This week’s top cruise deals

Explore the ancient empires of Greece, Turkey, Egypt and Italy on a 14-night cruise aboard the boutique-style ship Azamara Quest, departing from Athens on October 31 and visiting Kos, Istanbul, Ephesus, Fethiye, Antalya, Sorrento and Rome. Prices (two sharing) start at £810 pp, not including flights. Available through the Leading Cruise Agents Alliance, www.thelca.com or call 0870 122 5115
There’s lively entertainment on the cosmopolitan Costa Concordia, sailing from the Italian port of Savona to Naples, Palermo, Tunis, Barcelona and Marseilles. Cruise-only fares for the seven-night voyage, departing November 1, start at £429 pp, based on two sharing an inside cabin. Go to www.costacruises.co.uk or call 0845 351 0552.
Flights are included in the £499 per person offer from Cruise118.com for a seven-night cruise on the informal Island Escape, where meals are served buffet-style and there’s no need to pack a ball gown or dinner jacket. Leaving Santa Cruz de Tenerife on November 6, the ship visits Funchal, Madeira; Agadir, Morocco; Arrecife, Lanzarote; and Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Visit www.cruise118.com or call 0800 280 2614.
There are no single supplements on a three-night voyage from Tromso to Trondheim, weaving through the Vesteralen and Lofoten islands on one of Hurtigruten’s fleet of ships which ply regular voyages along the Norwegian coast. Daylight will be in short supply, but there is a good chance of seeing the Northern Lights. The £585 fare for a departure on November 7 or 14 includes flights from Gatwick, a sightseeing tour of Trondheim, and half-board accommodation in an inside cabin. Go to www.hurtigruten.co.uk or call 020 8846 2666.
If you don’t want to fly, choose from two contrasting deals on offer from SailfromUK.com.
Cunard’s Queen Victoria leaves Southampton on December 5 for a four-night cruise to Cherbourg, Rotterdam and Zeebrugge. Fares start at £559 and include $50 on-board credit to help pay for drinks or excursions.
For slightly less, there’s a seven-night cruise on board Fred Olsen’s Balmoral, sailing from Dover on December 12, calling at Copenhagen, cruising through the Kiel Canal to reach Hamburg, and returning via Amsterdam. Fares start at £489.
For more information on both deals, visit www.sailfromuk.com or call 0808 202 6104.
New to cruising? The Discover Cruises website is packed with information on ships, destinations, and everything else you need to know. www.discover-cruises.co.uk