Cruises are the winning formula

With three drivers still in realistic contention for the title, tomorrow’s final Grand Prix of the season in Abu Dhabi will be a nail-biting affair. Next year’s race on November 13 could be just as exciting, and wouldn’t it be fun to combine a day at the track with a cruise holiday?
MSC Cruises start a season of voyages in the Gulf from October 30, 2011, and will be flying passengers on Etihad Air from London, Manchester and possibly Dublin direct to Abu Dhabi.
The cruises will be on MSC Lirica, a medium-sized 60,000-ton vessel carrying 1,560 passengers. Cruise-only fares for seven-night voyages calling at Muscat, Fujairah, Bahrain and Dubai start at £349. Go to msccruises.co.uk or call 0844 561 7412.
For even more glamour, how about a cruise on the boutique ship Azamara Journey to coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix on May 29?
A five-day cruise aboard on the 676-passenger ship, which is fitted out in the way an American designer expects an English country house hotel to look, is on offer for £1,279. Departing from Nice, the itinerary also includes a visit to the picturesque village of Portofino on the Italian Riviera.
The price includes return flights, stateroom, all meals and entertainment, but not race tickets which can be bought separately. Go to iglucruise.com or call 0208 544 6620
There’s glamour of a different kind available on a special cruise aboard Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Elizabeth.
Virgin Cruise Holidays have put together a package which will give their customers a cookery lesson from Michelin-starred TV chef Jean Christophe Novelli, a hair-styling demonstration from celebrity crimper Trevor Sorbie, and an audience with actress and Calendar Girls star Lynda Bellingham.
The celebrities will join the Virgin Cruises passengers for dinner each evening of the 11-night voyage from Southampton to Lisbon, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Madeira and Porto.
Fares for the April 19 departure start at £1,599. Go to virginholidayscruises.co.uk or call 0871 781 9893
Looking for a last-minute bargain? A 15-night Caribbean cruise on Fred Olsen’s Braemar, departing November 25 and including overnight stays in Jamaica and Barbados, is available from £1,099. Go to readeroffers.travel or call 0845 604 7479.
Or fly out on November 19 to join P&O’s Ventura in Barbados for a 15-night cruise to Aruba, Ocho Rios, Grand Turk, St Maarten, Antigua, St Lucia and Dominica. Fares from £799. Go to pocruises.co.uk or call 0845 3 555 333.
Need advice on cruise ships or destinations? Go to discovercruises.co.uk