Best deals for Eclipse cruises

Brand new £500 million cruise ship Celebrity Eclipse returned to the UK last night carrying more than 2,000 holidaymakers who had been stranded in Spain.
By this morning, most of those passengers should have finally reached home and the ship has been scrubbed and polished for a very important date . . . her naming eremony.
Just two weeks after prima ballerina Darcey Bussell named P&O’s Azura in Southampton, round-the-world yachtswoman – and breast cancer survivor – Emma Pontin is godmother to the Eclipse, which will be sailing from the UK throughout the summer.
Sister ship Celebrity Equinox was named last year by Daily Mirror Pride of Britain winner Nina Barough, who founded the Walk the Walk cancer charity, and a Celebrity SunWalk will take place this morning to coincide with the ceremony.
This week’s Top Cruises deals are all on board Eclipse – and they all depart from and return to Southampton, so there’s no need to worry about flying, regardless of what Iceland’s volcanoes throw at us.
Depart May 21 for an 11-night voyage to the Canaries, calling at Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Lisbon and Vigo. Fares from £999 per person, including tips. Go to www.iglucruise.com or call 020 8544 6447.
Another voyage sailing the same itinerary sails on June 1. Fares from £1,099. Go to www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk or call 0871 781 9893.
Sail to the Baltic capitals on June 26, and visit Bruges, Warnemunde, Stockholm, Helsinki, St Petersburg (two nights), Tallin, and Copenhagen. Fares for this 14-night cruise start at £1,499 for an inside cabin and £1,999 for a balcony. Baltic Capitals inc St Petersburg 14 Nts sailing 26th June from Southampton. Go to www.iglucruise.com or call 020 8544 6447.
Back to the Mediterranean for another 14-nighter later in the year – Eclipse sails on September 4 to Vigo, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Barcelona, Toulon, Palma and Cadiz. Inside cabins from £1,349 per person Go to www.gillscruise.com or call 08456 58 23 23.
Or sail on October 4 for a 14-night voyage to Cadiz, Cagliari, Split, Venice, Dubrovnik, Palermo and Malaga. Fares from £1,499. Go to www.gillscruise.com or call 08456 58 23 23.
Next year, sail on May 7 for a 14-night cruise to the Mediterranean, visiting Gibraltar, Toulon, Livorno, Civitavecchia, Cagliari, Cadiz, Lisbon and Vigo. Balcony cabin fares start at £1,369 per person and include $200 per cabin on-board spending money, and free parking at Southampton. Go to www.gillscruise.com or call 08456 58 23 23