As the surprise of reaching July starts to pass, it's also hard to believe that we may only be seven weeks away from the first of the 2025 UK & Europe Earlybird airfares.
In the edition we cover:
UK / Europe Business Class and Premium Economy specials.
European Christmas Market River Cruises (including an in-depth video from Viking).
Japan's Formula 1 Grand Prix packages.
Skiing in Japan with Club Med.
Fiji and Cook Island Hotel / Resort Specials.
Regent Seven Seas - 20% off Europe 2025
Last minute Kimberley cruises.
Regent Seven Seas cruises with kids / grandkids.
Our new article "How Much does a Silversea cruise cost".
World Cruises and Antarctica.
Earlybird airfares (if they are released) will be of greatest appeal to those who plan to travel during the 2025 Northern Hemisphere summer. The cheapest booking classes for that period are generally limited and sell quickly, so planning ahead and booking early can offer the best access to lower Business Class and Premium Economy airfares.
For UK & Europe travel for the remainder of 2024 and into early 2025 (out to around March 2025) the current fares on our site are a good indication of what is generally available outside of the peak Christmas / New Year period if the lowest booking classes are available on your preferred travel dates.
2024 / Early 2025 UK & Europe Specials and Insights
Emirates and Qatar Airways continue to offer tactical short-life specials to the UK and Europe with other airlines like Turkish Airlines and China Southern relying on well-priced long-life fares. We're also seeing Malaysia Airlines starting to offer frequent short life discounted airfares to London (on sale until 5 July).
China Eastern - A well-priced lie flat option via Shanghai to London or Rome. We see this as an alternative for those who may be working with a Premium Economy budget and are happy to trade off onboard "polish" for the comfort of a lie-flat seat.
Turkish Airlines - Continues to be the best priced of the premium carriers and with the offer of two free nights' accommodation in Istanbul for select itineraries, it offers excellent value.
Singapore Airlines - You'll see that we are now offering "NDC" (New Distribution Capability) Business Class and Premium Economy airfares on our website (we'll go into more detail about NDC in a dedicated article). The main things to note are that the NDC Business Class airfares are cheaper than the traditional D Class airfares Singapore Airlines offers, but the pricing is dynamic. The trade-off is that we can't offer the convenience of holding an NDC fare for as long as the traditional fares.
Qatar Airways - On Sale until 31 July - Again voted the world's best airline by Skytrax, we're seeing increased availability of Business Class Classic (R) and Lite (P) fares (learn more about the different offerings here). The Lite (P) fares can be as much as $1,045 cheaper than the Classic (R) fares to London. So if your One World status already allows lounge access and advanced pre seating these fares can be attractive.
Emirates - On Sale until 18 July - For bookings made by 21 July, Emirates is offering First and Business Class guests two free nights at the JW Marriott Marquis in Dubai (for travel between 4 July and 15 September) and one free night for Premium Economy guests. When the complimentary chauffeur service is included, the current Emirates special offers great value.
Specials on European Christmas River Cruises
At the risk of it being too early to mention Christmas, there is still time to organise a memorable Christmas European Christmas River Cruises. The video above from Viking goes into great detail about the experience and what to expect.
These itineraries offer a unique opportunity to sail through villages and towns and experience their Christmas celebrations and in particular the Christmas markets. Current specials include:
Viking - Offering up to A$2,000 off per couple (until 31 July)
Avalon Waterways - Discounts on selected itineraries.
APT Touring - Discounts on selected itineraries.
In addition, River Cruise lines like Uniworld, Tauck and Scenic also offer Christmas itineraries.
Fine Travel is an authorised Travel Agent for these cruise lines so if the idea of a European Christmas Market cruise appeals, please let us know and we can assist you with the cruise and your flights.
2025 - Japan Formula 1 Grand Prix
Japan has been one of the most talked about destinations and combining it with the 2025 Formula 1 season could be a true bucket list experience for motor sport enthusiasts.
Held in early April 2025, The Suzuka Circuit is one of F1's most celebrated tracks, with high-speed straights, 18-corners and iconic 'S' curves, it's a fan and driver favourite! Be there to witness all of the action of the Formula 1 Japan Grand Prix with a travel package including:
Official tickets.
Grandstand and hospitality access.
Convenient local accommodation.
Opportunities to explore some of the world's most popular and picturesque travel destinations.
Packages are currently being finalised by our Sports Events partner and if you'd like to know more as details become available, please let us know.
Fine Travel's Cruise Service
In the early 2000s, Fine Travel launched one of the first (if not the first) retail cruise websites in New Zealand so we have had a long history of helping clients find the right cruise and booking it for them.
We are an authorised Travel Agent for all major cruise lines, members of the Cruise Line Industry Association (CLIA) and we join ship inspections and cruise training courses (when not on cruise holidays ourselves). We also regularly publish articles on cruise holidays.
We can tailor our cruise service from just booking the cruise you've found (we're then available as support should anything go wrong) through to researching an itinerary, providing advice on the most suitable cruise line and suite / stateroom and booking any airfares, accommodation and transfers required.
Ski Japan with Club Med
For many experienced travellers, Club Med may bring back memories of buying beads to spend in a 3-to-4-star resort. Its transformation into a collection of all-inclusive 4- and 5-star properties (without beads) includes its remarkable properties for skiing in Hokkaido, Japan.
Club Med offers four ski resorts in Hokkaido with Ski in / Ski out options, family friendly activities and of course a focus on Japanese cuisine. For those travelling with kids, childcare is available for a range of ages.
Fine Travel is an authorised Travel Agent for Club Med which allows us to package Club Med experiences with airfares and any other requirements for your itinerary.
Fiji - On Sale until 31 July
We have a range of special offers and inclusions with resorts and hotels starting from $1,055* pp twin share for 5 nights at the Warwick Fiji. Further specials are available for properties on:
Denarau
The Coral Coast
Luxury Fiji Islands (including Vomo, the Royal Davui and Tokoriki).
These are land only specials for specific travel dates and are subject to availability on your preferred travel dates (blackout periods apply). We can package these offers with flights using Air New Zealand or Fiji Airways.
Cook Islands - On Sale until 31 July
From the Edgewater Resort through to the Pacific Resort and the Little Polynesian we have inclusions and bonus offers available for resorts and hotels on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. Examples include savings of 20%* and a $250* food and beverage credit per room per stay at:
Pacific Resort Rarotonga
Pacific Resort Aitutaki
The Little Polynesian
These are land only specials for specific travel dates and are subject to availability on your preferred travel dates (blackout periods apply). We can package these offers with flights with Air New Zealand.
Regent Seven Seas - 20% off Europe 2025
Hot off the press is Regent Seven Seas 2025 Europe campaign. Offering up to 20% off selected sailings and suite grades this is an ideal opportunity to start locking in your 2025 plans and to secure your preferred suite.
One suggestion to keep in mind is that the Concierge level suites are generally the most popular lead-in category for Regent Seven Seas as the cruise fare includes pre and post cruise accommodation and transfers.
This offer is available until 31 August 2024. For more details visit our dedicated Regent Seven Seas 2025 Europe page.
Escape Winter with a Last-Minute Kimberley Cruise
We're now into the last couple of months of the 2024 Kimberly season but there are still "soft expedition" voyages departing in July, August and September with Silversea, Ponant, Seabourn and Scenic. Potentially overlooked aspects of a Kimberley cruise include:
It's about more than sightseeing. Experienced expedition teams bring the history, geography and marine world to life with onboard presentations, and insights when exploring by zodiac.
The Kimberley region has a rich Aboriginal, farming and military history. The Aboriginal people's history can be traced back over 75,000 years making them the oldest continuous living culture. Their origin stories, represented in the rock art is truly fascinating.
If you'd like to learn more about a Silversea cruise in the Kimberley region you can read our onboard review here and you can explore the available itineraries on our website.
Regent Seven Seas - Cruises with Kids / Grandkids
Finding a cruise line and an itinerary that suits parents, grandparents and kids can be a challenge, particularly if you're wanting to find an educational / "non-device" focussed experience.
A cruise line that isn't generally associated with kid friendly travel is luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas. Select voyages are dedicated to family friendly travel and include a Youth Mariner program. A destination like Alaska is particularly well suited to a family voyage given the focus on marine and wildlife.
The cost to add a child (under 16) to a suite will surprise you (in a good way) as will the range of eligible voyages. To find out more please feel free to read our dedicated article.
How Much Does a Silversea Cruise Cost?
For those new to cruises or for those considering taking a step up from an Upper Premium cruise line like Oceania Cruises, Viking or Ponant to a True Luxury cruise line like Silversea, we've published a new article addressing the question of how much a Silversea cruise costs.
For Silversea, the answer isn't straight forward because they offer different cruise fares with different inclusions. This leads to a question of value - does a price that bundles inclusions offer better value than paying for those inclusions separately and what value do you place on the convenience of having everything paid for.
World Cruises and Antarctica
Whether it's a significant birthday or anniversary, unwinding after selling a business or retiring, World Cruises or an expedition to Antarctica mark a milestone. Unpack once and explore the globe or create lasting memories with a Drake Passage crossing, unique landscapes and remarkable wildlife.
Explore Antarctica itineraries here
World Cruises and 20+ night World Cruise Sectors are available through a number of cruise lines, including:
If you're considering a World Cruise or Antarctica and would like more information, please feel free to contact us.