I Am Off To Spain

Well it's that time again, I am off to Benidorm in Spain for four nights tonight for a little Easter break away with friends.

Looking at the weather it looks as if it may be warmer here in the UK but never mind.

I will be back in the office on Friday 29th April 2011, just in time to watch the long awaited Royal Wedding, can't wait.

Have a fantastic Easter weekend everybody

Love River Cruising? Love Wine?

You may have noticed that recently we have been focusing more and more on river cruising. Well this is because so many more people who regularly cruise are becoming interested in this fantastic way of seeing many more destinations that are not your normal mass cruise ship ports of call.

And for wine lovers I thought this particular river cruise may be of interest. A once in a lifetime experience I think.

14th October 2011

6 Days/ 5 Nights

£871 Per Person

Meander along the broad sweeps of two of France's most majestic rivers. You will be delighted to be in the company of a Meilleur Sommelier de France, whose credentials are as impressive as his enthusiasm to impart his passion for the intricacies of his chosen profession. Under his careful guidance you will travel from Chalon-sur-Saone, through Beaujolais to Lyon. Call at several vineyards to see how the wines are produced and naturally to sample some of the illustrious finished products.

This cruise includes

• 5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches and 5 Dinners
• All shore excursions
• Services of a VFB tour manager aboard
• Return Eurostar and TGV Transfers

For more details click on this link River Cruising

Cruising The Rivers Of Europe

As river cruising is becoming more and more popular, I thought I would give you all a bit of information about the different rivers you can cruise in Europe.

The River Seine

The Seine is a major river of North Western France and one of its well-known commercial waterways, flowing through the centre of Paris beside such iconic sights as Notre Dame, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower you could not get a more romantic setting.

445km from its mouth, the River Seine is only around 24m above sea level and the average depth is only around 8m in Paris, which also makes it slow flowing and easily navigable.

The River Seine countinues from Paris meandering through the splendid countyside of Normandy to rouen meeting the English Channel between Le Havre and picturesque Honfleur.


The Douro River Valley

The home of port wine, the Douro Valley is spectacular with the hills covered with terraces of vines falling steeply down to the river banks. The Douro River originates in Spain and flows west in the north of Portugal until it reaches the ocean in Porto. What used to be a fast flowing river with rapids and ravines is today a tranquil river tamed by the construction of 8 dams in the last 25 years.

The Douro is particularly beautiful in autumn when the vines take a reddish and golden colour, but also in February-March when the almond blossom gives an added white pinkish tone to the region.

The Rhine, Moselle, Danube and Main

The mighty Rhine is one of Europe’s major arteries. It flows into the North Sea from its beginnings in the Alps, through Switzerland, Germany, France and Holland.
From Amsterdam heading upstream the lower Rhine travels colourful Dutch waterways through rich farmland to Cologne with its Old Town and great Gothic Cathedral.
The Rhine meets the Moselle at Koblenz, continues to the ancient fortress town of Boppard, and passes the famous Lorelei Rock on its way to the wine country town of Rudesheim with its lively Drosselgrasse of restaurants and taverns.

At Mainz the River Main leaves the Rhine which continues south, allowing a tour to romantic Heidelberg, the oldest university town in Germany. The upper Rhine then continues to Strasbourg, a cosmopolitan city on the French-German border with a soaring cathedral and colourful half-timbered buildings, and reaches Basle, Switzerland’s second largest city.

The Moselle is a more intimate river and meanders through woods and vineyards for over 160 miles. From Koblenz on the Rhine the river flows past hills dotted with romantic castles through wine villages such as Cochem, Bernkastel and Piesport to Trier, founded by the Romans 2000 years ago.

From the Rhine you can join the River Main, and via the Main Danube Canal cruise the River Danube to Vienna and Budapest, and on to the Black Sea.

Elegant River Cruises

The river cruise market in the UK is growing massively at the moment and is set to double by 2013, so here at Cruise.co.uk we have been doing our homework on all types and companies that deal with river cruise so that we can give you the best possible advice.

A company that I think offers that little bit extra and would be a once in a lifetime river cruise experience with is Elegant River Cruises owned by Titan Tours.

They are an award-winning river cruise company for the discerning traveller. The river cruises they offer are to

• Douro
• Rhone
• Seine
• Dutch Waterways
• Rhine
• Moselle
• Main
• Danube
• Nile
• Russia

Elegant River Cruises is operated by Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection. One of the worlds most prestigious river cruise operators. They offer a unique holiday experience free of stress and combines the pleasure of discovering a multitude of charms and landmarks with the same exquisite accommodation, award winning hospitality and world class cuisine.

Basically you are sailing along the historic waterways in a 5* boutique luxury hotel. FANTASTIC

The main great thing about river cruising is that the ship can dock right in the heart of a town or city steps away from all the hustle, bustle, charming squares and magnificent cathedrals. Therefore there is never any ques to embark and disembark the ship at ports of call and also there is no motion sickness as the rivers are calm making it a smooth and peaceful cruise for you.

A great reason to book with Elegant River Cruise is because they include free return private chauffeured transfers. So you can start you holiday it style without any worry of getting to the airport.

Your river cruise also includes shore excursions and the option to have a guide to show you the delights of each fascinating city or town, or they provide headsets that can guide you around at your own leisure.

It is the way forward River Cruising seeing the world with a differnce!

We Can Book It All For You

Here at Cruise.co.uk we don't just book your cruise holiday we can arrange all elements of your holiday for you. We provide the whole package so you do not have to go anywhere else !

Cruises
If you want value for money, outstanding service and a huge choice of Cruises  then you're in the right place. With more than 20,000 cruises and real reviews from cruisers. We are fully ABTA & ATOL bonded making every booking fully protected. Cruises from UK and abroad.

We even offer speciality cruises, which are Garden Cruises and Dance Cruises. All arranged by us exclusively for you.

Travel Insurance
I cannot stress how important it is to have full valid travel insurance as if you do not have it and become ill it could cost you thousands. We can arrange your travel insurance for you we use a company called Covermore who are very competitive. If you travel a few times a year we can also provide you with an annual policy.

Excursions
If you find that the cruise line is not quite offering the excursions that you wanted we do have another alternative. The company is called Port Promotions who are the leader in independent shore excursions worldwide. Also they are guaranteed to be cheaper than the cruise line.

Car Parking - Port & Airport
We can book all port and airport parking from off-site parking to on-site and even meet and greet. It could not be easier.

Coach Transfers
We can arrange with your cruise line on your behalf your cruise transfers or if you prefer with National Express. Making your journey stress free.

Hotels
Whether you want a port or airport hotel or a pre or post stay hotel to your cruise holiday we can book basically any hotel in the world you want!! At fantastic rates

Flights
We can arrange any flight with most airlines economy, business & first class. So if you are looking to tailor make your cruise holiday to your own needs don't worry just tell us what you want to do and we can arrange that for you no problem.

Transfers
As in a lot of cases many people like to book their own flights but still would like someone waiting for them at the airport, we can arrange private and public transfers to port and airport if you have booked your holiday separately.
We can also arrange door to door pick up in the UK, start your holiday in style with a private chauffeur.

Visas
We cannot arrange your visa for you however we do point you in the right direction.
It is especially important to check in plenty of time before your holiday as entry visas or permits may be necessary for certain destinations and it is the responsibility of the individual traveller to obtain. To check on any VISAS you may need (and for preferential rates), please click here or call CIBT Visa Service on 0844 800 4650 (Option 2) mentioning Cruise.co.uk. 

Car Hire
Not something we regularly book but if you are tailor making your cruise with a land stay you may want to hire a car and we can arrange that for you.

That is why we are voted Number 1 for cruise in the UK