CRUISING

Bonjour de Port Chalmers.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.  We hope you all had a wonderful festive season and caught up with family and friends.  We loved our cruise to the Sub Antarctic & Macquarie Islands aboard Le Soleal, plus we made some new friends.  The cabin, the zodiac expeditions, the wildlife and the services from the crew were all excellent, so we heartily recommend this cruise.   Hope you enjoy the photos…..

If you want information on future cruises, contact PIA KNARSTON at Viva Expeditions - vivaexpeditions.com Tel: 09 950 5918, or 0800 131 900

Our only niggle with the cruise was the food and wine, as we had high expectations after our years of dining on the hotel barges in France.  We know there are limitations in catering for up to 200 people, but, unlike most of the other guests, we were a bit disappointed, especially by the boring wine selection.  On barge cruises in France everything is made from scratch, even the pasta, and the wines are carefully matched to the cuisine, so if you want a gourmet cruise with excellent wines, talk to us about a barge cruise on the waterways of France.  Barge cruises and self-drive rental boats are our specialist area.

The latest update from European Waterways includes some bargain early booking deals, especially for whole barge charters (6-12 guests) - 20% discounts for selected dates if booked before 17 February.   Most of their barges also have reductions on some individual cabins and solo travellers can save the single supplement on the Anjodi cruises on the Canal du Midi starting 22 and 29 June 2025.

From Venice, La Bella Vita has good deals on some of its June and October cruises and is offering a special cruise for Opera lovers starting on 13 July.  This unique cruise includes front row seats at the Arena di Verona for a performance of Verdi’s Aida and visits to Venice’s historic theatre La Fenice, and to Mantua’s Teatro Bibiena.

The 12 passenger Luciole does not discount, but is very competitively priced and has the advantage of two single cabins with NO SINGLE SUPPLEMENT.  Guests are met in Paris and transferred to the barge in the Auxerrois region of Burgundy for an intimate cruise along the very beautiful Canal du Nivernais.  This is our favourite region and our favourite barge, especially for a first time barge experience.

Lastly, Le Boat have just announced an additional AU$150 discount on its January sale offers for May, June, July and August.  They have the largest fleet of self-drive rental boats throughout France and Europe.  Bookings must be confirmed before 23 January so don’t delay, tell us your preferences and we will find you the best boat for your holiday.

Best wishes for 2025

Robert & Barbara