On 1st August 2012, The Holiday & Cruise Channel is one year old and to celebrate the channel have lined up some new exciting programmes.  

The Channel Waterloo based are celebrating with an hour long special on Monday 30th July at 12noon, 4pm & 8pm with popular presenters of the channel Debi Jones & John Scott and members of the production team.  The special programme will look at the highlights over the first year as well as showcase the new programmes that start on the channel from Monday.

A number of new programmes will be starting next Monday including: Rick Steves Europe – In this UK exclusive, we follow traveller Rick Steve across Europe, you will see him experiencing earthquakes in Turkey, hitch hiking in  Scotland and getting arrested by military police on the Iraq border, the programme airs weekdays at 11.30am, 3.30pm & 9.30pm.   Don’t forget to join Joseph Resendo, an award-winning travel journalist with his new series Travelscope.  Joseph shares his personal perspective on cultural tourism from spots close to home as well as exotic worldwide destinations, the series airs weekdays at 10.30am, 1.30pm & 7.30pm.  Plus returning to the channel is popular series Britain’s Best Breaks – a travel programme highlighting UK holiday spots, exploring new exciting destinations, or possibly rediscovering old favorites, the programme airs weekdays at 2.30pm.   The channel also has a brand new series dedicated to holiday tips, ideas and inspiration in Cumbria and the Lake District.  

The channel will also still feature viewer’s favourites including Cruising with the Stars! with Debi Jones.  The programme airs weekdays at 8pm, repeated the following day at 12 noon and 4pm and chats to actors, vocalists, magicians, musicians and comedians from the entertainment world.  Liverpool based actor and comedian Ricky  Tomlinson popped into the studio to chat with Debi, you can catch the episode this Friday, 27th July at 8:00pm, also on Tuesday 31st July at 12 noon and 4pm or available on the channel’s website at www.holidayandcruisechannel.co.uk.  John Scott and his Real Love Boat will still be sailing, if you met your partner on board a cruise ship, got married on the high seas or enjoyed your honeymoon sailing off into the sunset then get in touch with John & his team by visiting the website. Phil Hilton will continue with his informative series, The Holiday & Cruise Clinic, speaking to travel & holiday experts, answering viewers queries on cruises, insurance, travel, visa and more and don’t miss out on Neil Newton’s programme Inside Cruise, featuring the latest cruise news plus each month we take a look on board one of the many fantastic super cruise liners.

A spokesman for the channel said: “We are delighted with how successful our first year has been, the number of viewers to the channel is constantly increasing and we want as many local people to get involved, visit our website for details.  We hope you can all join us this Monday to celebrate our birthday and see a preview of what’s to come on the channel from next week. The channel is great for the region, with the employment of local presenters and production team”
 
If you are looking for a cruise holiday, don’t miss the Cruise Show, daily infomercials operated by the Liverpool Cruise Club featuring exclusive offers and great prices.  Join Derek Marks and John Cooper from the Liverpool Cruise Club every Tuesday at 8pm with an hour special, featuring the hottest cruise deals of the week, or at 7pm each day with fantastic deals from Royal Caribbean International (Monday), P&O Cruises (Wednesday), Celebrity Cruises (Thursday) and Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines (Friday).

The Holiday & Cruise Channel broadcasts 6am – 10pm on Sky Channel 284.  

Ricky Tomlinson popped into the Cruising with the Stars studio recently to record an episode with Debi Jones.

Catch the full episode on Friday 27th July at 8pm, repeated on Tuesday 31st July at 12 noon and 4pm

Dance fans are in for a treat on our 28-night ‘Black Sea’ cruise (W1215) on board Black Watch this autumn. This exotic voyage – departing from Dover on 25th September 2012 – will feature the talents of professional dancer Debbie Snashall, a...nd dance duo Joanne Almond and Leighton Jones, as part of our award-winning Vistas onboard enrichment programme.

Fred. Olsen’s regular Dance Instructor, Debbie Snashall, will be on board Black Watch for the duration of this cruise holiday to help keen dancers perfect their moves. Joanne Almond and Leighton Jones will be joining the cruise on 14th October 2012, when Black Watch docks in Iraklion, Greece, and will then be on board until the ship returns to Dover, at the end of the cruise. Debbie will be encouraging guests to take part in the wide variety of dance classes on offer, from beginners to more experienced dancers, and she will be hosting classes for everyone in Ballroom and Latin American dancing. Joanne and Leighton will also be captivating guests with demonstrations of their wide range of dance styles, both traditional and contemporary.

Debbie started dancing at the age of eight, when she attended a children’s Saturday morning class, and it was not long before she was having private lessons and taking part in competitions all over the country. At the age of eighteen, Debbie decided to turn her hobby into a career and, after gaining her professional qualification, started teaching Ballroom and Latin American dancing to individuals and group classes.

In 1999, Debbie started teaching dance on cruise ships, and loved it so much that she has never stopped. She has taught people to dance all over the world and has been lucky enough to visit some fabulous destinations, including Australia, South America, Caribbean, the Baltic, Mediterranean, Canary Islands, Norway and the Far East.

Joanne and Leighton have been dancing together for two years, having started out performing as part of a dance troupe in Cyprus. They have since been travelling the world on board cruise ships, where they teach and perform to a very high standard. Together, they bring a fresh and exciting outlook to dance, as they strive further than the world of Latin and Ballroom, with Argentine Tango and Lyrical Contemporary.

Black Watch calls first in Almeria (Spain), before visiting Malta’s lively capital, Valletta. Next stop is Piraeus, for tours to historic Athens, followed by the Black Sea ports of Varna (Bulgaria), Odessa (Ukraine), Sevastopol (Ukraine) and Yalta (Ukraine). The ship then makes for Turkey, where she stays overnight in Istanbul; here, guests can choose to stroll around the Sultanahmet, take in the mosques, museums and the Great Bazaar, or explore the Galata Bridge and enjoy the many restaurants and shops of the modern city. Black Watch then continues to Çanakkale (Turkey), before returning to Greece, with a day in Iraklion, capital of the island of Crete. On the return journey, the cruise visits Palma (Mallorca) and Gibraltar, where guests can visit the world-famous Rock with its popular Barbary Apes, or take advantage of the excellent Duty Free shopping, before returning to Dover on 23rd October 2012.

Prices for this cruise holiday start from £3,149, for two adults sharing a twin-bedded cabin, Grade ‘E’, and include all meals and accommodation, entertainment – including the Vistas ‘Dance’ theme – and port taxes.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines was voted ‘Best Educational Cruise’ for its Vistas onboard enrichment programme – which has featured the likes of The Archers and an Agatha Christie-themed cruise – in the 2011 ‘Cruise International Awards’, and is hosting a number of exciting speakers, such as Antiques Roadshow expert Lars Tharp and gardening guru Charlie Dimmock, in its 2012/13 programme.

Book NOW on any Fred. Olsen sailing departing 6 April 2013 onwards in an outside cabin or above and Fred Olsen will give you a FREE upgrade to our new All Inclusive Cruise package*.

You’ll get free drinks – selected beers, wines, spirits & soft drinks – included in the price, along with all meals, leisure facilities, daytime activities and live entertainment.

You’ll need to hurry though, as this special All Inclusive Cruise offer is only available on the first 100 bookings on each sailing and ends September, if not before.

World-class athletes go head-to-head onboard Royal Caribbean International. World champion diver Greg Louganis and world figure skating champion Michelle Kwan compete in ten events on the world's most innovative ship, Oasis of the Seas.