Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has retained its commitment to UK regional departures next year despite a reduction in the fleet size.
The line’s smallest ship Black Prince, which has spearheaded cruise from ports in the North of England and Scotland, retires from service in October this year.
Instead, larger vessel Boudicca will run a programme of departures from Liverpool, Greenock (Glasgow), Rosyth (Edinburgh) and Port of Tyne (Newcastle) in 2010/11.
The line’s programme of worldwide cruises for 2010/11 on board its fleet of four traditional ships, Balmoral, Boudicca, Braemar and Black Watch, has just been released.
Highlights include Black Watch’s two voyages around South America and two world cruises on board Balmoral.
Braemar will continue to offer Caribbean fly-cruises throughout the winter, with an expanded choice of itineraries, including the Amazon, Panama Canal - taking in Ecuador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica - as well as the Eastern and Western Caribbean.
A total of 119 cruises will visit 260 different ports of call, in 121 different countries or islands.
The programme consists of:
•    Two world cruises
•    Two around South America voyages
•    24 cruises to the Caribbean, Amazon and the Americas
•    17 Mediterranean cruises
•    35 sailings to Northern Europe and Scandinavia
•    20 Canary Islands and West Africa cruises
•    12 cruises to Iberia, Around the UK, and Ireland
•    Seven Mini cruises

New ports of call include Cabo San Lucas, Hilo, Lahaina, Honolulu, Samoa, Mystery Island (Vanuatu) on Balmoral’s 2010 world cruise and Puerto Madryn, West Falkland, Robinson Crusoe Island on the Black Watch 2010 around South America cruise.
Sulawesi, Borneo, Bandar Seri Begawan, Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Malaysia, Phuket all on Balmoral’s world cruise in 2011.
On Caribbean itineraries, Braemar will visit Maracaibo, Manta (Ecuador), Corinto (Nicaragua), Acajutla (El Salvador), and Golfito (Costa Rica).
In Northern European itineraries, Floro (Norway), and Ystad (Sweden) will both be viisted for the first time, while Braemar will make a debut visit to Dartmouth in Devon.
On board activities range from information Arts Club special interest cruises covering a range of subjects from photography to wine tasting, and gardening to computers for beginners.
Civilisations is a more formalised programme, carrying an extra cost, providing exclusive lectures and escorted shore tours hosted by leading experts in the given subject. Themes include ‘Imperial Rome’, ‘Classical Greece’, and ‘South American Cultures’.
Flagship Golf, which also has an additional cost, is available on selected cruises in the Med, Baltic and Canaries.

Azura, the seventh ship in the P&O Cruises fleet, touched water for the first time today in the traditional “floating out” ceremony prior to entering service next April.

The 115,000-ton superliner and sister vessel to Ventura is taking shape at Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard in Italy.

Amanda Dowds, wife of Azura’s Captain, Keith Dowds acted as “madrina” or “godmother” for a symbolic ceremony at the shipyard in which a newly-minted two pound coin and a new euro were welded at the foot of the ship’s mast for good luck.

Azura was blessed by a priest as a bottle of Italian Prosecco smashed against the hull.

The valves of the giant dry dock at the Monfalcone shipyard then opened allowing the ship to meet the water for the first time.

The 3,100-passenger ship will be named in Southampton before departing on its maiden voyage on April 12.

The ship will feature an open air cinema, spa terrace and single cabins as well as an Indian fine dining restaurant inspired by Michelin starred chef Atul Kochhar.

TV wine expert Olly Smith has also been enlisted to help create a new wine bar and restaurant concept called The Glass House.

The Saturday Kitchen star will act as consultant in the creation of the drinks menus for the ship’s other bars and restaurants. He will travel regularly to host light hearted tasting sessions.

P&O Cruises’ managing director Nigel Esdale said: “The float out ceremony is a significant event in the build of a new ship.

“Azura is designed with traditional cruise values of service and quality combined with the flexibility and choice that today’s contemporary customer expects and the high level of early bookings proves this demand.”

A total of 24 different dining options are to feature on 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean International will be accepting advance dinner reservations from July 7 for the ship which enters service in December sailing in the Caribbean from Florida.
The different dining options range from an exclusive signature restaurant, to themed venues across the vessel’s seven ‘neighbourhoods’.
New elements of variety and flexibility are promised, such as My Time Dining and My Family Time Dining rather than passengers eating at set times.
Passengers choosing My Time Dining will not have a pre-assigned table, but will be seated in the ship’s main three-level Opus Dining Room and order from the same traditional dinner menu.

My Time Dining guests will be able to make daily reservations for specific seating times or choose to walk in.

My Family Time Dining accommodates parents and children by offering a 40-minute dining service for young cruisers, aged between three and 11.

The most exclusive dining venue on Oasis of the Seas is called     150 Central Park and will carry a $35 cover charge. The restaurant will provide an intimate dining experience in the evening including a tasting menu with specialised wine pairings.

Izumi, a new Asian cuisine restaurant, will feature a sushi bar and
hot rock cooking, as well as other Asian fare in a more formal setting.

Also new will be the Seafood Shack, an indoor/outdoor casual family restaurant designed to bring the surf style of beach-side amusement parks to the Boardwalk area of Oasis of the Seas. A variety of seafood will be on the menu which carries a cover charge of $7.95 for lunch and $9.95 for dinner.

The Solarium Bistro will offer health-conscious dining for breakfast and lunch in a casual setting. In the evenings, Solarium Bistro will transform into a romantic dining setting for healthy dinners and dancing under the stars. Dinner carries a $20 cover charge.

Italian trattoria Giovanni’s Table is a casual restaurant featuring both indoor and al fresco seating offering rustic dishes with a contemporary flair, including toasted herbal breads, pizzas, salads, pastas, Italian sandwiches, braised meat dishes and stews. Open for lunch and dinner there will be a $10 lunch and $15 dinner cover charge.

The Wipe Out Cafe self-service buffet will offer a variety of options from pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches and fresh salads to quick snacks and desserts, for young cruisers.

Regular cruisers on Royal Caribbean’s ships will find familiar favourites such as the Johnny Rockets diner, which will offer breakfast for the first time; Chops Grille steakhouse and casual dining in the Windjammer Marketplace for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Other outlets will serve pizzas, donuts, sandwiches, paninis, crepes, soups, pastries, tapas, ice cream wraps and fruit.
Royal Caribbean International president and chief executive Adam Goldstein said: “Oasis of the Seas showcases the evolution of Royal Caribbean dining.
“Both the new concepts and the established Royal Caribbean offerings found throughout the neighbourhoods are designed to meet contemporary dining standards, cater to individual preferences and schedules and foster epicurean curiosity.
“With so many options, guests could choose a new place to dine for every meal.”

Cunard Line sister ships Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria are to make a tandem transatlantic crossing to New York to kick off the line’s 2011 world voyages.

Both vessels will meet up with flagship Queen Mary 2 on January 13, 2011, for the first get-together between the three ships in the fleet.

Passengers will have the opportunity to experience three Cunard ships in one full world voyage - by travelling on Queen Victoria to New York, embarking Queen Elizabeth to Sydney before joining Queen Mary 2 for the return sailing home to Southampton.

Travellers can also sail on both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 (with a change of vessels in Sydney) or Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 (with a change in New York).

Queen Elizabeth will depart its homeport of Southampton on January 5, 2011, on a 103-day voyage which will see it make 35 maiden calls.

Queen Elizabeth will call at 38 ports in 23 countries as the ship makes its way west around the globe with maiden transits of both the Panama and Suez Canals and calls at Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Lisbon.

QM2, world’s largest ocean liner, will leave New York on January 13, 2011, on a 96-day journey heading for South America first before taking an eastbound routing via South Africa to Australia, up through the Far East and home to Southampton via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean. QM2 will make maiden calls at Xingang and Sharm El Sheikh during this, its fourth world voyage.

Cunard president and managing director Carol Marlow said: “Cunard’s World Voyages have been a highlight of our programme since 1922 and our two 2011 global journeys are perhaps the most interesting and historic yet.

“I am particularly excited that the schedules include opportunities to travel on all three of our ocean liners, which comprise the youngest and most famous fleet in the world.”

The 2011 world voyages together with segments of the circumnavigations go on sale on July 1.

Click here for more details

Oasis of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, has begun sea trials close to the shipyard where construction of the vessel is being completed in Finland.

The 5,400-passenger Oasis of the Seas, which enters service in December running cruises from Florida, has been undergoing four days of testing to see how it performs in the ocean.

The $1.4 billion Royal Caribbean International vessel will dwarf all cruise ships that have come before it when it begins cruising in the Caribbean.

Oasis of the Seas is 1,187 feet long, making it 75 feet longer than the company’s Freedom-class ships, such as Independence of the Seas which is now sailing year-round from Southampton.

The ship will have 16 passenger decks, 24 elevators and the ship will feature 7,000 works of art.

Of the 2,706 cabins and suites, almost 2,000 will have balconies.

Royal Caribbean president and CEO Richard Fain said in a regular blog about the ship: “Sea trials for a ship are just what they sound like . . . taking the ship out to sea to make sure she operates properly in the ocean.

“The ship has been afloat for six months, but this is the first time that we will get to test out all the systems in a fully operating environment.

“The trial lasts about four days and the ship is tested for many key operating performance factors.”

The final itineraries for Ocean Village throughout summer 2010 include calls at five new destinations - Sicily, Turkey, Italy, Sardinia and France.

Sailings for the casual cruise line’s final summer in the Mediterranean on the original Ocean Village ship go on sale on Monday (June 1).

The new programme features seven different itineraries.

For first timers in particular there is a choice of two peak season seven-night fly-cruises sailing from Palma in Majorca to destinations such as Rome, Monte Carlo and Barcelona.

There is a series of early and late season departures from Crete that take in classic destinations such as Venice, Istanbul and Cairo as well as a number of Greek islands.

Two one-off departures introduce a fresh and different itinerary mix.

Sailing in July from Crete to Majorca and in September from Majorca back to Crete, these options feature the new ports of Messina (Sicily), Marmaris (Turkey), La Spezia (Italy), Cagliari (Sardinia) and Toulon (France) – as well as destinations little-visited by Ocean Village such as Malta, Mykonos, Cephalonia and Santorini.

Head of marketing communications Gill Haynes said she expected pent up demand from repeat passengers keen to book early for next summer, knowing that it will be Ocean Village’s final season.

“The web forums are full of chatter from Ocean Village regulars impatient for the release of these summer 2010 itineraries,” she said.

“The new brochure showcases Ocean Village’s biggest and broadest selection of Mediterranean destinations to date.

“Taking on board customer feedback and demand, we have designed a programme to appeal across the whole passenger spectrum, from our newcomer-friendly Palma sailings in the peak summer months, to our shoulder season departures in the Eastern Med which experienced cruisers will know means seeing the sights without the heatwaves or the crowds.

“For the Ocean Village aficionados, we’ve created two bespoke sailings to new and different destinations to sharpen their interest and freshen up the mix.”

She added: “There’s good demand for informal cruising in the current economic climate.

“Everyone is looking for value and that is what Ocean Village is well-known to deliver, along with warm and friendly service in a laid-back atmosphere.”

Ocean Village summer 2010 programme in detail

*New for 2010 – Central Med sailings between Crete and Majorca:

•    The 12 night ‘Temples and Tavernas’ cruise sails from Crete on July 1, visiting Marmaris, Santorini, Athens, Cephalonia, Messina, Rome, Toulon, Barcelona and Palma in Majorca.

•    The ‘Olives and Ouzo’ nine night sailing departs from Majorca on September 7 and calls at Cagliari (Sardinia), Naples, Valetta (Malta), Messina, Cephalonia, Mykonos, Marmaris and then Crete.

Central Med cruises can be combined with the previous or following Western or Eastern Med itineraries to make up 16 or 19-night voyages.

*Eastern Med seven-night sailings:

Early (April-May) and late summer (Sept-Oct) 2010 Crete itineraries. A choice of three itineraries for island-hopping enthusiasts and experienced cruisers, with Cairo calls increased from five to six:

•    The ‘Groves and Gondolas’ seven-night itinerary begins in Heraklion with calls at Dubrovnik (Croatia), Venice, Korcula (Croatia), Corfu and Katakolon. The itinerary runs every second week throughout the Eastern Med season.
•    The seven-night ‘Palaces and Pyramids’ itinerary takes in Cairo (from Port Said), Limassol (Cyprus), Rhodes, Ephesus and Athens before returning to Heraklion. The itinerary runs on alternate weeks in the cooler and less crowded months of April-May and September-October.
•    The ‘Myths and Mosaics’ seven-night cruise visits Istanbul, Mytilene (Lesbos), Ephesus, Athens and Santorini before finishing in Heraklion with two sailings in June alternating with the Venice itinerary.

Eastern Med seven night sailings to Venice can be combined with either the Cairo or Istanbul itinerary to create 14-night holidays.

*Western Med seven night sailings:

Sailing from Palma in peak season (July and August), there are two seven-night itineraries designed with first-time cruisers in mind:
•    ‘Castles and Chianti’ visits Tunis, Naples, Florence/Pisa, Monte Carlo and Ajaccio (Corsica).
•     Tapas and Togas’ sails from Palma to Tunis, Rome, Genoa for Portofino, St Raphael and Barcelona.

*Transatlantic cruise:

A 15-night sailing from Barbados to Crete departing March 24, 2010.

Flat-screen TVs are being installed in every cabin and suite as part of a $10 million refurbishment of Celebrity Cruises’ ship Millennium.

Every suite will be equipped with 32-inch LED flat-panel TVs, while every Concierge Class stateroom will boast 26-inch versions as part of the revamp of the ship, which entered service nine years ago.

All cabins will boast 26-inch LED flat-screen TVs by October.

Other work to be carried out while the ship is in dry dock for 12 days in Canada will see new carpeting throughout the ship, and new upholstery in every cabin, the Lido deck, the Celebrity Theatre and the main dining room.

All marble and stone floors and counter areas will be renewed, and all wood hand rails on the ship’s verandas and pool deck areas will be newly varnished.

New bolidt – an alternative to traditional teak decking – is being installed across the pool deck, outdoor stage, dance floor and jogging track.

New curtains, bed skirts and bed throws will further enhance every suite and cabin.

By October, new upholstery will be added to furnishings in the ship’s retail areas, the Grand Foyer, and every lounge, including Celebrity Cruises’ signature Martini Bar.

Consistently ranked among the top 10 large ships in the world since its launch, Celebrity Millennium will emerge on Friday (May 22) from the dry dock in Victoria, British Columbia.

The vessel will then embark on seven-night cruises from Vancouver prior to a series of seven-night Alaska sailings to and from Vancouver and Seward, Alaska, during September.

Click here to see our latest deals on the Celebrity Millennium.

New figures show that the Italian ports of Naples, Civitavecchia (the port for Rome) and Livorno hosted nearly five million cruise passenger visits last year.

Greece was the second leading destination with nearly 4.3 million cruise passengers. Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes were the most popular islands.

Italy took 23% total share of cruise business, followed by Greece at 19.6% and Spain with 16.6%, according to industry body the European Cruise Council.

The number of cruise ships operating in Europe in 2008 rose by 35% over 2005, to 192 and a typical European cruise makes calls at four or more ports on any given itinerary.

In total, there were 21.7 million passengers visiting European ports in 2008 and they spent €2.7 billion, a 69% increase compared with 2005.

Overall, the cruise industry generated €32.2 billion of goods and services in 2008 and supported 311,000 jobs, according to the ECC.

The organisation’s chairman David Dingle, chief executive officer of Carnival UK, said: “Europe has acted as a magnet, drawing cruise ships from North America, which together with European fleets has led to a significant increase in the number of passengers joining their cruise from a European port – a 68% increase since 2005 to 4.7 million passengers.

“The total value of goods and services generated has increased by a staggering 69% in the last three years to more than €32 billion.

“We have also seen an increase in the amount passengers spend - at turnaround ports it’s €106 while at ports of call passengers spend on average €57 per visit.”

He added: “Despite the present economic challenges, the ECC anticipates further growth in Europe; not at such a frenetic pace but with the introduction this year of new ships dedicated to the European market we are confident of continued passenger growth.”

Balmoral and Black Watch will both sail from Southampton on January 5, 2011 on lengthy cruises.

The 108-night world cruise on board Balmoral travels west via the Canary Islands, the Caribbean and South America to the Pacific, where the French Polynesian archipelago is a highlight. Other high points include the New Zealand fjords and Suez Canal.

Black Watch’s 77-night round South America cruise tour includes the vibrant city of Buenos Aires, rounding Cape Horn and the lost Inca city of Machu Picchu.

Each of the cruises can be broken down into a number of sectors.

British pop legend Lulu is to perform Motown classics on one of Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ new departures from Portsmouth.

The star is to appear on a November 8 Boudicca cruise to Spain and Portugal.

The ten-night itinerary takes in stops at the cities of Bilbao, Oporto and Lisbon.

Lulu will be on board for two nights performing with jazz trumpeter Leo Green and The Leo Green Experience.

Lulu will be singing many Motown songs as well as her 1960s hit, Shout, released when she was just 15.

She is the only female artist to have performed on Top of the Pops in each of the last five decades and most recently sang with Take That.

The cruise company’s marketing manager Mike Bird said: “We are really excited to have an iconic star of Lulu’s calibre on board to entertain our guests.

“Words like “superstar” and “legend” get bandied around too lightly these days – but in Lulu’s case, they really do apply. We’re delighted to welcome her on board.”