Princess Cruises – The Best Way to See Europe in 2016
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Visiting Europe by ship is a fascinating way to see the continent. Nothing beats cruising into Venice, sailing past Mt Vesuvius or gliding through a majestic fjord. Princess Cruises will have five ships in Europe in 2016 offering itineraries around the Mediterranean, the Baltic States and the Norwegian Fjords, as well as a sprinkling of cruises to the British Isles. Royal Princess will cruise the eastern and western Mediterranean, Emerald Princess will visit Scandinavia and the Baltic States, while Regal Princess will also visit the Baltics as well as Russia and Germany. Caribbean Princess will cruise from Southampton around Britain, and Pacific Princess offers two months of late-season cruising from Venice and Rome.
Here’s what’s on offer:
Royal Princess departs from Barcelona for Rome on seven-night cruises from May to September. Ports include Cartagena in south-east Spain, where active passengers can explore by pedal power taking advantage of the city’s free bicycle scheme. Other highlights are the Roman theatre and the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology. Next stop is Gibraltar, the British-owned “rock” where a cable car whisks visitors to the summit for spectacular views. Royal Princess, christened by the Duchess of Cambridge in 2013, then heads to Marseille, an old-world seaport with a hip bohemian spirit. Equally fascinating is Genoa, acclaimed as the best preserved medieval town in Europe. The last call is Livorno, where tours depart for Florence and Pisa.
Sister ship Regal Princess will offer a taste of northern Europe on a series of 11-day round-trip cruises from Copenhagen. From May to August the youngest ship in the fleet will call at Norway’s capital, Oslo, and the German port of Warnemunde (for excursions to Berlin). Then it’s on to Tallinn, the fascinating capital of Estonia, before overnighting in majestic St Petersburg. The final port is Stockholm. This cruise offers passengers the choice to embark in St Petersburg or Warnemunde.
Emerald Princess has an electric array of cruises in Europe including two 14-day Baltic Heritage itineraries from Southampton in June and July. First call is the popular city of Bruges, whose gabled houses and canals makes it one of the most beautiful in Europe. Helsinki, another city acclaimed for its design, is also on the agenda as well as stunning St Petersburg, where Emerald will overnight. In Tallinn the ship will dock a kilometre from the medieval town centre and round off the fortnight with a visit to Gdansk, Poland.
Caribbean Princess will circle the British Isles on 12-day cruises from Southampton calling at Cork, Dublin, Liverpool, Belfast, Glasgow and Edinburgh, along with the isle of Guernsey. The cruises depart from May to late August, while three itineraries will also feature Orkney Island.
Pacific Princess will capture the last rays of the summer during itineraries from September to November 2016. One of the highlights of the 12-day Venetian Connoisseur itinerary is the opportunity for passengers to leave from and return to the famous Italian city. Departing November 9, Pacific Princess calls at Split, Santorini, Istanbul and Dubrovnik in a fitting finale to the season.
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