Book Regent Now to Beat April 1st Fare Increase

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has announced that it is raising rates effective April 1, 2010, on its 2010 Europe itineraries.  Currently, Regent is offering up to $1,000 off already 2-for-1 fares for a number of Mediterranean cruises aboard the Seven Seas Mariner.  On top of the savings rates, Regent also is offering free roundtrip airfare, free unlimited shore excursions, and free business class airfare for guests who book a Penthouse Suite or above.  Penthouse Suites or above also come complete with  dedicated Butler Service.  Guests below the Penthouse Suite can upgrade to Business Class air for a low promotional rate of $999 each way.

Consider the following cruises (Note:  all rates include airfare from select gateway cities, all taxes and port charges, gratuities, and complimentary beverages):

• July 10-21, 2010, Rome to Venice (11 Nights), visiting Sorrento, Amalfi/Positano, Taormina, Olympia, Corfu, Kotor & Dubrovnik, Korcula, and Koper.  Click here for details.
• July 21-31, 2010, Venice to Barcelona (10 Nights), visiting Dubrovnik, Corfu, Sarande, Olympia, Taormina, Sorrento, Rome/Civitavecchia, Livorno, and Marseille.  Click here for details.
• July 31-August 7, 2010, Barcelona to Rome (7 Nights), visiting Palma de Mallorca, Mahon, St. Tropez, Monte Carlo, Portofino, and Livorno.  Click here for details.
• August 7-19, 2010, Rome to Venice (12 Nights), visiting Sardinia, Sorrento, Trapani, La Goulette, Valletta, Santorini, Olympia, Corfu, and Durbrovnik.  Click here for details.
• August 19-26, 2010, Venice to Athens (7 Nights), visiting Split, Kotor, Corfu, Sarande, Olympia, and Santorini.  Click here for details.
• August 26-September 5, 2010, Athens to Istanbul (10 Nights), visiting Kusadasi, Sevastopol, Sochi, Yalta, Odessa, Constanta/Bucharest, and Nessebur.  Click here for details.
• September 5-15, 2010, Istanbul to Athens (10 Nights), visiting Mykonos, Santorini, Kusadasi/Ephesus, Rhodes, Limassol, Haifa, and Asdod (overnight).  Click here for details.

Some things to know about Regent:

• All rooms are spacious suites with balconies.  Minimum square feet is 252, with an additional 49 square foot balcony.
• Dining is open seating in one of four onboard dining venues.  They include Prime 7, offering contemporary interpretations of classic American steakhouse fare; Signatures, serving French cuisine inspired by Le Cordon Bleu; Compass Rose, Regent's flagship restaurant serving up continental speciatlies; and La Veranda, serving elegant buffets.
• All gratuities, soft drinks, and most alcoholic beversages are complimentary onboard.
• Dress is elegant casual; there are no formal nights.
• Ships are mid-size, catering to a maximum of just 700 guests, making for a more intimate, relaxes experience.

Silversea Announces Extraordinary Savings on Select Cruises.

Today, we received word from Silversea Cruises about select 2010 voyages that we can offer at huge savings rates.  Silversea is a trul luxury line, sailing smaller ships rich with luxurious appointments and amenities.  All gratuities, non-alcoholic, and most alcoholic beverages are included, and many promotional rates include roundtrip airfare from major North American gateways.  Here are just a few examples:

• Silversea Cruises Below $3,000 per person (including alcoholic beverages and gratuities):
• April 21-28, 2010, San Juan to Fort Lauderdale, visiting St. Barts, Antigua, Tortola, and Turks and Caicos, $2,758, including airfare! (compared to brochure rate of $6,895).
• December 21-28, 2010, Barbados roundtrip, visiting Dominca, St. Barts, Tortola, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, from $2,798 (compared to brochure rate of $6,995)
• Silversea Cruises Below $4,000 per person (including airfare and gratuities):
• June 17-24, 2010, Stockholm roundtrip, visiting Szczecin (Poland), Ronne (Denmark), Gdynia (Poland), Riga (Latvia), and Mariehamn (Finland), from $3,638, including airfare! (compared to $9,095 brochure rate).
• July 16-23, 2010, Copenhagen roundtrip, transiting the Kiel Canal and visiting Hamburg (Germany), Kristiansand, Oslo (Norway), and Skagen (Denmark), from $3,638, including airfare! (compared to $9,095 brochure rate).
• July 18-24, 2010, Rome to Barcelona, visiting Porto Vecchio (Corsica), Portoferraio (Italy), Livorno (Italy, overnight), Cannes (France), and St. Tropez (France), from $3,758, including airfare! (compared to $9,395 brochure rate).
• July 25-August 1, 2010, Barcelona to Lisbon, visiting Formentera (Balearic Islands), Valencia (Spain), Cartagena (Spain), Malaga (Spain), and ending with an overnight in Lisbon, from $3,758, including airfare! (compared to $9,395 brochure rate).

All of these rates are for at least ocean view suites, boasting tremendous square footage and luxurious appointments.  There are a number of other departures at similar savings.  Should you like to experience these departures, we can also secure for you some additional amenities.  At these rates, factoring in the included gratuities, soft drinks, wine and other alcoholic beverages, and airfare, cruisers can experience Silversea Cruises at an overall cost that rivals some of the mass market and premium lines.  Visit our website at http://www.LuxuryCruiseCounselors.com, or give us a call toll free at (866) 368-7327.

Portofino, Italy: A Western Mediterranean Port.

Portofino is another stunning port along the Amalfi Coast of Italy. It marked Day 5 of the Pearmund Cellars wine cruise.

As you sail into port, you will be struck by the picturesque harbor that anchors this small town. The quaint setting, with boats of all sizes, serves as a backdrop as you sail close to shore. Tendering into shore is essential here; there is no port to handle any size cruise ship, not even the mid-sized 30,000 ton Oceania Nautica.

Outdoor cafes and restaurants line the horse-shoe harbor. Dining here is definitely for the view and the experience, but be prepared. The cost for a modest lunch can be substantial. We chose instead a small bakery on one of the few side streets for a reasonably-priced slice of focaccia bread followed by gelato at an ice-cream stand.

Portofino requires mobility. There are numerous paths and walkways, steep at times, that take you to vantage points where the views are amazing. There also are numerous small public beaches you can visit along the way. Here again, the beaches tend to be rocky, not the sandy beaches to which many Americans may be accustomed.

A few of the sites to see during your visit to Portofino include the lighthouse, reachable by walking a trail, portions of which are steep. Located about a 15 minute walk from the harbor, the lighthouse, and the route to it, offer excellent opportunities for photographs and simply taking in Portofino's beauty.

Trails from the opposite end of the harbor lead to the lavish Hotel Splendido. One of Europe's premier resorts, the hotel offers incomparable views, with its least expensive rooms starting at about 552 Euro per night (about $811 per night). If you want a taste of the experience, consider lunching at the hotel, or simply walking through its grand lobby.

Perhaps the best thing to do in Portofino, however, is to simply grab a seat, relax, and soak in the impressive scenery. After all, chances are Portofino's landscape and shear beauty are unlike any place you will have visited, and you should make the most of its tranquility and beauty.

Day 2 of Pearmund Cellars Cruise: Amalfi, Itay

On Day 2 of the Pearmund Cellars Wine Cruise we spent the day in what may be my favorite port of any Mediterranean Cruise: Amalfi, Italy. Most likely it is many people's favorite port, with its picturesque setting of steep seaside cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Salerno dotted with historic and colorful Italian homes, lemon trees, and a plethora of colorful flowers.

Amalfi is a UNESCO World Heritage site. As such, you won't find any new or modern-looking buildings here as new construction is prohibited. This adds to the charm of Amalfi, and restricts its growth. It is within easy driving distance from the major city of Naples, situated approximately 22 miles southeast of the city.

Amalfi is one of the few ports where we had not planned an organized wine-themed shore excursion for the wine cruise, leaving us on our own to explore. I chose an Oceania shore excursion of Ravello. [Hint: if you decide to visit Ravello, skip the shore excursion and take the open-air bus. It costs roughly 3 Euros, saving you perhaps as much as $80 off a cruise-shiop offered excursion]. Ravello is a small town located nearly directly above Amalfi, on a cork-screw type road that goes high above the sea. The views from here are stunning. The center of the town is the Duomo, a church built in 1272. Branching from the Duomo are a couple of side streets in either direction. I recommend walking the town from end-to-end; you'll find amazing views, beautful flowers, orchards of lemon trees, and shops galore.

One of the products for which Ravello is famous is pottery. Although I hand't planned to buy any, I ended up with a 4-piece placesetting -- 4 dinner plates, 4 salad plates, 4 bowls, and a serving dish. Here is pays to shop a bit. I received free shipping with insurance, and the entire placesetting cost 250 Euros (about $360). Given my purchase, I do recommend the shop -- it is Ceramiche De' Arte.

Ravello also is famous for its Chamber Music. Yearly, the town offers Chamber Music performances at the Villa Rufulo. The stage here is amazing: set out over the cliffs, the views are infinite. Guests watching the stage have a clear view beyond to the open sea. A schedule of performance is located here.

After lingering in Ravello, we traveled back down the mountain to explore Amalfi. Here, many cafes and restaurants line the streets. The town is bustling, with shops and activity, with a Duome anchoring the town square. While European prices can be steep, Amalfi is more reasonable than many other ports we visited (especially Portofino), and lunch consisting of pizza and a Caprese Salad ran us about $25. Walking back to the ship, we stopped a while at the beach. The beach was lined with bright orange umbrellas and wall-to-wall people, a pretty festive site.

Amalfi is one of the ports of call that, for me, a day was just not long enough. I know that this is a place where I will return in the future.