11 Night Cruise sailing from Portsmouth roundtrip aboard Minerva.

As ever we have listened to you, our loyal and growing number of passengers who remain as passionate about the Swan Hellenic lifestyle as our staff and ship's company, and are now able to act on those comments and announce a visionary multi-million pound upgrade which will take Swan Hellenic and Minerva forward into the next era.

From the onboard environment to inspiring itineraries, and from our knowledgeable reservations team to our European ship's officers and attentive crew, we are committed to providing you with the ultimate discovery cruise experience.

You will travel with like-minded people and as you share the experiences of your voyage, you may find acquaintances turn into lasting friendships. Your cruise will be further enriched by the presence of distinguished guest speakers drawn from the diplomatic, media and academic worlds. Their insightful presentations and the more informal conversations you can enjoy in the Darwin Lounge will really bring our destinations to life.

Highlights of this cruise:

Portsmouth
Portsmouth is a city steeped in history with an impressive cast of characters from maritime heroes to literary giants. From its humble beginnings as a Saxon fishing village, Portsmouth developed into a military garrison town and then into the home of one of the most powerful sea-borne fighting forces in history. 2005 will see the opening of a new, contemporary, national icon based on the south coast, providing a unique 'window on the sea'

At the heart of the city is Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Here you can explore Lord Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory and tour Queen Victoria's battleship, HMS Warrior 1860. You can see Henry Vlll's Mary Rose and trace the history of the Royal Navy at the Royal Naval Museum. Then come right up to date with "Action Stations" an interactive attraction on today's navy.

Other attractions include Charles Dickens' birthplace, the D-Day Museum featuring the Overlord Embroidery, Southsea Castle, the Royal Marines Museum, and Portsmouth Cathedral.

Southsea, Portsmouth's own resort area offers four miles of beach and promenade, including gardens and piers. You can take an undersea safari at the Blue Reef Aquarium or splash around at the Pyramids with their fun pools, flumes and waves.

At the harbour entrance lies Gunwharf Quays, a world-class waterfront shopping and leisure development. Spinnaker Tower is also situated here. This is a striking new attraction soaring 170m into the air and offering spectacular views over the south coast.

If you want to shop then Portsmouth City Centre and Southsea offer an excellent selection of shops from high street names to independent retailers.

Killybegs
Killybegs is an important harbour town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is located on the coast of the county, north of Donegal bay, near Donegal Town. Killybegs itself is perched on a slope above the harbour, its gleaming whitewashed buildings huddled around narrow cramped streets. The town is well served by shops and banks and buzzes with traffic in summer, most of it heading down to the quay, where you can buy fish after watching the fleet come in during the early evening.

It's worth visiting the church at the top of the hill for a glimpse of the sixteenth-century tombstone of Niall Mor MacSweeney, removed from his grave at Ballysaggart Friary on St John's Point and now covered in Celtic carvings and contained in a glass case to the left of the church door.

Dublin
Dublin is the capital and largest city in Ireland, near the midpoint of Ireland's east coast, at the mouth of the River Liffey and at the centre of the Dublin Region. Founded as a centre of Viking settlement, the city has been Ireland's capital since mediæval times.

Dublin is a vibrant city known for its nightlife and tourist attractions. It is the third most visited capital city in Europe (after Paris and London) with over four million visitors a year.