Destination specialist Voyages of Discovery has launched its Summer 2010 cruise atlas with 20% Early Booking Savings and low-cost air add-ons from 25 North American gateway cities. Guests who book by Feb. 1, 2010, will save an additional 10% with the line’s Launch Offer Savings. Special rates for single travellers also are available.
The Summer 2010 season offers 11- to 17-night voyages ranging from Greenland to Normandy, the Black Sea and the Levant. As Voyages of Discovery rarely repeats an itinerary, the line also will offer eight unique Grand Voyages ranging from 21 to 43 nights.
Cruise destinations aboard the 650-guest Discovery include the Arctic, Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Red Sea and North Africa. Two-page spreads for each itinerary provide destination highlights, an historical description of each port, details on the scheduled guest speaker(s) and outstanding values such as hotel stays and low-cost air add-ons.
The brochure can be viewed on line, downloaded and printed from the website and emailed to a client or friend.
The line’s website (www.voyagesofdiscovery.com) also reflects the new design of the Summer 2010 brochure. New streaming video for Winter 2009/10 cruises to India, Asia and Africa also have been added to the site.
“We’re pleased to present a fresh new look to both our brochure and website,” said Mark Flager, vice president of sales, marketing and passenger services. “With the addition of destination videos for our Winter 2009/10 programs and richer destination and lecturer content, we’re providing a better understanding of our cruisetour programs to travel agents and their clients.” Summer 2010 destination videos are in production and will be added to the site shortly.
All Voyages of Discovery itineraries feature an extensive enrichment program. Top historians, diplomats, scientists and naturalists provide background and insight into the history, culture, flora and fauna of the destinations visited. Scheduled guest speakers include Air Chief Marshall Sir Richard Johns; Derek Blundell, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics at Royal Holloway, University of London; and Prof. Richard Wilson, host of the BBC’s acclaimed “Writers and Places” series.
New ports in 2010 include Sicilian Catania, Nauplion near the Greek citadel of Mycenae, the island of Korcula and the city of Split on the Dalmation Coast.
Each of the itineraries has been carefully planned to maximise time spent ashore, exploring sights, many beyond the reach of larger ships. Guests will also be able to visit incredible inland destinations including Berlin and Cairo. Overnight stays provide passengers with the opportunity to appreciate the art and historic treasures of cultural epicenters such as St Petersburg and Venice or the outstanding volcanic beauty of Reykjavik.
Summer 2010 programs on the spacious and elegant, 650-passenger mv Discovery include a rare visit to Ilulissat, Nuuk and Qaqortoq, Greenland, on the 17-night Iceland & Greenland voyage sailing August 6 from Reykjavik, Iceland. Cruise fares (with Launch Offer Savings) start at $4,337 per person.
The British Isles Heritage Trail begins June 22 round-trip from Harwich (London) and includes Discovery’s first visit to Liverpool as well as visits to the Scilly Isles, Dublin, Belfast, Oban and Dundee. Fares begin at $3,485 per person.
At Dundee, Scotland, guests can visit the line’s namesake vessel, the restored RRS (Royal Research Ship) Discovery, flagship of the 1901 British National Antarctic Expedition under the command of Lt. Robert Falcon Scott.
Also new in 2010 is A Taste of France, a 10-night voyage calling at St. Helier, Channel Islands, and La Rochelle, Bordeaux (overnight), St. Malo and Rouen (for Paris and the Normandy beaches). Fares for the Aug. 17 cruise begin at $3,458.
Every feature on the mv Discovery is designed with passengers’ comfort in mind. $3.5 million has been spent on updating and improving the facilities on the vessel over the last two years and a further $3.5 million will be spent this year.
From late May to late August next year, a majority of Voyages of Discovery’s summer cruises will sail round trip from Harwich (London). Cruisetour packages feature two hotel nights in London pre- or post-cruise with an included half-day sightseeing tour.
To celebrate the launch of its Summer 2010 program, Voyages of Discovery is offering a 10% Launch Offer Savings for guests booked by February 1, 2010. Special rates for single travelers are also available.
Voyages of Discovery is a trading division of UK-based All Leisure Holidays, which also owns and operates Swan Hellenic and Hebridean Island Cruises.
