Top cruise deals of the week

One of the best ways to see the glorious sights of the fjords is by sailing on one of the Norwegian Coastal Express ships of the Hurtigruten fleet.
They are as comfortable as cruise ships, but they also perform an invaluable function carrying cars, cargo and mail to remote ports up and down the rugged coast.
Here’s a rare opportunity to sail one of these ships from the UK. MS Fram leaves Dover on April 9 and sails to Stavanger and on to 12 fjords – including the spectacular Hardangerfjord and Geirangerfjord. There are visits to the charming art nouveau city of Alesund, and bustling Bergen before the voyage ends in Norway’s capital, Oslo.
Fares for the 10-day trip start at £1,283 per person and include full board accommodation in an inside cabin, and a programme of lectures by experts on Norwegian history and culture. Flights home can be booked for an additional £245.
Go to www.hurtigruten.co.uk or call 0844 448 7601.
Sail on a 13-night cruise to the Mediterranean on board Fred Olsen favourite Black Watch. Leaving Southampton on May 5, the ship calls at Gibraltar, Barcelona, and Lisbon, and less familiar ports including Cartagena and Castallon de la Plana in Spain There’s also an opportunity to look round the Moroccan city of Tangier. Fares start at £1,049 per person, and for an extra £375 passengers can take part in the Flagship Golf programme, with four rounds at clubs ashore and tuition on board from a PGA professional. Go to www.fredolsencruises.co.uk or call 01473 742424,
Take an Easter holiday saiing from Tilbury on board Marco Polo, now being operated by new company Cruise and Maritime Voyages, for a 14-night voyage to Vigo, Agadir, Arrecife, Tenerife, La Gomera, Funchal and Oporto. The cruise departs on March 29, and fares start at £749 per person. Go to www.cruise118.com or call 0800 280 2614.
If it’s just a short break you’re looking for, why not take a three-night mini-cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, leaving Southampton on June 2. There’s an overnight stay in Le Havre, but if I were you I wouldn’t bother leaving the ship. There’s more to do on this 154,000-ton floating fun palace than there is on shore. Go
to www.iglucruise.com or call 020 8544 6447.
New to cruising? Visit www.discover-cruises.co.uk for information and advice.