This Weeks Great Deals from ecruising.travel

Hi Cruisers,

Happy New Year to you all, with the world not ending on the 21st of December, it leaves this year for us all to enjoy the world as it is and enjoy more cruise holidays! The stock market and dollar has soared with the news that US Congress finally made some sort of decision, you have to question democracy these days, I mean it was great once but now no one seems to be able to make a decision, seems the only countries making head way are the ones without this way of government.

The up shot of it all is for 2013, hopefully most of you can make more money on the stock market and take more cruises and at a cheaper price as it seems the dollar is not going anywhere below parity at the moment.

As Lynden indicated, we cruised 3 nights on Solstice and have to say, we loved it. Solstice was just voted best Premium ship in the world and it’s easy to see why. For me, the Solstice class ships are far the best large ships afloat, they are amazing. They are well designed with lots of small bars and restaurants, the ship was 100% full when it departed Sydney and you would never have known there were 3000 people on board, it really is well designed in that respect. The main dining room has to be the best looking I’ve ever seen, very well designed, modern and contemporary.

On Solstice, there are four alternate restaurants, Blu which is exclusively for Aqua Class guests, Tuscan Grill, Silk Harvest and my favourite, Murano. There is a surcharge for Tuscan, Silk and Murano but it’s well worth it, they are as good as any restaurant you would experience on land and well worth the extra, hey you’re on holidays, why not treat yourself! Even the buffet food is great, again the best I’ve experienced on a ship and remember, we were paying passengers so I’m telling it as it was.

The cabins are a good size and the showers, a great size. The gym and spa are fantastic with plenty of equipment to work off the extra food you consume. There’s a Persian Garden with hot beds to relax on, steam and relaxation room, if you’re in Aqua Class, this is complimentary, you even have your own staircase to access the spa! Oh then there is the lawn club which was nice to sit, enjoy a drink and watch the world go by. I could go on and on about the ship because we really loved it, for the current pricing which is amazing value, if you have the time I’d jump on board before they put the pricing up to what it should be. Yes I did take some great photos, but they are on my iphone that is/was in the pool on Solstice, but that’s another story!

If you have more than a few nights, then here is a 47 night package on Solstice called “Grass Skirts and Grizzly Bears” from an amazing $7,139.00, that’s $151.00 a day including just about everything! Depart Sydney on the 8th of April bound for Seattle. Along the way you’ll visit Noumea, Papeete, Moorea, Bora Bora then a comprehensive cruise around Hawaiian Islands with visits to Maui, Oahu, Mount Kilauea, Hilo and Kailua Kona. You then head to Ensenada, great place to pick up cheap rugs, cigars or just about anything you can imagine. You then head to San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, San Francisco, Astoria and Victoria before arriving into Seattle where we’ll transfer you to the Fairmont hotel for a 2 night stay giving you plenty of time to explore this great city.

You then re board Solstice for an Alaskan cruise visiting Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway, Victoria and cruising the inside passage before another night at the Fairmont in Seattle. The package includes the above, all transfers and a one way airfare home, this package ticks a lot of destination boxes, all from the comfort of your 5 star ship! Just to entice you a little more, if you buy an ocean view cabin for $7,899.00 before 31 Jan, we’ll give you a FREE upgrade to a Veranda! This upgrade is capacity controlled so it’s first in first served! Click here for details.

Here’s a great 55+ special for the golfer. Departing 7 April 2013, You’ll spend 4 nights at the famous Arnold Palmer’s Bay Hill Club & Lodge in Orlando, if you’ve been reading our newsletters for some time, you’ll know back in 2009 I visited Bay Hill Golf club for the day and was lucky enough to play a round of 18 holes. If your a golfer, then Bay Hill is golfers heaven! The accommodation is adjoined to the club house, it’s basic but having exclusive access to the club house and facilities as an in house guest is amazing. The club is only 5 minutes from down town Orlando , handy for shopping and restaurants but the food at the club is fantastic and cheap! After your stay at Bay Hill we’ll transfer you to Cape Canaveral to join Royal Caribbean’s Freedom of the Seas for a 7 night Caribbean cruise visiting Cococay in the Bahamas, Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas & Philipsburg on St. Maarten. After returning to Orlando, you’ll be flying to Las Vegas for a 3 night stopover on your way home at the LVH hotel. We’ve included return flights with Qantas, transfers and we’ve even thrown in a round of golf with green fees and a bag of practice balls! Priced from only $3,999.00 for an inside or $4,439.00 for a balcony! Click here for details

Have you got a spare 3 weeks at the start of next month? Why not join the majestic Queen Elizabeth on the 4th of February from Los Angeles to Auckland. Begin your holiday with 3 nights at the Hyatt Regency Huntington Beach before joining QE for a 15 night voyage. You’ll visit Honolulu, Pago Pago & Apia with plenty of time at sea to enjoy this stately ship. Disembarking in Auckland, you’ll spend 2 nights at the Stamford Plaza before flying home. Amazing last minute value from just $3,419.00 for an Inside, $3,629.00 for an Oceanview or $5,559.00 for a Princess Suite! Click here for details

Discover the best of both worlds with this 40 night package on board Brilliance of the Seas. Sailing from the English port of Harwich 19 August 2013, begin your adventure with 3 nights at St Ermins hotel. Your first stop is Copenhagen followed by Stockholm & Helsinki. You’ll then spend 2 full days in St. Petersburg before calling in at Tallinn in Estonia & Gothenburg in Sweden and then back to Harwich for a another day.

You’ll then cruise across the Channel to Le Havre, the port gateway to Paris. The Isle of Portland in picturesque Dorset is next followed by Cork and Dublin in Ireland. You’ll then head to Klaksvik in the Faroe Islands before spending 2 full day in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland. After spending several relaxing days at sea, you’ll discover that we’ve made it all the way to Boston, Massachusetts!

Stay on board because your cruise is continuing on to New England, postcard-perfect at this time of year. You’ll visit Portland & Bar Harbour in Maine, Saint John in New Brunswick and Halifax in Nova Scotia before finally disembarking back in Boston. You’ll then have 3 nights at the Hilton Back Bay before your flight home. What a great itinerary! Insides from $8,499.00 or go for a balcony from $10,059.00! Click here for details

Celebrity Summit is spending the northern winter in the sunny climes of Puerto Rico at the moment and we’ve got a great last-minute deal for you! Departing various dates between now and mid April from San Juan, this 9 night package includes 2 nights at the Hotel El Convento, the number one ranked hotel in San Juan as well as a 7 night cruise. Given that Puerto Rico is already in the Caribbean, you’ll spend less time at sea and more time exploring the exotic surroundings. You’ll visit St Croix in the the US Virgin Islands, Basseterre on St. Kitts, Roseau in Dominica, St. George’s on Grenada and Charlotte Amalie on St. Thomas. We’ve also included flights with Qantas via Dallas to get you there and back. Starts at just $2,659.00! Click here for details

Last Minute P&O Specials!

– 11 night Pacific Dawn 12 Feb South Pacific $699.00 Inside Twin $749.00 Outside Twin
– 7 night Pacific Pearl 7 Feb South Pacific $499.00 Inside Twin $499.00 Outside Twin
– 14 night Pacific Pearl 14 Feb South Pacific $699.00 Outside Quad $899.00 Inside Twin $899.00 Outside Twin
– 11 night Pacific Jewel 18 Feb South Pacific $499.00 Inside Quad $549.00 Outside Quad $649.00 Inside Twin $699.00 Outside Twin

Brett & the ecruising team
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