Barging is one of the most relaxing holidays. Forget the hustle and bustle of everyday life and relax and enjoy a perfect holiday on water. Choose where and when you stop, discover fantastic restaurants off the beaten
track, buy wines directly from vineyards and browse markets' delicious local produce.
Explore Europe's historic towns and cities by day or by night or simply enjoy the great outdoors. Have a round of golf in the sunshine, go for a bike ride along the toe path or read a good book on the sundeck of your
cruiser - there's always something to do.
Connoisseur, Crown Blue Line and Emerald Star have more than 90 years' combined experience of providing of the best self-drive cruising holidays in Europe.
Together they offer you a chance to explore Europe's beautiful canals, rivers and lakes departing from more than 30 destinations in eight countries. Whether you fancy having some "craic" on the beautiful Shannon-Erne waterways in Ireland, a romantic break in the water city of Venice or a sunshine cruise along the historic Canal du Midi in the south of France, there should be something to suit your cruising taste buds.
Between two to twelve passengers each can be occupied, with a minimum of two days cruising.
Thereafter the length is your choice. For these cruises, there is the choice to cruise down the rivers of the following eight different countries: France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Scotland, England, Ireland or Belgium.
With everything you need onboard for a great holiday, you simply set your own itinerary and cruise at your own pace, stopping whenever and wherever you fancy.
- Visit www.thecruiseterminal.co.za for more details.
Fascinating Spitsbergen
Based on last year's amazing experience viewing polar bears, walrusses, beluga whales and millions of sea birds, a fascinating trip to Spitsbergen is planned for June. This will be aboard the 49-passenger expedition vessel
Multanovskiy, ideal for the narrow fjords and to get to glacier fronts.
Prior to the journey, two nights are spent in Oslo to visit the Fram and Kontiki Museums, Vigeland Park and this
beautiful city. The flight from Oslo is direct to Spitsbergen, an archipelago of islands with glaciers.
- For more information, contact Unique Destinations at tel: 021 462 7032.
Cruises continue to win accolades
In the January 2007 issue of Conde Nast Traveler, Peter Deilmann Cruises received the second-highest score of all cruise lines, large and small, for service. In the magazine's two-page report on the 12 best cruise lines on the publication's "Gold List", Deilmann was second in service only to Seabourn in the magazine's annual readers' survey.
Deilmann Cruises, primarily a European river cruise line, scored 97.3 for service. Seabourn scored 98.5.
Deilmann Cruises was once again on the magazine's "Gold List" of the top 12 cruise lines, large and small, published in the January issue.
Readers of the magazine have voted Peter Deilmann River and Ocean Cruises one of the 10 best small-ship cruise lines since 1999. This distinction was also awarded to Deilmann Cruises from the readers of Travel & Leisure in that magazine's annual "World's Best" survey in 2006.
Other accolades for this privately-owned and operated river cruise line included its selection again as the "Best River Cruise" in the "Readers' Choice" awards of the Porthole Cruise magazine.
And in Great Britain, the prestigious Helmsman's Award naming Peter Deilmann Cruises "Best River Cruise Company" was announced in December 2006
by the UK's Daily Cruise News.
Fred Olsen Cruises
Fred Olsen Cruises is a Norwegian family-owned company that operates four smallish-sized cruise ships, Boudicca, Black Watch (sister ship to the Boudicca), Braemar and Black Prince as well as the soon-to-be-added Balmoral (which used to be the Crown Odyssey and then the Norwegian Crown).
Fred Olsen Cruises is ideally suited to those who are looking for longer cruises that visit interesting places of historical and geographic interest. Conveniently most of its cruises depart and return to ports within the UK.
- For editorial and advertising queries, contact Jon van den Heever at 083 301 8626
- For advertising queries only, contact Pat Bibby at 021 488 4132