A Winter Escape Cruise
Setting sail on a long distance winter escape cruise is a popular winter holiday choice, especially in northern hemisphere. Discover the types of cruises you can do, the warm continents you can visit and the ships you can sail on!
Dodging The Big Freeze
The latest news in in. At least for the British Isles. Last week we were promised that the ‘beast of the East’ is to return for January and February 2020. This phrase was coined by meteorologists in early 2018 when high pressure in Scandinavia resulted in a polar air mass over the United Kingdom. As a result, the UK experienced one of the coldest winter spells on record. Although one of the hottest summers on record was also to follow.
Planning your Warm weather Cruise
Whether or not these wintery weather predictions are correct, these Autumn mornings are starting to feel cooler. There’s no better time to start making plans for a winter escape cruise to far-off warmer and sunnier climes. Even if your funds are short and you can’t see yourself getting the time off work, there is no harm in fantasising! Find out here which long distance winter cruise routes and beautiful destinations are possible.
Cruise Companies and Agents Offering Long Distance Cruises
P&O, Cunard, Fred Olsen, Virgin are amongst the major cruise line companies offering long-haul cruises this winter. Although you don’t have to book directly with these companies. You can use a cruise specialist booking agent. Agents such as cruise118.com (UK) and rolcruise.com (USA) are useful middle men to book through. Cruise.co.uk is another UK agent offering a good variety of winter escape cruises on behalf of the major cruise lines.
A Caribbean and Pacific island Cruise
How about a 99 night cruise taking in the Caribbean and South Pacific islands plus Australia. Set sail from Southampton on 3rd January 2020 with P&O on the Arcadia cruise ship. Or there’s the option to fly cruise if you don’t want to spend so long at sea on your outward voyage.
Sail back to Southampton transiting the middle East via the Suez Canal reaching Egypt, Malta, Portugal. These are the final stops before docking back in the British Isles.
Cruise Attractions and Stop-offs
Included in the cruise itinerary is the full transit of the Panama canal. This canal passage takes you to Hawaii including a stop off at it’s sheltered port of Honolulu. Cruise onward into the American natural harbour of Pago Pago.
Stop off at the port of Shanghai at the mouth of the Yangtze river. Discover this densely populated urban area of China. Sail through the South China Sea Cross the maritime borders between Singapore and Malaysia. Then visit Sri Lanka’s port and capital city Colombo. And these are just a few of this cruises’ attractions!
Cost of Cruise
A winter escape cruise of this duration and calibre will set you back between £10,000 and £32,000. Final cost depends on room-type, drinks package and excursions, extra on-board activities. Food is included and you are not expected to do the usual on-board staff tipping. All of that is taken care of in the pre-costing of this cruse.
Indian Island winter Cruise
Or check this out for a winter escape cruise! A 78 night voyage through the pacific ocean and Egypt. Cruise and Maritime voyages is the company offering this trip; the ship sailing is the MS Marco Polo. This cruise departs Bristol Avonmouth on the 6th January 2020 and returns there on Tuesday 24th March 2020. Which should just about see the back of the Great British winter!
Cruise Attractions and Stop-offs
On your outward journey, you’ll stop off at both Portugal’s capital Lisbon and Casablanca in Morocco. You’ll sail around the volcanic Cape Verde islands which sit to the south of the canary islands in the Atlantic ocean. Visit the bird-watcher’s haven of Walvis Bay Namibia before moving on to Cape town South Africa.
India and Indian Ocean
Once you arrive in the Indian Ocean, how does Mauritius, the Seychelles and Maldives grab you? There are stop-offs at all of these. Then it’s on to Sri Lanka and Goa before sailing back through the Middle East. You call also at both Malta and Gibraltar on the way back to Southampton.
Cost of Cruise and How to Book
Expect to pay between £6000 and £17,000 for a winter escape cruise of this nature. The cost variation is based on cabin choices. If you are interested, Rolcruises, is one cruise agent offering this holiday. Quote cruise code 1359144 and the voyage code P005 when you contact them. Rolcruises offer automatic Abta protection for sea-based cruises and Atol and Abta protection for fly-cruises that you book through them.
Winter cruise to the other side of the world
A different winter escape cruise also available with Cruise and Maritime voyages takes place the Columbus cruise-liner. Sail out to the Atlantic ocean stopping in the Azores islands. These consist of nine different volcanic islands to the west of Lisbon, Portugal.
Then it’s on via the Panama canal which is your transition towards the other side of the world! Stops on the way include the French Polynesian island of Bora Bora, New Zealand, Singapore and Tokyo. This extensive cruise takes in five of the seven continents. Return stop-off ports include Piraeus, Athens.
The Longest Cruise in History
Imagine this. Eight months at sea, visiting 59 countries, calling at 113 ports and literally circumnavigating the world. That is exactly what the Viking Sun Ship is doing right now. It is the longest cruise route in history and set sail on August 31st 2019. 480,000 tons of vessel departed Greenwich with 930 guests on board (full capacity) and returns there on 2nd May 2020. A 245 day cruise omitting just one continent: Antarctica. But who wants to go there in the winter anyway?!
Highlights of this Winter Cruise Holiday
The focal point of this winter escape cruise is Los Angeles and South America. Viking Sun ship sails round South America’s entire coastline and then upwards through the South Atlantic towards North Africa. All 465 stateroom cabins have verandas and the ship’s public areas are tastefully decorated.
The Thinking Person’s cruise
The director of Viking Cruises refers to the cruises they offer as ‘ a cruise for the thinking person’. Historians and guest speakers are on board to give talks as part of the entertainment package. Customers can therefore find out the answers to any questions they have about ports and countries on the stop-off agenda. There is also an extensive library on board and cooking lessons on offer.
Cost of eight months at sea
Now make sure you are sitting down. The cost of this cruise is a cool £93,000. Thankfully this is an all inclusive package so there are no extras to pay for food, except at your stop-offs. Drinks are included in the cost too-but only house brands. If you want to drink high-end wines and spirits you will incur an add-on fee. Same applies for cabin upgrades.
The award winning Viking Cruise Line
‘Viking ocean cruises’ brand was launched fairly recently in 2015. It has been voted the world’s best cruise line in the travel and leisure awards every year since. Their cruise routes, cruise vessels and rooms and on-board entertainment are a favourite with holiday makers.
Viking Website
Find out more about Viking and future round the world cruises with them. If you are not keen to spend eight months at sea, there are options of shortening your time at sea on the same cruise.
Summery
The thought of a winter escape cruise is very tempting. But of course you have to make sure you are comfortable with the full cruise itinerary before setting sail. Especially in the case of the last cruise mentioned when you are spending so long at sea. Check out facts about hurricane seasons for any of the areas you will be visiting. And of course you have to factor in spending money for all the exotic stop-off ports and destinations you will be visiting!
HAPPY CRUISING! See you next time.
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