The British cruise line Cruise & Maritime Voyages will be offering a Cunard-esque traditional cruise experience at a fraction of the cost when it cruises from Cape Town with the little cruise ship Astor on March 30th, 2019.
The 23-night voyage from Cape Town to Southampton mirrors the itinerary of Cunard’s Queen Victoria, which is doing the same run in April.
Astor, however, will take her time cruising the length of the Atlantic, calling at more ports along the way, notably in Namibia, Morocco, Cape Verde and Portugal. Also, unlike Queen Victoria, which will cruise from Cape Town to Southampton, Astor will cruise right into the heart of London.
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As a result, this cruise is 23-nights compared to Queen Victoria’s 16-night voyage.
After departing Cape Town on March 30th, 2019, Astor will spend two days at sea before arriving in Walvis Bay, Namibia, the gateway to the dramatic sand dunes of the Namibian interior and the ghost towns on the country’s Skeleton Coast.
Walvis Bay will be Astor’s last sight of land for nine nights, as the next port of call is Praia and Mindelo in the Cape Verde Islands off the coast of West Africa. Because of their remote location, it will take another three days at sea before Astor arrives in the bustling capital of Morocco – Casablanca.
As she cruises the coast of Portugal, bound for the infamous Bay of Biscay, Astor will make port calls in Lisbon and Porto as well, before she cruises up the Thames to the London International Cruise Terminal at Tilbury.
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This is a voyage that Astor has been doing every year for several years. The 1987-built vintage cruise ship sets sail from Europe for Australia every year in November, and spends the summer cruising roundtrip from Fremantle before heading back via South Africa.
Astor is higher-end than Cruise & Maritime Voyages other two ships Marco Polo and Discovery, with gratuities and all dining (including the specialty restaurants) included.
CMV is similar to Cunard in that it offers a traditional cruise experience, and indeed the UK-Australia ocean voyage via South Africa is one that was operated for decades by the major ocean liners during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Afternoon tea is served in the lounge every day, there is a captain’s cocktail party on voyages longer than 6 nights, and during her cruise from Cape Town to London there are guest speakers and arts and crafts sessions available.
Categories: SA Cruise News
