WinTEr Sun
Xxxxxx xxxxx x
BEST FOR . . . FAMILY VALUE WHY: Describing the Canary Islands as an ‘old favourite’ might seem like a backhanded compliment, but these Spanish isles have long been top of the list for winter-sun escapes. Sample the shores of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, then move to the Moroccan ports of Tangier and Casablanca, which are returning to Celebrity Cruises’ roster for the first time in 15 years. WOW: Attention is often heaped on newer ships – including design-led Celebrity Beyond and soon-to-launch Ascent – but families on a budget will find the best bargains by looking beyond flashy newcomers to more-established ships, especially those sailing from ports that are accessible via low-cost flights. Celebrity Infinity launched in 2001 but received a refit in 2022, and is sailing its first winter seasons in Europe this year and next. BOOK IT: A 12-night Canaries, Morocco, Spain cruise from Barcelona costs from £939 for an Inside cabin or £1,094 in an Ocean View stateroom, departing on December 21, 2024.
celebritycruises.com OR TRY: The Middle East has become a winter-sun wonder in recent years, gaining prominence when the delayed reopening of Asian ports prompted lines to shift to the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Red Sea. MSC Opera, which launched in 2004, offers good-value family fun with a water park, kids’ clubs for all ages, virtual reality games and Lego. A seven-night round-trip from Dubai departing on January 7, 2024, calling at Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island, starts from £379 cruise-only or from £1,009 including flights.
msccruises.co.uk
travelweekly.co.uk/cruise
BEST FOR . . . EXTENDED SAILINGS WHY: For clients who don’t have to worry about annual leave limits, a world cruise departing in January might be the perfect way to escape the Christmas comedown. Cunard’s Queen Anne, which launches in May 2024, will start the following year with its first world cruise. The 107-night odyssey sails from Southampton to the Caribbean, transiting the Panama Canal to the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, before journeying back via the Far East, Dubai and Oman, ending in the Med come spring, with maiden calls in China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka along the way. WOW: With their relatively high price tags, world cruises require a certain amount of splashing out, even for the lead-in cabins. Nonetheless, Cunard reports strong sales of its top-level Queens Grill suites on this Queen Anne voyage, with butler service, complimentary minibar, daily canapés and a table in the exclusive Queens Grill restaurant. BOOK IT: Queen Anne departs Southampton on January 9, 2025, with prices from £19,299 based on two sharing a Britannia Balcony stateroom.
cunard.com OR TRY: Always dreamed of exploring South America from tip to toe? A series of four sailings by Regent Seven Seas Cruises can be booked back-to-back to create an ambitious 67-night circumnavigation of the continent, taking in everything from the crumbling Casco Viejo in Panama City to pristine scenery in the Chilean fjords. Circle South America, round-trip from Miami on Seven Seas Splendor, starts from £39,259, departing on December 4.
rssc.com
September 2023 39
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
