city.

Antwerp is the final port of call on this European exploration of art and culture. For a different view of the city, guests can discover more by taking a tram, boat or horse and carriage. Ruben’s House is also to be recommended; the Baroque artist lived here for over 25 years, and created the majority of his work from this palatial dwelling. Be sure to pay a visit to the Cathedral of our Lady, which took 169 years to build! This iconic building houses a number of major art works, including a series by Rubens. And, of course, there is always the famous Belgian chocolate to sample and perhaps purchase when in this stunning city.

Prices for this fascinating European city break cruise start from just £790 per person, based on two adults sharing a twin-bedded Outside cabin, and include accommodation, all meals and entertainment on board, and port dues. Guests can also choose to upgrade to Fred. Olsen's 'all-inclusive' drinks package from just £10 per person, per night*.

Fred. Olsen has been named one of the Top 3 cruise lines in the UK and awarded Which? Travel’s prestigious ‘Recommended Provider’ accolade, in its first-ever dedicated cruise survey. The influential independent consumer body conducted an online poll of 1,327 Which? members in April 2014, and FOCL was voted joint second out of the 14 cruise companies rated, receiving a customer satisfaction score of 85% out of 100%. Fred. Olsen was delighted to be voted 'Best for Enrichment' in the 'Cruise International Awards 2014', for the third time.

MSC Cruises USA celebrates National Cruise Vacation month with deals on Caribbean and Mediterranean sailings

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Latest offers Latest offers; Published: 01 October 2014 01 October 2014

To celebrate National Cruise Vacation Month, MSC Cruises is offering balcony staterooms at ocean view rates for select sailings in both the Caribbean and Mediterranean, plus kids aged 11 and under sail free for guests who book cruises during the month of October.

And, the line will sweeten the deal for guests who upgrade to MSC Cruises’ new “Fantastica experience” on these select sailings with a complimentary drink package consisting of 12 vouchers. The Fantastica experience includes choice of a premium location stateroom and priority choice of early or late dining. Additional free amenities, valued at $250 per person, include 50 percent off all fitness classes and personal training, free delivery of room service, and enhanced recreational activities for children including cooking and foreign language classes.

The October specials are available to residents of the US and Canada who book select sailings of MSC Divina, departing October 2014 through October 2015 in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, and select sailings of MSC Splendida and MSC Fantasia, departing November 2014 through April 2015 in the Mediterranean. Available on new bookings only, offers expire on October 31, 2014.

As an extra promotion for booking in October, MSC Cruises is also offering pre-paid gratuities for all MSC Divina seven-night Caribbean sailings between October 18 and December 13, 2014.

National Cruise Vacation Month, widely recognized as “The World’s Largest Cruise Sale,” is celebrated every October to promote special offers from member cruise lines of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the world’s largest cruise industry organization.

P&O Cruises offers free flights on some exotic 2015 cruises

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Latest offers Latest offers; Published: 22 September 2014 22 September 2014

P&O Cruises is offering free London flights on a selection of 2015 exotic fly cruise holidays. The free flights, which are worth up to £1,340 per person, are available on bookings made before October 31, 2014.

The promotion is available on a variety of round world cruise sectors ranging from 14 nights to 61 nights on Arcadia or Aurora, which will have just had a £26 million refit and is the first ship in P&O Cruises fleet to receive the bold new livery design.

Depending on the choice of ship and cruise itinerary, passengers can enjoy free flights to or from Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Hong Kong, Singapore, Mumbai, Dubai, Rio de Janeiro, Santiago and San Francisco.

For those wishing to extend their stay, passengers can alter the flight date for an additional supplement.

P&O Cruises exotic fly cruises offer epic adventures to see far-flung places such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, New Zealand’s Milford Sound, Hawaii’s famed surf beaches and Rio’s Christ the Redeemer to name but a few. Uniting exciting destinations and the most iconic places around the globe with unrivalled relaxation, passengers can experience an extended winter holiday with a difference.

The free flights promotional offers include:

A 29 night cruise visiting 13 ports from Santiago to Sydney on Aurora starts from £2,749 per person for a Select Price with free flights to Santiago and free flights from Sydney worth £1,340 per person. Cruise departs February 5, 2015. Link: http://www.pocruises.com/rzy/

A 24 night cruise visiting 11 ports from Sydney to San Francisco on Aurora starts from £2,299 per person for a Select Price with free flights to Sydney and free flights from San Francisco worth £1,050 per person. Cruise departs March 7, 2015. Link: http://www.pocruises.com/ryw/

A 48 night cruise visiting 17 ports from Southampton to Brisbane on Arcadia starts from £4,899 per person for a Select Price with free flights to London worth £730 per person. Cruise departs January 6, 2015. Link: http://www.pocruises.com/juc/

A 48 night cruise visiting 19 ports from Southampton to Auckland on Aurora starts from £4,649 per person for a Select Price with free flights to London worth £590 per person. Cruise departs January 8, 2015. Link: http://www.pocruises.com/rxo/

A 14 night cruise visiting four ports from Southampton to Rio de Janeiro on Aurora starts from £1,299 per person for a Select Price with free flights from Rio worth £390 per person. Cruise departs January 8, 2015. Link: http://www.pocruises.com/rxs/

The free flights offer is based on economy class flights to/from London on the day of embarkation/disembarkation. For an additional supplement, passengers can upgrade a flight, fly from a regional departure point or alter the flight date/destination.

MSC Cruises in UK summer sailing 2015 promotion

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Latest offers Latest offers; Published: 30 September 2014 30 September 2014

MSC Cruises is giving holidaymakers the chance to grab its best-ever early-booking deals by making its summer 2015 sailings all-inclusive - PLUS giving an additional on-board credit of £100 per cabin.

The incredible ‘Mad about the Med’ promotion applies to all Mediterranean sailings next summer, when booked between October 6 and November 30 2014.

With EIGHT ships in the region next summer MSC Cruises is the undisputed leader in Med cruising. Between April and November 2015 it will offer more than 200 seven-night sailings from its home ports of Venice, Genoa and La Spezia.

The offer is valid on both cruise-only and fly-cruise packages, and delivers superb value for families looking to plan their holiday in advance. With an adult all-inclusive package normally priced at £154 per person and a child’s package valued at £70, the deal means a typical family of four receive benefits worth £448 on a typical seven-day sailing, along with an additional £100 credit to spend onboard on extras such as spa treatments, excursions or in speciality restaurants.

And remember, MSC Cruises is the only cruise line where children cruise for free all year round, paying only port taxes and flight costs.

MSC Cruises will operate in the eastern and western med for summer 2015, with sailings typically departing on Saturday and Sunday.

Eastern Med: MSC Poesia, MSC Lirica, MSC Musica, MSC Magnifica (from Venice)

Western Med: MSC Preziosa, MSC Armonia, MSC Fantasia, MSC Divina (from Genoa/La Spezia)

All-inclusive prices lead in at £798 per person, based on two sharing, for a seven-night cruise on MSC Armonia from La Spezia, Italy, calling at Marseille, France; Palma, Majorca; Valletta, Malta; Messina, Sicily, Italy; Salerno, Italy and La Spezia. Price includes return flights from London or Manchester based on a November 1 2015 departure.

Carnival Cruise Lines renews its 'Great Vacation Guarantee' through 2015

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Latest offers Latest offers; Published: 17 September 2014 17 September 2014

Carnival Cruise Lines is renewing its groundbreaking Great Vacation Guarantee which provides consumers an opportunity to receive a 110 percent refund, complimentary transportation home and a $100 shipboard credit on a future cruise if they are dissatisfied with their vacation for any reason. In the year since Carnival originally introduced the guarantee, the line’s 24 ships have carried 4.5 million guests and the guarantee has been invoked only 47 times.

Both consumers and travel agents have lauded the guarantee -- the only one of its kind in the cruise industry -- with many travel agents citing it as an excellent sales tool to entice first-time cruisers to set sail.

“You are statistically more likely to date a supermodel than you are to invoke the Great Vacation Guarantee,” said Jim Berra, Carnival’s chief marketing officer. “However, we believe it is important to keep the guarantee in place given its effectiveness in communicating to consumers that we stand behind our product and are extremely confident you will have an exceptional vacation experience when you sail with Carnival.”

Berra added that with more than 300 new spaces and experiences added to Carnival’s fleet under the company’s multi-million-dollar Fun Ship 2.0 enhancement program, guest satisfaction has increased considerably since the program was first introduced.

To exercise the Great Vacation Guarantee, guests simply notify the ship’s guest services desk within the first 24 hours of the voyage to receive a full refund of their cruise fare plus an additional 10 percent, along with complimentary return air transportation from the next port of call, and complimentary ground transportation and hotel accommodations (if necessary), along with a $100 shipboard credit to be used on a future Carnival cruise. Carnival will fully handle all travel arrangements to make it a truly hassle-free experience.

The Great Vacation Guarantee is valid on all three- to eight-day voyages to The Bahamas, Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Alaska, Bermuda, Canada and New England through December 31, 2015, including holiday sailings. The program applies to U.S. and Canadian residents only and guests must possess a valid passport to return to the U.S. by air.