P&O Cruises and Cunard itinerary details for 2011
Mediterranean fly-cruises and year-round sailings from the UK are being introduced by P&O Cruises for 2011.
New small ship Adonia will run fly-cruises in the Med after joining the fleet in May 2011 as a replacement for Artemis.
Oceana will offer ex-UK cruises all year round, sailing from Southampton between October 2011 and April 2012 to the Western and Eastern Mediterranean, Atlantic Islands and the Caribbean and US.
The British line’s largest ever sailing programme also sees the first full year of cruising for 3,100 passenger ship Azura, which is to be launched next month.
Adults-only Adonia will initially offer ex-Southampton cruises between May and October next year, from seven to 26 nights in duration to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
Smaller and off the beaten track ports of call as well as “must see” destinations feature. Overnight calls in Athens and St. Petersburg are included as well as a round Britain cruise.
Adonia will reposition to the Mediterranean in October 2011 and offer six Central and Eastern Mediterranean fly-cruises, departing from Savona, Athens, Trieste and Naples.
Itinerary highlights include a Christmas and New Year cruise to the Holy Land.
New ports of call featured in 2011/12 are:
• Bourgas, Bulgaria (Adonia)
• Flekkefjord, Norway (Adonia)
• Foynes, Ireland (Adonia)
• Jersey, UK (Adonia)
• Koper, Slovenia (Adonia, Oriana)
• Liverpool, UK (Arcadia)
• Sassnitz, Germany (Adonia)
• Savona, Italy (Adonia)
• Zadar, Croatia (Adonia)
There are also 20 ports of call featured that have not been visited for several years, including Oporto in Portugal, being visited by Oceana, Arcadia, Aurora and Oriana; Patmos and Samos in Greece, Tangiers in Morocco and Trieste in Italy, all featuring on Adonia’s itineraries.
The company will also introduce ‘Spotlight’ – a new programme of daytime events for passengers wanting to learn a skill, develop their knowledge or find hobbies.
Talks and interactive workshops will be offered on subjects as such as history, current affairs, the natural world, dance, art and gastronomy. All are delivered by experts in their field, some including familiar TV personalities.
Other highlights include:
Azura
• Cruising to the Central and Western Mediterranean, Baltic, Norwegian fjords, Iceland, Western Europe and Caribbean
• Sailing 17 ex-UK cruises from April 2011 to October 2011 and 11 Caribbean fly cruises from October 2011 to March 2012
• Cruises range from a four night cruise break to Azura’s inaugural 15-night Icelandic cruise
• Overnight calls in Venice and St. Petersburg
Oceana
• Cruising to the Eastern and Western Mediterranean, Norwegian fjords, Atlantic Islands, Western Europe, Caribbean and US
• Sailing 31 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to March 2012
• Cruises range from a two-night party break to a 24 night Eastern Mediterranean cruise
• New ports of call – Ashdod and Haifa, Israel, and Oporto, Portugal
• First time offering year-round cruises from the UK
Arcadia
• Cruising to the Eastern, Western and Central Mediterranean, round Britain, Baltic, Canada and US, Alaska, Caribbean and Atlantic Islands
• Sailing 13 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to January 2012
• Cruises range from a 13-night round Britain cruise to a 72-night Grand Alaska Adventure
• Eight new sectors available on the Grand Alaska Adventure, ranging from 10 to 28 nights
• New ports of call - Liverpool and Oporto, Portugal
• Overnight calls in San Francisco, New York, Quebec and St. Petersburg
Oriana
• Cruising to the Western and Central Mediterranean, Baltic, Caribbean, Western Europe and Atlantic Islands
• Sailing 20 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to January 2012
• Cruises range from a two-night party cruise to 34-night Caribbean cruise, roundtrip from Southampton
• New ports of call - Koper, Slovenia, Oporto, Portugal, Ravenna and Salerno, Italy
• Overnight calls in New Orleans, Venice and St. Petersburg
Aurora
• Cruising to the Western and Central Mediterranean, Atlantic Islands, Black Sea, Baltic, Norwegian fjords, Greenland, Caribbean, Canada and USA
• Sailing 16 ex-UK cruises from April 2011 to January 2012
• Cruises range from a two-night party cruise to a 24-night Canada & New England cruise, roundtrip from Southampton
• New ports of call – Catania, Italy, and Oporto, Portugal
• Overnight calls in New York, Quebec and St. Petersburg
Ventura
• Cruising to the Western and Central Mediterranean, Norwegian fjords, Atlantic Islands, Caribbean and Western Europe
• Sailing 21 ex-UK cruises from March 2011 to October 2011 and 11 Caribbean fly cruises from October 2011 to March 2012
• Cruises range from a two-night party cruise to a 17 night Central Mediterranean cruise
• Overnight call in Venice
P&O Cruises’ managing director Carol Marlow said: “This is our biggest ever programme launch, with 156 cruise holidays to 270 destinations in 90 countries. More people will spend more time with us next year than ever before.
“The introduction of Mediterranean fly-cruising is an exciting step forward for P&O Cruises, and one that we know will make many of our existing passengers very happy. We listen to our customers and always try to give them what they want.
“At the same time, we hope this will attract new customers who have previously chosen a holiday in a Mediterranean resort.”
She added: “Our recent research shows us that our passengers particularly love the way we tailor everything to their British needs; the way we actually celebrate being on a ship, with the officers and crew making this a real nautical experience, as only we can due to our long heritage.
“They also love the way that a cruise with us is a special occasion that they will remember for a long time to come.
“And of course, this is the ‘P&Oness’ that they will experience whichever of our fleet of seven modern and stylish ships they travel on – from small and elegant, Adonia, exclusively for adults, to vast, fun and family friendly superliner Ventura.”
Cunard Line will be offering a greater range of destinations and itineraries in 2011-12 thanks to the addition of new ship Queen Elizabeth to the fleet.
With the addition of Queen Elizabeth to the fleet later this year, Cunard returns to a three-ship fleet following the retirement of the QE2.
The new ship will run 22 voyages from five to 24 nights from Southampton with prices starting at £499 per person.
Five short five-night voyages are aimed at first timer cruisers while other itineraries cover the Norwegian fjords, the Baltic, British Isles, the Mediterranean, US/Canada and the Caribbean.
There are a total of 52 maiden calls in the ship’s first season and Queen Elizabeth stay overnight in St Petersburg, Amsterdam, Venice, New York and Quebec.
A 23-night Caribbean sailing from Southampton in December next year will take in six ports including Barbados, St Lucia, St Kitts and St Maarten.
A 19-night Eastern Mediterranean voyage in October will take in Cairo, Cyprus, Jerusalem and Haifa in Israel.
Queen Elizabeth will embark on a maiden circumnavigation of the UK on September 2 calling at cities such as Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Cork in Ireland and Queen Mary 2 will commence its second round Britain voyage on September 12.
Queen Elizabeth will pass the baton to Queen Mary 2 when both ships are in Southampton on September 12.
Queen Victoria will “trailblaze” new destinations next year, such as port-intensive Mediterranean fly-cruises, a voyage from Venice to Fort Lauderdale and a Christmas cruise to Hawaii, according to Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks
Queen Victoria will run eight fly-cruises in the Mediterranean in addition to summer departures from Southampton between April and August 2011.
In total, Cunard will offer 46 different itineraries from Southampton in 2011 to the Mediterranean, the Baltic, Norway, Around Britain, the Americas and the Caribbean.
Passengers will have more time on board flagship Queen Mary 2 on transatlantic crossings next year.
Seven-night voyages introduced this year in addition to six-nights crossing the Atlantic have proved so popular that all but one of the 21 transatlantic voyages between Southampton and New York in 2011 will be for seven nights.
Details and pricing of Cunard world voyages, including QM2’s first round-Australia cruise are due to be released in June.
Mr Shanks said: “Three new ocean liners in just six years proves the demand for the Cunard brand from guests looking for the best in luxury cruising and the ability to experience a unique sense of heritage, history and tradition.
“With the anticipation and arrival of Queen Elizabeth, and our biggest ever offering for the UK market for many years, our growth in 2011 is assured - as it is for our valued travel agent partners.
“With three liners in the fleet we can now offer our travel agent partners a choice of all the best destinations.”
Mr Shanks described pricing for 2011 cruises as being “broadly similar” to this year.
Cruises go on sale from April 26.
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