Tag Archives: World Heritage site

Cunard Unveils UK Program for Summer 2021

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Cunard is offering UK guests the opportunity to spend this summer at sea, with a series of UK voyages on board Queen Elizabeth. Voyages will be round-trip from Southampton, between July and October 2021, and comprise of British Isles scenic cruising and special Sun Voyages, sailing to wherever the sun shines brightest.

10 British Isles Voyages and three Sun Voyages, lasting between three and twelve nights, are available. Guests will be able to experience the most luxurious summer at sea enjoying exquisite fine dining, the onboard spa and spectacular entertainment while having the opportunity to see the UK’s coastline from a unique vantage point.

British Isles Voyages include scenic sailings along Britain’s coastline including The Jurassic Coast, England’s only natural UNESCO world heritage site, Cornwall including Land’s End and Scotland including the Isle of Arran, Mull of Kintyre and Sound of Mull. Four voyages will make various port calls, including Liverpool, Greenock, Invergordon, Belfast, Newcastle and a maiden call for Cunard’s fleet to the Welsh port of Holyhead.

Four-night scenic British Isles Voyages are priced from £599 per person for a Balcony Stateroom, while a 10-night British Isles Voyage will start at £1,299 per person for a Balcony Stateroom. Seven-night Sun Voyages are priced from £899 per person for a Balcony Stateroom.

Cunard President Simon Palethorpe said: “Cunard’s Summer at Sea luxury UK voyages are a truly unique way for guests to have a much-needed break this summer. With international travel not yet fully opened up, we’re delighted to offer these voyages exclusively for British guests to experience a staycation unlike any other, as they relax in Cunard luxury knowing we will take care of everything.

“Guests can sail along some of the most stunning coastlines anywhere in the world, as Queen Elizabeth provides a unique vantage point, or sail on one of our Sun Voyages where the destination is unscripted and is guided by studying the weather forecast and heading to where the sun shines brightest.”

Given the advanced progress of the UK vaccination program, and strongly expressed preference on the part of our guests for this limited series of UK coastal cruises, these sailings on Queen Elizabeth will be for UK resident COVID-19 vaccinated guests only. All other voyages on sale currently do not require guests to be vaccinated.

All guests and crew will be required to follow enhanced health and wellbeing measures to protect everyone on board on these cruises. These have been developed with guidance from our global medical and public health experts and scientists and in close coordination with UK government agencies. These protocols will include enhanced sanitation measures, appropriate social distancing and masks in certain areas of the ship. The crew will also undergo a strict testing and quarantine regime as well as regular testing during their time onboard. 

Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua now a Unesco heritage site

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Nelson’s Dockyard in Antigua

Antigua’s historic Nelson’s Dockyard is the Caribbean’s newest Unesco World Heritage Site, one of 21 new spots named to Unesco’s list this year.

The dockyard consists of a group of Georgian-style naval buildings and structures in a walled enclosure that served as a significant strategic position for the British Navy in the early 1700s.

Now its protected harbor at the south of the island welcomes tourists with nearby hotels, restaurants, museums and art galleries.

In order to be a Unesco World Heritage Site, a place or structure must have cultural, historical and/or natural significance, such as Angkor Wat in Cambodia; the ruins at Philippi, Greece; and Machu Picchu in Peru.

Antigua joins eight other Caribbean islands that have historic sites designated by Unesco’s World Heritage Committee, including Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park in St. Kitts, the Blue and John Crow Mountains in Jamaica, and Old Havana in Cuba.

Cruise ships to be banned from Venice

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Summary – Celebrities including British stars Sir Michael Caine and Julie Christie had backed the campaign.

An international campaign to ban large cruise liners from Venice has been successful, with the Italian government confirming massive ships will be blocked from the city centre from 2015.

British celebrities such as Sir Michael Caine and Julie Christie had supported a petition lobbying for a change in the law, with cruise ships currently able to pass within sight of the iconic St Mark’s Square.

Despite the victory for the campaign, there is already opposition to the Italian government’s proposal to create an alternative route into Venice for cruise liners, reports the Telegraph.

Gianfranco Bettin, a councillor for the Greens Party, stated that councils will need to be involved before a decision can be made on the plans.

Transport minister Maurizio Lupi was among those to approve plans to block cruise liners from Venice, which is known as the Queen of the Adriatic and listed by Unesco as a World Heritage site.

He said: “It seems to me to be a balanced solution which takes account of our duty to remove the skyscrapers of the sea from the canals of Venice, while safeguarding a world heritage city that is the envy of the world and protecting the city’s economy which is so linked to cruise tourism.”