I might have said this before, but my favourite blog posts are those which combine the world of cruising with passions I have outside of my working life, and today I get to write one of those posts.
I’m a Geordie, and so almost by default one of my heroes is Sir Bobby Robson. The life he led in football, and then the work his foundation carried out for cancer research both after his retirement and then continuing following his death, is truly inspiring.
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines has been a supporter of the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation for some time now, and has graciously donated two prizes to a new auction being run by the Foundation, entitled the Sir Bobby’s Breakthrough Auction, which aims to raise £1million.
One of the lots is a 14-night voyage, with the winner able to choose any cruise departing from the UK. The lot is for two people in an outside, twin-bedded cabin and it includes port taxes as well as everything else normally included in a cruise fare. As of writing, the current bid for this item is £1,040.
However, despite this being something incredible to bid on, it’s the second lot that really caught my attention. You have the opportunity to bid on a world cruise departing in January on the Balmoral from Southampton, lasting for 104 nights, again for two people but this time in a superior outside cabin. This amazing lot currently stands at £3,300 although the reserve hasn’t been met by that figure, so a bargain is still available. Prices start for a standard outside cabin at £8,829, but that’s the per person rate.
If I had the money, I’d be straight on that. Not only would I be able to help out this cause that’s so close to my heart but I’d be enjoying a world cruise for potentially a fraction of its full value price.
If you want to take a look at the auction, you can find it here. There are plenty of other interesting lots available outside the world of cruising too, such as football VIP experiences, behind-the-scenes tours, lunch with celebrities (including one that is lunch with Bill Nighy), and even the chance to take part in the mechanical demolition of a building. Sounds like great fun!
Update: The auction ended, and the world cruise sold for a total of £9,400 – still almost 50% cheaper than the starting price for an outside cabin, but a great amount of money towards the charity total. And the other cruise sold for £3,050. Great news!
By Ian Lewis
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