We here at Specialty Cruises & Villas are a deluxe cruise, tour and Italian villa rental agency with a very idiosyncratic inventory of product. We only sell the very top luxury products, and only what we personally like and are knowledgeable about. And we aim to sell these products at the absolute best price in the marketplace. Our affiliation with Virtuoso offers our clients world wide support, and access to unique travel experiences all over the world.

The cruise industry has changed drastically over the last twenty years. The cruise product as it existed twenty years ago is extremely rare today. If you haven't noticed, most cruises are more affordable today than ever before. With this increased affordability, has come a change in the product. Where once service, cuisine and pampering were stressed, now 24 hour activity and a Las Vegas atmosphere are. The product has become more mainline, more aimed at middle American tastes. There is certainly nothing wrong with this, as it allows the cruise industry to tap a larger market, and for more and more people to enjoy a cruise vacation. But there are still some of us who enjoy the traditional cruise, the food and the personal service. Personal service gets lost somewhere on a 2500-4000 passenger megaliner.

So keeping this philosophy in mind, we sell only a few cruise lines that still offer this deluxe, upscale, traditional product. And, indeed, there are some companies today who are providing a product that is better than ever before.

We set certain criteria on which cruise lines to represent. We want a ship that feels like a ship, not a floating hotel with no attachment to the sea. We want low density ships, roomy ships, with a high crew to passenger ratio. This necessarily eliminates most new megaliners. We want professional service from a European led crew whom we can easily communicate with. This type of crew is becoming extremely rare today, and quite expensive for a cruise line. We want to see an emphasis on cuisine and presentation. We want food at least as good as one would experience at a moderately good shoreside restaurant. No banquet food, please. Keeping in mind that true gourmet food is rarely possible onboard ship given the lack of truly fresh ingredients, we want to see a never ending effort in that direction. We want to see financial stability and a company that knows where it's going, having identified its market. And lastly, but not least, we want to see value for money spent. None of these cruises are cheap, on the contrary they are relatively expensive, but they all offer the best value in relation to other products in their class. In many cases we have chosen to feature selected sailings which we believe represent especially good value in the market place. And in some cases, we have created even better value by taking group space, or entering into marketing arrangements allowing us to offer these selected cruises at even better prices, or with very special amenities.

Keeping all of the above in mind, we have chosen the following cruise lines to represent:

Crystal Cruises-This company still offers the best traditional cruise product. Non-stop activities and entertainment are offered on an almost 24 hour basis. Crystal can offer most anything the mega ships can, just in a far more sophisticated manner. This is the only one of our products to still offer two seatings for dinner, but don't let that scare you away as the Italian and Asian alternative restaurants, which can be booked for anytime between 7:00-10:00 PM, are some of the best at sea.

Silversea-Offers intimate, all-suite cruising on small ships with an international clientele.

Seabourn-Offers intimate, all suite cruising on even smaller ships(with a relatively larger ship in the works) to a largely North American clientele. Seabourn is one of the few cruise lines to still employ a professional European dining staff.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises-Recently changed their name from Radisson Seven Seas Cruises and offers luxury, all-suite cruising, on larger ships than Silversea or Seabourn. The larger ships trade a little in intimacy for a larger selection of public rooms and restaurants. Most of your fellow passengers will be from North America.

Sea Dream Yacht Club-In our opinion, this is the top luxury product for a shorter warm weather cruise in the Mediterranean during the summer or the Caribbean in winter. These intimate small ships actually use their outside space in the evenings; dinner under the stars and an outside movie might be to your liking. Plus the outside bar is the hot spot in the evenings. This is a product that is truly different and has no serious competition in its market segment.

Hapag Lloyd Europa-Another very different super deluxe product. This very formal, all suite cruise ship caters primarily to the German speaking market, but the quality is so high that it warrants our attention, especially if you like things Teutonic, or are looking for a different experience away from other North Americans. How about cruising Europe with Europeans?

Compagnie du Ponnant-Another unique small ship cruise line that we are bulidng a relationship with. They are French, flagged in France, serve French food, carry a lot of French passengers and actually have a French personality. They have two brand new ships, are quite deluxe, though not totaly all inclusive, and sali some very interesting itineraries in Eurpoe and South America, as well as a number of expedition cruises in the Arctic and Antarctic. Their prices are quite good and they offer an intimate European experience. Your fellow passengers will be a mix of upscale French and English speaking passengers, who will probably be a little younger than on most of our products.

Star Clippers-Again, a totally different experience. These are real sailing ships, indeed the Royal Clipper is a replica of the largest sailing vessel ever built. They actually sail for most of the cruise and are emotionally riveting. The service and food aren't quite as deluxe as our other products, but they do a good job and you will never forget leaving port under sail. Your fellow passengers will be a mixture of Europeans and North Americans and the on board currency is the Euro.

These are the only cruise lines we sell, and we are major producers for each, in some cases being among their top three agents in North America. We have are all sailed on and know these products intimately. We do not pretend to be experts on all cruise lines or all areas of travel, but we are the experts on these eight small cruise lines. References can be provided upon request.

CURRENT SPECIALS


Following are some examples of our current special offerings, but bear in mind that we strive to offer the very best pricing on all the cruise lines we represent, so call us for a no obligation quote on the cruise of your choice. At the end of the listings below, we are featuring a number of "expedition" cruises that might be of interest to the more adventurous.

Please understand that cruise prices now change daily, and it is not always possible to keep the below listed prices current. Please confirm all prices with our office. Prices, unless noted otherwise in the listing, are cruise only and do not include port charges and fees, taxes, or fuel surcharges. The prices listed are the cruise line's best price. Call us for our special prices, which we can't list on tour website.

 

 

Apr 25, 2012  Silversea Silver Shadow  Tokyo-Shanghai, 11 nights, calling at Hiroshima, Busan/South Korea, Jeju/South Korea, Dalian/China, Beijing overnight, Shanghai overnight.   Our price for  a Vista is $3899 per person cruise only  or a Veranda $4799 per person including an onboard credit of $500.

 

Apr 25, 2012  Silversea Silver Shadow  Tokyo-Tokyo, 22 nights, calling at Hiroshima, Busan/South Korea, Jeju/South Korea, Dalian/China, Beijing overnight, Shanghai 2 nights, Dalian/China, Beijing overnight, Jeju/South Korea, Busan/South Korea, Hiroshima.  Our price for a Vista is $8931 per person cruise only including an onboard credit of $750. Complimentary all day shore excursion including Lunch in Busan or an additional onboard credit of $150 per person.

 

Apr 25, 2012  Silversea Silver Shadow  Tokyo-Seward, 37 nights, calling at Hiroshima, Busan/South Korea, Jeju/South Korea, Dalian/China, Beijing overnight, Shanghai 2 nights, Dalian/China, Beijing overnight, Jeju/South Korea, Busan/South Korea, Hiroshima, Tokyo overnight, Hakodate, Kushiro, Petropavlosk/Russia, Dutch Harbor/Alaska, Kodiak, Homer.   Our price for a Vista is $13735 per person cruise only including an onboard credit of $750. Complimentary all day shore excursion including Lunch in Busan or an additional onboard credit of $150.

 

Apr 26, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Lisbon-Monte Carlo, 9 nights, calling at Lisbon overnight, Cadiz/Spain, Palma De Mallorca, Porto Mahon, Alghero/Sardinia, Ajaccio/Corsica.  Our price for a Vista is $2899 per person cruise only including an onboard credit of $500 per person.

 

May 05, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Monte Carlo-Monte Carlo, 12 nights, calling at Valletta/Malta, Aghios Nikolaos/Crete, Rhodes/Greece, Taormina/Italy, Sorrento/Italy, Elba/Italy.   Our price for a Vista is $3899 per person cruise only or $4499 per person for a Veranda including an onboard credit of $500 per person.

 

May 17, 2012  Silversea Silver Shadow  Tokyo-Seward, 15 nights, calling at Tokyo overnight, Sendai, Hakodate, Kushiro, Petropavlosk/Russia, Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Homer.  Our price for a Vista is $4699 per person or for a Veranda $5999 per person Cruise only including an onboard credit of $500 per person.  GAP 21 1930-11

 

May 17, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Monte Carlo-Barcelona, 7 nights, calling at Portofino/Italy, Livorno/Florence, Calvi/Corsica, Saint Tropez/France, Marseille.  Our price for a Vista is $3699 per person cruise only or $4199 per person cruise only including an onboard credit of $250 per person.

 

May 31, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Rome-Venice, 7 nights, calling at  Sorrento/Italy, Taormina/Italy, Kotor/Montenegro, Dubrovnik/Croatia, Venice overnight.  Our price for a Vista is $4299per person cruise only or $4899 per person Veranda including an onboard credit of $250 per person.

 

Jun 04, 2012  Silversea Silver Wind  Athens-Rome, 9 nights, calling at Milos/Greece, Itea/Greece, Corfu/Greece, Gallipoli, Sorrento/Italy overnight .  Our price for a Vista is $3299 per person or $3999 per person for a Veranda including an onboard credit of $500 per person.

 

Jun 07, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Venice-Istanbul, 11 nights, calling at Venice overnight, Hvar/Croatia, Dubrovnik/Croatia, Corfu/Greece, Santorini/Greece, Rhodes, Kusadasi/Turkey, Mytilene/Lesbos, Istanbul overnight.  Our price for a Vista is $7399 per person or for a Veranda $8299 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.   

 

Jun 14, 2012  Silversea Silver Shadow  Seward-Vancouver, 7 nights, cruising the Hubbard Glacier, Sitka, Cruising Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, Cruising the Inside Passage.  Our price for a Vista is $4199 per person or a Veranda $5399 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $250 per person.   

 

Jun 25, 2012  Silversea Silver Whisper  St. Petersburg-Copenhagen, 7 nights, calling at St. Petersburg overnight, Helsinki/Finland, Stockholm overnight, Ronne/Denmark, Warnemunde/Germany.  Our price for a Vista is $3899 per person or for a Veranda $5199 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $250 per person.    

 

Jul 02, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Athens-Venice, 7 nights, calling at Monemvasia/Greece, Corfu/Greece, Kotor/Montenegro, split/Croatia, Venice overnight.  Our price for a Vista is $2999 per person cruise only or $3499 per person for a Veranda, including an onboard credit of $250 per person.

 

Jul 09, 2012  Silversea Silver Whisper  Copenhagen-Stockholm, 7 nights, calling at Helsinki/Finland, St Petersburg/Russia 2 nights, Tallinn/Estonia.  Our price for a Terrace is $5099 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $250 per person.  

 

Jul 10, 2012  Silversea Silver Cloud  Copenhagen-London, 16 nights, calling at Helsinki/Finland, St Petersburg 2 nights, Tallinn/Estonia, Stockholm/Sweden, Riga, Warnemunde/Germany, Transiting the Kiel Canal, Hamburg 2 nights, calling at Amsterdam, London overnight.  Our price for a Vista is $6499 per person or for a Veranda $7699 per person cruise only including an onboard credit of $500 per person.  

 

Jul 16, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Monte Carlo-Barcelona, 7 nights, calling at Calvi/Corsica, Livorno/Florence, Portofino/Italy, Saint Tropez/France, Marseille/France, Sete.  Our price for a Vista is $2999 per person cruise only or $3499 per person for a Veranda, including an onboard credit of $250 per person.

 

Jul 20, 2012  Silversea Silver Wind  Istanbul-Athens, 9 nights, calling at Cannakale/Turkey, Kusadasi, Tartous, Beirut, Limassol/Cyprus, Rhodes/Greece, Santorini/Greece.  Our price for a Veranda $6099 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.  

 

Aug 04, 2012 Silversea Silver Whisper  Lisbon-Southampton, 9 nights, calling at Oporto/Portugal, Bilbao/Spain, Bordeaux overnight, Saint-Malo/France, Honfleur/France.  Our price for a Vista is $3699 per person or for a Veranda $4599 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.  

 

Aug 04, 2012 Silversea Silver Whisper  Lisbon-Stockholm, 19 nights, calling at Oporto/Portugal, Bilbao/Spain, Bordeaux overnight, Saint-Malo/France, Honfleur/France. Southampton, Oostende/Belgium, Transiting the Kiel Canal, Lubeck/Germany, Helsinki/Finland, St. Petersburg 2 nights, Tallinn/Estonia.  Our price for a Vista is $9023 per person or for a Veranda $10927 per person cruise only,  including $500 per person on board credit.  

 

Aug 13, 2012  Silversea Silver Whisper  Southampton-Stockholm, 10 nights, calling at Oostende/Belgium, Transiting the Kiel Canal, Lubeck/Germany, Helsinki/Finland, St Petersburg 2 nights, Tallinn/Estonia.  Our price for a Vista is $4299 per person or for a Veranda $5299 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.  

 

Aug 13, 2012  Silversea Silver Cloud  London-Monte Carlo, 14 nights, calling at Saint-Malo/France, Bordeaux overnight, Bilbao/Spain, Lisbon overnight, Cadiz/Spain, Malaga, Port Vendres/France. Our price for a Vista is $5399 per person or for a Veranda $6399 per person cruise only , including an onboard credit of $500 per person. 

 

Aug 23, 2012  SIlversea Silver Shadow  Vancouver-Seward, 7 days, calling at Ketchikan, Cruising Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Sitka, Cruising Hubbard Glacier. Our price for a Vista is $3699 per person cruise only or $4699 per person for a Veranda, including an onboard credit of $250 per person.  

 

Sep 06, 1012  Silversea Silver Shadow  Vancouver-Tokyo, 16 nights, calling at Inside Passage, Ketchikan, Cruising Tracy Arm/Sawyer Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, Kodiak, Petropavlosk/Russia, Hakodate/Japan, Sendai. Our price for a Vista is $7199 per person or for a Veranda $9199 per person cruise only, including a onboard credit of $500 per person. 

 

Sep 17, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Rome-Venice, 7 nights, calling at Sorrento/Italy, Taormina/Italy, Kotor/Montenegro, Dubrovnik/Croatia, Venice overnight. Our price for a Vista is $3999 per person or for a Veranda $4499 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $250 per  person.  

 

Sep 18, 2012  Silversea Silver Whisper  Southampton-New York City, 14 nights, calling at. Plymouth/UK, Waterford/Ireland, Cork/Ireland, St. Johns/Newfoundland, Sydney/Nova Scotia, Halifax, Newport/RH. Our price for a Vista is $5899 per person or for a Veranda $7499 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.  

 

Sep 23, 2012  Silversea Silver Cloud  Venice-Barcelona, 12 nights, calling at Venice overnight, Zadar/Croatia, Dubrovnik/Croatia, Corfu/Greece, Siracusa/Sicily, Valletta/Malta, Tunis, Trapani/Italy, Cagliari/Sardinia, Palma De Mallorca/Spain.  Our price for a Vista is $6099 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person. 

 

Sep 24, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Venice-Athens, 7 nights, calling at Venice overnight, Hvar/Croatia, Corfu/Greece, Katakolon/Olympia, Monemvasia/Greece, Mykonos/Greece.  Our price for a Vista is $1999 per person cruise only or $2399 for a Veranda per person, including an onboard credit of $250 per person.

 

Oct 19, 2012  Silversea Silver Wind  Athens-Istanbul, 12 nights, calling at. Heraklion/Crete, Alexandria/Egypt, Port Said/Egypt, Beirut, Tartous, Larnaca, Antalya. Our price for a Vista is $3999 per person or for a Veranda $4699 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.   

 

Oct 22, 2012  Silversea Silver Whisper  New York City-Barbados, 10 nights, calling at  Bermuda overnight, St. Barts, Antigua, Dominica, St Vincent and the Grenadines. Our price for a Veranda $5399 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.   

 

Oct 25, 2012  Silversea Silver Shadow  Hong Kong-Bangkok, 11 nights, calling at Hanoi/Vietnam, Ha Long Bay/Vietnam, Chan May/Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh City overnight, Kompong Som, Bangkok/Thailand overnight. Our price for a Vista is $6399 per person or for a Veranda $8199 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person.  

 

Oct 29, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Barcelona-Las Palmas, 9 nights, calling at Malaga/Spain, Cadiz/Spain, Casablanca/Morocco, Arrecife/Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife/Canary Islands, Santa Cruz De La Palma. Our price for a Vista is $3399 per person or for a Veranda $38999 per person cruise only, including an onboard credit of $500 per person. 

 

Oct 29, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Barcelona-Las Palmas, 18 nights, calling at Malaga/Spain, Cadiz/Spain, Casablanca/Morocco, Arrecife/Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife/Canary Islands, Santa Cruz De La Palma, Las Palmas/Canary Island, Arrecife/Canary Islands, Agadir/Morocco, Casablanca, Funchal/Madeira Islands, Santa Cruz De La Palma, San Sebastian/La Gomera, Santa Cruz de Tenerife/Canary Islands.  Our price for a Veranda $8929 per person cruise only, including $500 per person on board credit. 

 

Oct 29, 2012  Silversea Silver Spirit  Barcelona-Fort Lauderdale, 32 nights, calling at Malaga/Spain, Cadiz/Spain, Casablanca/Morocco, Arrecife/Canary Islands, Santa Cruz de Tenerife/Canary Islands, Santa Cruz De La Palma, Las Palmas/Canary Island, Arrecife/Canary Islands, Agadir/Morocco, Casablanca, Funchal/Madeira Islands, Santa Cruz De La Palma, San Sebastian/La Gomera, Santa Cruz de Tenerife/Canary Islands, Las Palmas/Canary Islands, Santa Cruz De La Palma, Antigua, St. Barts overnight, St. Maarten, San Juan/Puerto Rico.  Our price for a Veranda $15200 per person cruise only including a onboard credit of $750 per person.   

 

Apr 03, 2012  Regent Seven Seas Navigator  Fort Lauderdale-Fort Lauderdale, 11 nights, calling at Port Canaveral/FL, Savannah/GA, Charlston/SC, Wilmington, Hamilton Bermuda 2 nights, St. George’s/Bermuda, Bahamas.  Prices from $5399 per person including air, pre-cruise hotel night and shore excursions.

 

Oct 04, 2012   Regent Seven Seas Navigator  Montreal-New York City, 10 nights, calling at Quebec City, Saguenay/Canada, St Lawrence River, Charlottetown/Canada, Sydney/Nova Scotia, Halifax/Canada, Bar Harbor/Main, Boston/Ma, Newport/RH.  Prices from $5799 per person including air, pre-cruise hotel night and shore excursions.

 

Oct 17, 2012  Regent Seven Seas Voyager  Istanbul-Athens, 7 nights, calling at Kavala/Greece, Mykonos/Greece, Kusadasi/Turkey, Rhodes/Greece, Heraklion/Crete, Santorini.  Prices from $5299 per person including air and hotel.

 

Nov 9, Regent Seven Seas Mariner  Monte Carlo-Buenos Aires, 27 nights, calling at Barcelona, Cartegena, Malaga, Casablanca/Morocco, Agadir/Morocco, Las Palmas/Canary Islands, Porto Grande/Cape Verde Islands, Recife/Brazil, Salvador de Bahia/Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Buzios/Brazil, Ilha Grande/Brazil, Santos/Brazil, Porto Belo/Brazil, Rio Grande/Brazil, Punte del Este/Uruguay, Montevideo/Uruguay, Buenos Aires/overnight. Prices from $10,799, including air, pre night hotel, and shore excursions. Business class air add-ons for $999 per direction.  Special Cruises added amenities: $500 onboard credit per suite, plus $1800 per suite travel allowance.

 

Expedition Cruises

These cruises all have an expedition team on board and sail to areas that are rarely seen by cruise ship passengers. Many of these cruises have zodiac landings and/or helicopter landings. We only represent the most interesting sailings on the best ships and with the best expedition programs. You don't have to give up your creature comforts on these programs either. Indeed, the Prince Albert II, Hanseatic and Orion are the equals of any luxury cruise ship.