Swan Hellenic announces early booking offers for 2014/15

Swan Hellenic  announces early booking offers for 2014/15

Celebrate British company Swan Hellenic’s (www.swanhellenic.com, 0843 3161 715) Diamond Anniversary by joining a replica of the cruise line’s first ever voyage.

Marking the company’s 60^th year of cruising, the 15-day ‘Swan’s Hellenic Celebration’ cruise follows the route of the first itinerary where just 128 passengers travelled with four classical history experts around the Greek islands in August 1954. The closely replicated itinerary includes visits to Nauplia (Greece), Delos (Greece) and Santorini (Greece) and undertakes a transit of the 21.3 metre wide Corinth canal which Swan Hellenic’s ship Minerva can access due to her small size. Prices start from £2,395 per person.

The Diamond Anniversary itinerary is on sale now and coincides with the announcement of the cruise line’s 2014/15 programme featuring itineraries to destinations including the Baltic, Black Sea, Adriatic, Mediterranean, India and the Far East.

To celebrate the launch of the 2014/15 programme, Swan Hellenic is also offering passengers a 10% discount on selected cruises, 5% on all other newly launched cruises, up to £200 free on board bar credit and a complimentary return chauffeur service on selected cabins.

The 2014 season commences with a circumnavigation of South America. Highlights include a visit to Lima (Peru), a daytime transit of the Panama Canal, scenic cruising in the Chilean Fjords, Port Stanley (Falkland Islands), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) and sailing down the Amazon River. Passengers can enjoy the full 84-day winter voyage around South America from £11,765 per person or join a shorter segment of the cruise such as the 25-day ‘Wonders of the Andes and Atacama’, calling at ports including Salaverry, Lima and General San Martin (Peru) and Arica (Chile) from £4,295 per person. Alternatively, passengers can sail down the Amazon on the 15-day ‘Amazon Adventure’ cruise from £2,095 per person.

During summer 2014, Minerva will return to her UK homeport of Portsmouth (UK) to offer a total of seven no-fly sailings to countries including Scandinavia, Finland and Iceland. These include a one-off itinerary to mark the 70^th Anniversary of the D-Day landings and the centenary of the start of World War One. The 13-day ‘Reflections of France’ cruise includes a visit to Ypres (France) and the In Flanders Fields Museum, as well as a special service of remembrance held on the 6 June – the 70^th Anniversary – as the ship sails off the coast of the Normandy beaches. Prices start from £1,995 per person.

Fly-cruises are available from July 2014 allowing passengers to explore the Mediterranean, Black Sea and Aegean in the late summer. In November 2014 Minerva will head to the Far East, sailing to India, Oman, Burma and Indochina. Highlights include the 16-day ‘Travels in Indochina’ sailing over the Christmas and New Year period, calling at Kuantan (Malaysia), Sihanoukville (Cambodia), Nha Trang (Vietnam) and Halong Bay (Vietnam). Prices start from £2,995 per person. 

Further highlights of the new 2014/15 programme include partnership cruises designed in conjunction with the National Trust and RHS (Royal Horticultural Society). Examples include:

·         The ‘Treasures of the British Isles’ cruise in partnership with the National Trust from £2,305 per person. The 15-day cruise departing on 1 July 2014 circumnavigates the British Isles and visits six National Trust properties including Tudor Speke Hall and Victorian Lanhydrock House. National Trust Guest Speaker, Adrian Tinniswood joins the Guest Speaker panel on this cruise.

·         The ‘A Scandinavian Spring’ cruise in conjunction with the RHS, from £1,825 per person. The 12-day cruise departing on 28 April 2014 calls at Oslo (Norway) and Copenhagen (Denamark) and allows passengers to explore the gardens of Scandinavia and transit the Kiel Canal on board Minerva. Rosie Atkins from the RHS Council joins the Guest Speaker panel and all passengers receive complimentary RHS membership when booking this cruise.

Renowned for its calibre of Guest Speakers, the 2014/15 programme includes Professor Mark Horton FSA, presenter of BBC’s Coast programme; Nigel McGilchrist, author of the series of cultural guides to the Greek Islands; Professor Sir Ghillean Prance FRS VMH, botanist and former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and Professor Andrew Hopkins, NADFAS Guest Speaker and Associate Professor at the University of L’Aquila.

All brochure prices include return flights to/from the UK (for fly cruises), transfers, a comprehensive selection of inclusive shore excursions in every port integrated with a talks programme from a panel of eminent Guest Speakers who uncover the stories behind the destinations visited. All gratuities on board on ashore are included in the fare – there are no hidden extras and entrance fees to all places of interest featured in the shore excursion programme are also included.

Bookings made before the 31 May 2013 on selected cruises departing between 28 April 2014 and 19 December 2014 will benefit from early booking offers of up to 10% off brochure price as well as an additional £200 on board bar credit for higher rated balcony suite cabins (categories A-D), or £100 on board bar credit for outside cabins (categories F-I). 

For more information and to book visit www.swanhellenic.com