What better way to celebrate 2015 than with a once-in-a-lifetime holiday that includes a voyage on all three of Cunard’s Queens. These magnificent ocean liners are Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.
The latest holiday from Worldwide Cruise Centres (worldwidecruisecentres.com.au) – named, appropriately ‘A Royal Trifecta!’ – explores the Mediterranean, Scandinavia and Baltic, visiting European ports ranging from Rome to Copenhagen, Capri to St Petersburg. It includes a grand transatlantic crossing aboard Queen Mary 2 from England to New York and stays in Istanbul, London and New York. There’s even a night in Hawaii and a couple of nights in Dubai.
The whole three-ship extravaganza and world tour lasts over six weeks and costs from A$12,299 per person twin share from Sydney or Brisbane. From Melbourne or Adelaide the holiday costs A$12,499 and from Perth A$12,599. ‘A Royal Trifecta!’ is valid at those Early Bird rates until 20 December 2014 or until sold out, whichever comes first.
Special cabin bonuses of onboard credit apply on each ocean liner: US$160 per twin cabin on Queen Victoria; from US$390 to $US540 per twin cabin on Queen Elizabeth (varying according to cabin category) and US$160 per twin cabin on Queen Mary 2.
The 45-day/43-night holiday begins in July 2015 with a flight to Dubai, with a private transfer to the Crowne Plaza Deira Hotel Dubai for two nights. Then, jet to Istanbul, where you’ll stay four nights at Noahs Ark Hotel Istanbul as the wonders of Turkey unfold. A full-day tour includes the Obelisk from Egypt, the Serpentine Column from Delphi, the fountain of Wilhelm II, the Blue Mosque and Topkapi Palace. The tour ends at the Grand Bazaar and includes a four-course lunch at a local restaurant.
Now embark on your first ‘Queen’ – Cunard’s stately Queen Victoria – and set sail for Rome. Aboard ship, the Queens Room is the setting for two timeless Cunard traditions: indulgent Afternoon Tea served by white-gloved waiters, and elegant ballroom dancing. All shipboard main meals are included, as is most entertainment aboard. That’s the same aboard the other Cunard Queens in this holiday.
Ports of call on the seven-night Queen Victoria voyage include the volcanic Greek island of Santorini, Italy’s timeless Capri and Turkey’s Kusadasi, with its ruins of ancient Ephesus. You’ll also visit Napoli and sail the Dardanelles. The Dardanelles’ Gallipoli peninsula was where the Anzacs landed in 1915, 100 years ago next year.
Disembarking in Rome, jet to London for a night’s hotel stay near the airport. Next morning, Cunard transfers you to from the airport to Southampton to board Queen Elizabeth, your next ocean liner. The ship joined Cunard’s fleet in October 2010, being named by the Queen.
You’re aboard Queen Elizabeth for two glorious weeks! The 14-night voyage heads to Hamburg in Germany, to wonderful Copenhagen and to Stockholm. Explore the Estonian capital of Tallinn, with its preserved medieval walls, cobbled squares and towers, and St Petersburg, Russia’s great imperial city and art repository. Then on to Belgium (you can visit the city of Bruges) before heading back to Southampton.
From here, Cunard will transfer you to Victoria station in London. The Doubletree by Hilton Westminster Hotel London will be your home for the next four nights. After breakfast each morning, London is yours to explore. The Houses of Parliament and London Eye are nearby. Stroll Hampstead Heath, sip an ale in a Thames-side pub, catch West End theatre, cross the Millennium Footbridge and view the Tate Gallery.
After London, head back to Southampton to board your third Cunard Queen, Queen Mary 2. The flagship of Cunard’s fleet of luxury ocean liners will convey you on a classic eight-night transatlantic voyage to New York. Queen Mary 2 offers 14 spacious decks on which to relax and perhaps indulge in pleasures and pursuits you may not normally have time for. Enjoy opulent public areas, extravagant dining rooms, ballrooms, theatres, lounges – even the only Planetarium at sea.
In New York, two nights at the Sheraton New York Hotel places you in the heart of the action in midtown Manhattan – steps from the excitement of Broadway theatres, Carnegie Hall and world-class shopping in Fifth Avenue.
Your holiday isn’t over yet. A night in a four-star hotel in Honolulu breaks your flight back to Australia. Maybe stroll Waikiki Beach and sip a Hawaiian Mai Tai cocktail before jetting home.
To find your local Worldwide Cruise Centres agent go to: www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au
SOURCE Worldwide Cruise Centres