- as seen in the Herald Sun 04 July 2010 -

 

WOW! Travel & WorldShores, is proud to launch the five-star WorldShores 2011 European Cruise Collection, a luxurious anthology of land excursions, luxurious hotel stays and magnificent sea voyages in the Mediterranean and Baltic Seas with Holland America Line.

 

 

WorldShores is ushering in the 2011 cruising season with an exclusive Early Bird offer, with savings of up to $4,300.00 for couples who book a WorldShores cruise in 2011. The offer is valid until September 30, 2010. The Early Bird special includes an upgrade to a Verandah Stateroom on Holland-America Line and a partner-free return airfare just pay taxes(from $165) flying with Emirates, WorldShores’ airline partner.

 

 

WorldShores is offering the discerning traveller a choice of eight exclusive itineraries that epitomise the romance of five-star cruising. Each itinerary combines Holland America Line’s most popular Grand European voyages with specially-designed land programs that embrace luxurious hotel stays, gourmet and provincial dining experiences and impressive European discoveries.

 

'WorldShores has meticulously combined eight luxurious and captivating Grand European cruising options with a selection of superb, five-star land packages so that every guest will enjoy an intimate and unsurpassed European experience'

 

The enchantment of Europe is unveiled throughout Spain, southern France, Italy and Sicily, the Aegean region incorporating Turkey and Greece, the Adriatic coastline of Croatia and Italy, and the Baltic waters of Scandinavia steeped in Viking lore.

 

In addition to selecting the cruise programs, every magnificent hotel has been hand selected by WorldShores’ specialist team for their opulence, absolute central locations and service delivery, with most offering historic surroundings and enviable views.

 

The team has also handpicked a selection of remarkable gourmet dining experiences that capture the soul and flavour of every destination, where food is a timeless and essential ingredient to any European trip. This includes savouring

traditional tastes from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and Norway.

 

Imagine arriving in Venice and making your way down to the provincial villages and rolling vineyards of Tuscany, where rosso and bianco wines, extra-virgin olive oil and saffron have been produced for centuries. Enjoying al fresco dining in the Tuscan hillside village of San Gimignano near Siena. Or savouring a traditional Spanish feast at the exclusive Miradore de Morayma while taking in the sweeping views of the Alhambra. Even embracing the former 16th century palace residence of Count and Countess Cabra, steeped in Spanish heritage and gastronomía manchega and tapas.

 

'Along with enjoying the sensory tastes, the itineraries allow guests to immerse themselves in an array of cultural and scenic pursuits – from quaint Medieval towns, alpine settings and Nordic fishing villages to the glamour and thrill of visiting the world’s most iconic cities including Monte Carlo, Venice, Athens, Barcelona, Stockholm and St Petersburg, to name a few. WorldShores simply provides guests with a seamless and elegant five-star, sea-to-shore experience'

 

 

 

Alpine Spectacular & Mediterranean Empires Cruise:

One of the eight selective itineraries featured in the WorldShores 2011 European Cruise Collection is the 25 day – 12 night tour / 12 night cruise, Alpine Spectacular & Mediterranean Empires Cruise, where guests experience the onboard opulence of Holland America Line’s newest ship, ms Nieuw Amsterdam, sailing from the misty waters of Venice, Italy.

 

The European Alps sets the scene for a unique land excursion, where the 12 day land journey begins in the Bavarian capital of Munich, Germany. Guests then travel through the Austrian Alps to Salzburg, the birthplace of 18th century composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the village of Seefeld near the alpine winter resort of Innsbruck, the beautiful Swiss lakeside town of Lucerne, the French-speaking Lausanne, which overlooks Lake Geneva and the Germanspeaking ski resort of Zermatt, a classic Swiss village in the Rhone Valley surrounded by Switzerland’s highest glaciers and peaks including the legendary Matterhorn.

 

The world’s greatest rail journey then begins on the Glacier Express from Zermatt to the beautiful Olympic ski resort of St Moritz, travelling across 291 bridges and 91 tunnels that burrow their way through the Swiss Alps.

 

In Lake Como guests view the magnificent villas and cruise its deep sapphire waters before travelling to Venice, via Verona, famed for its artistic heritage and as a backdrop to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Upon arrival to Venice, a city built on an archipelago of 117 evocative islands formed by 177 canals in a shallow lagoon, guests board ms Nieuw Amsterdam, where they remain in port for another day before they set sail.

 

From Venice, the ship will sail to some of Europe’s most captivating ports including Split, Croatia along the Dalmatian Coast; the sleepy Peloponnese port of Katakolon, Greece, just 35 kilometres from the archaeological sanctuary of ancient Olympia, Athen’s home port of Piraeus; Istanbul, Turkey, known as the 2010 European Capital of Culture and former capital of the great Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman Empires; the beautiful sea port of Mykonos in the Greek Islands; the resort town of Kusadasi, Turkey, which straddles the Aegean Sea and the cliff-side port of Santorini in the Greek Islands.

 

The 12 night cruise completes its voyage in Venice, a city renowned for its labyrinth of canals and romantic gondolas, its magnificent palazzos, Renaissance art, glassware and cultural festivals.

 

PACKAGE INCLUSIONS:

Woven into the itinerary are a series of ‘special discovery’ experiences that encapsulates the local flavour of each destination, from a private cruise tour of Lake Lucerne and Lake Como including a guided visit to Villa Balbianello, to travelling first class onboard the Glacier Express through the Swiss Alps, enjoying wine-tasting and a private guided Sound of Music tour to many of the sights featured in the movie.

 

Guests enjoy 58 superb meals including 24 full buffet breakfasts, 14 lunches and 20 dinners, of which there are six unique dining experiences and four special lunches.

Also included in WorldShores’ premium service is the land component including fully-escorted travel by luxury airconditioned coach with a professional multilingual Tour Director, tipping, gratuities and porterage (for the land portion

3 of the itinerary), airport transfers upon arrival and departure and a luxury travel bag and document wallet. On all WorldShores departures there are a maximum of 40 guests.

 

 

In July, 2010, the first WorldShores 2011 European Cruise Collection was launched throughout Australia featuring eight exclusive “sea to shore” anthologies, staying in Europe’s finest centrally located hotels.

 

These include:

 

Treasures of Spain, Portugal & Mediterranean Tapestry Cruise

25 days: 12 night tour / 12 night cruise

Sea: Monte Carlo, Florence, Rome, Nafpolon, Katakolon, Corfu, Dubrovnic, Venice

Shore: Lisbon, Seville, Ronda, Granada, Cordoba, Madrid, Barcelona

 

Italian Discovery & Mediterranean Empires Cruise

25 days: 12 night tour / 12 night cruise

Sea: Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, Olympia

Shore: Rome, Sorrento, Perugia, Florence, Santa Margherita, Como, Venice, Split

 

Italian Elegance & Mediterranean Enchantment Cruise

22 days: 11 night tour / 10 night cruise

Sea: Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Tunisia, Sicily, Naples, Rome

Shore: Venice, Santa Margherita, Florence, Perugia, Rome, Livorno, Monte Carlo

 

Italian Discovery & Mediterranean Empires Cruise

25 days: 12 night tour / 12 night cruise

Sea: Venice, Split, Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, Olympia,

Shore: Rome, Sorrento, Perugia, Florence, Santa Margherita, Como, Venice

 

Best of Italy & Roman Empire Cruise

24 days: 13 night tour / 10 night cruise

Sea: Corfu, Olympia, Santorini, Kusadasi, Athens, Messina, Rome

Shore: Venice, Como, Santa Margherita, Florence, Perugia, Sorrento, Rome, Dubrovnik

 

Alpine Spectacular & Mediterranean Romance Cruise

25 days: 12 night tour / 12 night cruise

Sea: Corfu, Argostoli, Santorini, Catania, Naples, Rome, Florence, Barcelona

Shore:Munich, Salzburg, Seefeld, Lucerne, Lausanne, Zermatt, St Moritz, Como, Venice, Dubrovnik

 

Alpine Spectacular & Mediterranean Empires Cruise

25 days: 12 night tour / 12 night cruise

Sea: Athens, Istanbul, Mykonos, Kusadasi, Santorini, Katakolon, Venice,

Shore: Munich, Salzburg, Seefeld, Lucerne, Lausanne, Zermatt, St Moritz, Como, Venice

 

Scandinavian Highlights & Gems of the Baltic Cruise

21 days: 10 night tour / 10 night cruise

Sea: Tallinn, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Stockholm, Hamburg, Copenhagen

Shore: Oslo, Bergen, Balestrand, Loen, Lillehammer, Copenhagen, Berlin

 

 

For further information on the WorldShores 2011 European Cruise Collection,

please contact WOW! Travel on (03) 9816 4744 or email@wowtravel.com.au