The best cruise holiday deals

The Dawn Princess will visit South America, New York, Rome, Singapore and Athens on its 104-night world tour. Picture: Timothy Clapin Source: News Limited

TAKE a 24-night voyage from Barcelona with its Gothic Quarter, vibrant La Ramblas and extraordinary Gaudi buildings, to the Adriatic jewel of Venice with its canals, gondolas and St Mark's Square. The holiday includes return flights from Sydney on Singapore Airlines with departures from April to October. The 26-night Magic of the Mediterranean cruise on Holland America Line's Nieuw Amsterdam has port stops at Marseilles in France; Monte Carlo in Monaco; Venice, Naples, Civitavecchia (for Rome) and Livorno in Italy; Dubrovnik in Croatia; Kotor in Montenegro; Katakolon, Lesbos, Thira, Argostoli, Kerkira, Corfu and Piraeus in Greece; and Istanbul and Kusadasi in Turkey. The package is priced from $5999 a person, twin share.

Ph 1300 854 897 or see holidaysofaustralia.com.au

Royal connections

PRINCESS Cruises will have a record presence in Queensland next year with a host of new cruises. Roundtrip cruises from Brisbane range from seven to 104 nights. These include a 35-night Australia and New Zealand cruise on Dawn Princess sailing April 15, priced from $4499 a person, twin share; a 41-night Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific cruise on Sea Princess departing April 7, from $5799 a person, twin share; and a 104-night world cruise on Dawn Princess departing May 20, from $18,999 a person, twin share. It will visit ports in South America as well as New York, Rome, Singapore and Athens. Shorter cruises include an 11-night Fijian Jewels itinerary sailing January 22 on Sea Princess, from $1099 a person, twin share, with calls at New Caledonia, Fiji and Vila.

Ph 132 488 or see princess.com

Treasure hunting

CRUISE Express will host a new 21-day Treasures of Northern Europe and Russia cruise in May next, 2014, year aboard Celebrity Eclipse to England, Germany, Scandinavia, the palaces of St Petersburg in Russia and France. Departing Australia on May 22 , 2014, next year, spend a night in an English country manor just outside London then board the 2800-passenger Eclipse in Southampton for a 14-night voyage through the Baltic to Copenhagen, Stockholm and Helsinki with an overnight stay in St Petersburg. The tour calls at Berlin and Paris before guests return to England for three nights in London. With return flights from Australia, the 14-night cruise and four nights' hotel accommodation in England is available from $6490 a person, twin-share.

Ph 1300 764 509 or see cruiseexpress.com.au

Luxury trip around

SAMPLE the famous Cunard service on a trip aboard the Queen Mary 2 when she circumnavigates Australia next February. Sectors are available such as a 15-night cruise from Sydney to Fremantle, departing February 19, priced from $3719 a person, twin share. The full trip calls at Brisbane, Whitsundays, Darwin, Bali, Fremantle, Adelaide and Melbourne and is priced from $5699 a person, twin share, departing Sydney on February 19.

Ph 132 441 or see cunard.com

Fly, cruise and stay

CRUISECO'S new fly, cruise and stay holidays aboard the premium ships of Holland America Line have 15 departures between April and October next year. These 14 to 30- night holidays include return airfares and pre and/or post cruise accommodation. Prices start from $4699 a person, twin share, for an 18-night Rome return package aboard Eurodam departing April 13 to ports in Greece, Turkey, Tunisia and Italy, plus a two night pre-cruise stay at the Empire Palace Hotel Rome. A 14-night Jewels of the Baltic holiday departing London is priced from $5299 a person, twin share, aboard Ryndam, including a two-night pre-cruise stay at the Waldorf Hilton. It departs on May 17 and calls at Copenhagen, Warnemunde (Berlin), Tallinn, St Petersburg for an overnight on board, Helsinki, Stockholm and Aarhus in Denmark. An Adriatic and Ancient Explorer Collectors voyage is a 26-day cruise from Istanbul to Rome aboard Noordam departing on July 12 next year and is priced from $6615 a person, twin share. The package includes two nights pre-cruise stay at the Hilton Istanbul and two nights post-cruise stay at the Empire Palace Hotel in Rome.

See cruising.com.au

Asian adventure

A 32-night cruise on board P&O's Arcadia from Sydney to Singapore plus three nights' accommodation in Singapore, a zoo tour and flight back to Australia departing on February 21, 2015, is available from $6899 (Perth) $7169 (Adelaide and Melbourne), or $7179 (Brisbane and Sydney) a person twin share. Port calls include Kota Kinabalu, Manila, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City, Laem Chabang and Sihanoukville. Offer is valid to December 31 this year.

Ph 132 757 or see harveyworld.com.au

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Princess Cruises announces benefit cruise to support American Heart Association

Princess Cruises is celebrating CPR awareness during the month of June by announcing a special cruise to benefit the American Heart Association (AHA). Expected to raise $1 million for the Association’s heart health programs and educational outreach, the cruise is the second in Princess’ new “Cruising for a Cause” series that devotes an entire sailing to support a charitable cause.

Sailing from February 10-15, 2014, aboard Ruby Princess on a Caribbean cruise from Ft. Lauderdale, the five-day voyage will offer passengers a heart-themed experience, focused not only on “affairs of the heart,” but also a variety of onboard features themed around heart health awareness – including special guest speakers, educational activities and other programs to foster healthy living.

A portion of each passenger’s cruise fare, totaling approximately $500,000, will be matched by Princess Cruises with an additional $500,000, for a total of $1 million. The proceeds will be used to support the American Heart Association’s mission to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke.

“Heart disease is the leading cause of death in men and women in the United States, with one in every three deaths attributable to heart disease and stroke,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “Because we care about the health and well-being of our employees, passengers, and all members of the Princess family, we felt the American Heart Association would be the perfect fit for our second charity cruise.”

The American Heart Association cruise will sail on a Western Caribbean itinerary roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale, with calls at Grand Cayman and Cozumel.
Cruise fares range from $599 to $1,649 per person based on double occupancy. A tax-deductible portion of each fare ranging from $100 to $300 per person, depending upon cabin category, will be donated to the American Heart Association.

The cruise is the second of the company’s new “Cruising for a Cause” initiative where Princess will dedicate entire sailings to support select charitable causes. This new, industry-leading program will provide the line’s passengers, many of whom are looking for opportunities to make positive contributions to their communities and the world, a way to make a difference even as they vacation. The first cruise, to support U.S. veterans, will sail November 5-9, 2013, aboard Caribbean Princess.

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