This week’s best cruise deals

Ever wanted to go on a world cruise, but could not afford the time or
the money? Then how about a segment of one of those grand voyages –
such as this week’s offer from Fred Olsen’s Balmoral, starting at just
over £83 per night for a 28-day holiday.
Fly from Gatwick on February 5 to join the ship in San Francisco and
your first great thrill will be sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge
as the ship heads for Hawaii to call at the ports of Hilo, Lahaina and
Honolulu. Then it’s off to Apia in Samoa and Suva in Fiji before a
call at Noumea in New Caledonia, Brisbane and finally Sydney for the
flight home. Specialsaver fares, with cabin grade confirmed on
booking, and number allocated on boarding, start at £2,325 per person.
Go to www.fredolsencruises.co.uk or call 01473 742424.
Just as exotic is a 14-night cruise on Costa Classica, departing from
Hong Kong on December 5, and visiting Manila in the Philippines,
Kotakinabalu, Borneo and Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei.
After a brief stop in Singapore the voyage continues to Saigon (Ho Chi
Min City) and Da Nang in Vietnam, and Sanya, on the tropical Chinese
island of Hainan before returning to Hong Kong. Cruise-only fares
start at £739 per person. Go to www.costacruises.co.uk or call 0845
351 0552.
Or you could sample the sights of the Middle East on a seven-night Red
Sea cruise on board Thomson Celebration. Fly to Sharm El Sheikh in
Egypt on December 10 and then sail to Aqaba in Jordan for an excursion
to the rose-red city of Petra. Back to the Egyptian resort of Sokhna
from where excursions are available to Cairo, and Safaga for an
all-day trip to the temples of Karnak. Go to www.cruise118.com or call
0800 280 2614.
Start the new year in style with a 16-night cruise from Singapore to
Bangkok with Voyages of Discovery. Fly from Gatwick or Manchester on
January 3 to join the boutique ship MV Discovery and sail to ports
including Bali, the Komodo Islands and Serarana in Indonesia, and
Kuantan in Malaysia. There’s a fascinating voyage 180 miles up the
Mekong River to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia before the cruise
finishes in Bangkok. Fares start at £1,895 per person. Go to
www.thelca.com or call 0870 122 5115.
In complete contrast, you could celebrate Hogmanay on a voyage to the
Arctic Circle, aboard Hurtigruten’s Midnatsol. Fly from Heathrow early
on December 31 to join the ship in Bergen and enjoy a New Year’s Eve
banquet as you head for Tromso, calling at several ports on the way.
The £1,065 fare includes return flights, transfers, four nights on the
ship and half-board accommodation in Tromso at the end of the journey.
Go to www.hurtigruten.co.uk or call 020 8846 2666