Eight-day Med cruises on Mistral from Malta
Every Wednesday, for 13 weeks starting on June 26 and ending on September 18, about 60 passengers from Malta will be able to embark on a eight-day Mediterranean cruise on board the luxurious m.v. Mistral, a 49,000-ton cruise ship belonging to Festival...
Every Wednesday, for 13 weeks starting on June 26 and ending on September 18, about 60 passengers from Malta will be able to embark on a eight-day Mediterranean cruise on board the luxurious m.v. Mistral, a 49,000-ton cruise ship belonging to Festival Cruises. The ship will however be calling every week at Malta until the end of October.
This is an excellent and most convenient way for Maltese holiday-makers to enjoy a cruise - an increasingly popular mode of travel - without the hassle (or the extra expense) of having to take a flight to the cruise's departure destination, or having to stay overnight in a hotel, carrying luggage, etc.
The cruise visits Valencia, Marseilles, Genoa, Civitavecchia and Palermo and again ends in Malta. Excursions are available at every port of call.
Norman Hamilton, managing director of Hamilton Travel, who have again been appointed Malta agents for Festival Cruises, said that cruises from Malta, starting at Lm249 for each passenger sharing a four-berth cabin, are about 50 per cent cheaper than they would cost in Italy.
The Mistral, which was built in 1999, is a truly luxurious ship and until recently was the flagship of Festival Cruises. In fact she provided accommodation for the heads of government of the G8 industrial nations, and their entourages, attending the controversial Genoa summit last year.
The Mistral, which can carry up to 1,200 passengers, has 223 inside cabins (two of which are for disabled persons), and 375 outside cabins, of which 80 are suites.
All are airconditioned, and include a bathroom with shower (bathtub in suites), mini-bar and safe, TV, radio and telephone. The ship has three restaurants, six bars (include two outside), salons, night club, disco, casino, sporting club, beauty salon and hairdresser, children's playroom, swimming pools and shops.
Honeymooning couples get special treatment.
Some of the weekly groups have been sub-contracted to Mondial, Euro Tours and Britannia Tours.
Hamilton Travel, of 4, St Publius Street, Floriana, can be contacted on tel. 2124-1292.