By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line’s (HAL) Noordam is to sail a series of new central and western Mediterranean itineraries in spring and summer 201, after calls to Egypt were cancelled due to continued unrest in the region.
Between April and October 2014, Noordam will offer a series of 11-day cruises departing from Rome or Venice in Italy and Barcelona, Spain. Travellers can also book a 22- or 33-day Collectors’ Voyage, which combines two or three of the 11-day itineraries, enabling them to spend more time in each destination.
“The central and western Mediterranean cruises feature a variety of popular ports in ten countries so our guests can explore the top highlights of the region,” said Richard Meadows, HAL’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and guest programmes. “For travellers with more time, the different itineraries can be combined into an ultimate Mediterranean cruise experience with few, if any, repeated ports.”
Passengers travelling on the ‘Mediterranean Explorer’ voyages will sail between Barcelona and Rome, visiting the French port of Marseille, Monte Carlo in Monaco, Calvi in Corsica, Livorno in Italy, La Goulette in Tunisia, and Palermo and Naples, Italy.
As part of the ‘Adriatic Dream’ itinerary, Noordam sails from Rome and cruises along the Strait of Messina, visiting Messina, Sicily, Malta, Montenegro and various ports in Greece and Croatia. The trip concludes with an overnight in Venice, Italy.
The ‘Mediterranean Dream’ cruise, which departs from Venice, calls at the Greek islands of Katakolon, Navplion, Piraues, Mykonos, Rhodes and Santorini, as well as Kusadasi in Turkey, before returning to Rome via Naples, Italy. A roundtrip ‘Mediterranean Dream’ cruise will also depart from Rome in September.
Guests can also enjoy a ‘Venetian Adventure’ roundtrip from Rome, which includes an overnight in Venice and a trip along the Strait of Messina to Malta, Croatia and Corfu, Greece.
All itineraries will enable passengers to enjoy a range of local cuisine and traditions as part HAL’s ‘On Location’ enrichment programme.