The Crown Jewel

.I can`t quite believe we are almost a week into the New Year of 2013 already, Christmas came and went in a a flash and now its back to work as we enter the tradionally busy period for booking holidays. The TV is awash with holiday companies and cruise lines advertising their programmes for the summer, and here at cruise.co.uk we are all busy talking to our clients about their next cruise.

One client of mine asked me to check 2 cruises for her this week, one was 4th May  on Ventura and the other was 11th May on the Crown Princess, both 14 night mediterranean sailings departing from Southampton.

The itineraries are both quite similar with ports of call in the Western Mediterranean including Barcelona, Rome, Ajaccio and Gibraltar on both ships, Monte Carlo , Florence , and Naples on the Crown Princess.

So you would think that 2 very similar cruises at the same time of the year would also be very similar prices – I was amazed at the difference. If you were to look at 2  balcony cabins on both sailings the Crown Princess comes out far cheaper.  Ventura`s CC superior deluxe balconies start at £ 1999 per person, whereas on the Crown Princess you can have a mini suite for prices starting at £ 1599 per person – saving £ 800 on a cabin for 2 people sharing !

Crown Princess is a large, modern ship caryng around 3000 passengers. She has  nearly 900 balconies from which you can enjoy sweeping views during your voyage. After experiencing the relaxed comfort of her  onboard venues, however, you may not want to explore the beauty ashore! The serenity of The Sanctuary and the casual street café atmosphere of the Piazza may just reel you in for the day, while your nights might be filled with the great tasting food offered in the Crown Grill followed by a first-run film at Movies Under the Stars.

If you are looking for a cruise to the Mediterrnanean, sailing from Southampton, and you`ve never tried Princess, before then do have a look at this lovely ship, I have a feeling she may well turn out to be the Jewel in Southampton`s Crown this Summer !