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Cruise & Travel Blog

Six Things We’re Obsessed With On Norwegian Bliss

23 April 2018
Wyland artwork on the hull of Norwegian Bliss

We were lucky enough to spend two nights on Norwegian Bliss as it sailed from Bremerhaven to Southampton. She’s the biggest ship Norwegian Cruise Line has ever built and it only took a couple of hours to realise that Norwegian Bliss is going to be the perfect ship for family cruises to Alaska, something that had shot straight to the top of our bucket list by the time we had disembarked in Southampton on Sunday. The Mad Milk Shakes in Coco’s It was the huge stein glasses we spotted first, dripping in white chocolate, studded with rainbow sprinkles and gummy bears. Little did we know that they were just the beginning of a mammoth Mad Milk Shake that would satisfy the world’s sweetest tooth. We’re talking dark chocolate gelato, Oreo cookies, crushed M&M’s, caramel butterscotch, whipped cream and gummy bears,...
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Six Ways To Be A More Conscious Cruiser

18 April 2018
Cruise Ship at sea

Eco-friendly, ethical, conscious, sustainable; call it what you will, but the way we holiday and how it affects the planet has never been such a hot topic. David Attenborough’s Blue Planet turned the spotlight onto a subject that has never needed our attention more than it does right now. The stats are stacking up and the environment needs our help. Here’s how you can do your bit to become a more conscious cruiser, wherever in the world your next holiday takes you. Shun the straws There may not be much to it but this slender slither of plastic is wreaking havoc in our oceans. While straws make up a tiny proportion of all ocean plastic pollution, their small size means they’re far more dangerous to marine life. A viral video of a straw being removed from the nose of a...
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Destination Focus: Norwegian Fjords

16 April 2018
View of Sunnylvsfjorden fjord, Norwegain Fjords

It has been argued that the only way to truly witness and appreciate the Norwegian Fjords scenery is to sail through them and who are we to disagree? A cruise to the Norwegian Fjords is a special experience. Set sail and discover a world of glass-like fjords in the most incredible surroundings you can imagine. This is scenic cruising at its best. Not only are Norwegian Fjords destinations fantastic, you can also enjoy the convenience of sailing straight from Southampton as well as several other UK ports. Cruising from the UK could not be simpler, with minimal luggage restrictions and none of the airport hassle such as security queues with the kids and waiting with baited breath for your cases to arrive the carousel. Upon departing the UK, it is just a short trip into the heart of the Norwegian Fjords...
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These Cruise Lines Offer The A-List Holiday Experience Minus The Millions

13 April 2018
Luxury cruise holiday, holiday like an a-list

They live a life of luxury and things only go up a notch when they head off on holiday, entourage in tow and no expense spared. Let’s be honest; who wouldn’t love to holiday like the A-list? Private jets, exclusive resorts and private chauffeurs…wait a second; you can get all of that with these cruise lines! IF YOU WANT TO…FLY LIKE THE A-LIST YOU SHOULD CRUISE WITH…CELEBRITY CRUISES When it comes to A-listers at the airport, you won’t catch them passing the time in Frankie & Benny’s and grabbing a magazine in WH Smiths before the flight. With their private jets on standby, the celebs are whisked straight to private terminals, hanging around just long enough to grab a glass of bubbly and a croissant before making themselves comfortable on board. Recreate the A-list airport experience with Celebrity Cruises Jet...
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Kids On Board

10 April 2018
Kids On Board - family picture in the caribbean, P&O cruise, P&O Cruises family Caribbean cruise

Family holidays are a great way to escape the busy lives we all lead and enjoying quality time with our children and together as a couple is more important than ever. Daniel Greening took his family on their first cruise holiday aboard P&O Cruises’ Azura for a 14-night Transatlantic adventure to the Caribbean. As you know, if you have ever had kids, holidays are regimentally planned out, the cases packed 90% for the kids with a small space next to the shoes for mum and dad. Normally the departing airport would be chaos; looking at screens and keeping the kids next to you is almost impossible. However, because we were departing from Southampton we had a complimentary coach to pick us up from Manchester Airport and take us down to the port. When we arrived at the airport, the P&O...
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In The Wake Of Giants

30 March 2018

2,500 nautical miles and 34 ports of call. Over 100 fjords and 1000 mountains. For 125 years. This is the Hurtigruten way. Lonely Planet describes Hurtigruten’s Norwegian Coastal Roundtrip as ‘the world’s most beautiful voyage’ but it hasn’t always been this way. Way back in 1893, the coastline from Bergen to Kirkenes was a popular shipping route, its waters plied by everything from steamers to sailboats. The scenery was stunning but the service was slow. Unreliable and infrequent too, with a lack of lighthouses meaning ships rarely sailed at night, the arduous experience was a million miles away from Norwegian coastal cruising as we now know it. Enter Captain Richard With and his steamer, the DS Vesteraalen. After winning a government tender to improve the route, Captain With established the first regular sea link and shipping service between northern and...
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Things To See and Do In Monaco

26 March 2018
Casino, Monte Carlo, Monaco

In terms of terrain, there is little to this petite principality nestled into the Côte d’Azur, but Monaco is the high-end haven that doesn’t do a thing by halves. The diamonds shine brighter, the stakes are higher and the yachts are bigger. Things are different here and that’s just the way we like it. There is something surreal about arriving into Monaco for the first time. Within 15 minutes, you notice two things. Firstly, there is clean and there is Monaco clean. Paintbrushes work double-time to touch up pristine white walls everywhere and, one expects, every week. Chauffeurs polish Bentleys in the street and drooping leaves are discreetly extracted from the seafront shrubbery before they can be spotted. The entire country – the second-smallest in the world – is engineered to appeal in the same way as the world’s most...
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Favourite Four Really Unique River Cruises

21 March 2018

Oriental, historic, into the wild, or for solo travellers only; sail the world’s great waterways on a river cruise with a difference. PHARAOHS & PYRAMIDS Cruise like Cleopatra on the mighty Nile, following in the footsteps of the pharaohs to uncover the secrets of Egypt past and present. Viking’s Egyptologists guide this 12-day cruise tour through the heart of the country, exploring ancient desert sands, millennia-old temples and magnificent pyramids. The Nile is Egypt’s lifeline, great cities including Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Alexandria all located on its palm-lined banks. Beyond the modern cities and ancient monuments, a cruise along the river also introduces you to the friendly people of Egypt, with much of the country’s vast population still living their lives beside the waters that slice through the land. The tales of Viking’s Egypt experts will chart a course from...
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7 Experiences You Could Have On A Cruise To Alaska

15 March 2018
Glacier Bay in Mountains, Alaska, United States

If you have been tuning into ITV’s The Cruise: Voyage to Alaska in recent weeks you’ve probably already put Alaska on your bucket list. If you haven’t, our run down of the amazing experiences you could have on a cruise to Alaska should do the job. WILDLIFE WATCHING Let’s start with the bears. They’re everywhere, ambling through pine glades and scooping salmon from rushing rivers and streams with gargantuan paws during the salmon rush each June/July. Coming across bears in Alaska is a common occurrence and for those who love the thrill of the chase, bear hunts in the Spasski River Valley will see you scout them out with the safety of a guide by your side. Alaska has the whales too; 40-ton humpbacks feed here in their thousands during the summer months, along with orcas and beluga whales. Look up...
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An Exclusive Interview With Kelly Hoppen Mbe

12 March 2018
Kelly Hoppen Mbe, Celebrity Edge

The latest news regarding Celebrity Edge and its culinary offering has us salivating for the arrival of the new Celebrity Cruises ship that is set to change the way we holiday. With just a matter of months to go before its launch, we caught up with the ship’s interior designer, Kelly Hoppen MBE, for an exclusive interview about how the design is progressing and whether she has encountered any stumbling blocks in the creation of her first ever cruise ship interiors. With less than a year to go until the launch of Celebrity Edge, how is the interior design process progressing?  Quickly! It is evolving every day. We have spent nearly two years designing this ship and we are so excited for it to launch in December as we near the final stages before install. I am so excited to...
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