Free flights to join your cruise

Why pay for flights when embarking on a cruise? If you sail from the UK, then there’s no need to fly to join your ship, but if you don’t have time for the voyage to the sun – or you are worried about a stormy crossing of the Bay of Biscay – there are still ways to get aboard without paying for air.
Many cruise deals now come with free flights included. Check out some of these offers:
Spend 15 nights in the Caribbean sailing on Sea Princess from Barbados to Trinidad, Grenada, Bonaire, Aruba, Grand Cayman, Jamaica, Tortola, Antigua, St Kitts and Dominica. Fares for departure on January 11 from £999 (reduced from £1,549) including flights, or upgrade to an outside cabin for an extra £200. Go to www.iglucruise.com or call 020 8544 6447.
Norwegian Epic – complete with entertainment from Blue Man Group and Cirque Dreams, and a restaurant selection that includes everything from sushi to churrascaria – arrives in the Mediterranean for the first time next summer. Seven-night cruises from Barcelona to Livorno, Civitavecchia (Rome) Naples and Palma are available from £479 including flights from Gatwick for selected departures between May and October. Go to www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk or call 0871 781 9893.
In complete contrast to Epic’s 4,200 passenger capacity, adults-only Adonia which joins P&O’s fleet next year will carry just 710. After a summer sailing from Southampton, from October the ship will be in the central and eastern Med, sailing from Savona, Athens, Trieste and Naples and on itineraries which include a Christmas and New Year voyage to the Holy Land. Book before the end of this month, and free flights are included from selected UK airports. Go to www.pocruises.co.uk, call 0845 3 555 333.
I’ll be spending a week on board Cunard’s newest vessel, Queen Victoria, at the beginning of December. You could join the ship for a 12-night cruise from Venice to Dubrovnik, Katakolon, Mykonos, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Messina, Rome, Livorno, Marseille and Barcelona on a choice of dates in August and November 2011, with fares from £1,299 including free flights. Go to www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk or call 0871 781 9893.
If you can’t wait, and you want to avoid flying altogether, take a 14-night cruise from Southampton on Fred Olsen’s Balmoral to the Canaries, visiting Casablanca, Arrecife, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz and Funchal. Start packing now – fares for the December 7 departure from £639 for an inside cabin and £719 for a sea view. Singles from £929. Go to www.iglucruise.com or call 020 8544 6447.
Looking for more adventure? Escape from the British winter in January and join Balmoral to sail from Southampton across the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal and on to Callao in Peru. This 22-night first leg of the ship’s 2011 world cruise departs on January 5 and also visits Madeira, Barbados, Grenada, Aruba, and Manta in Ecuador. Fares from £1,652 based on two sharing a superior outside cabin, and including the flight home. Go to www.fredolsencruises.co.uk or call 01473 742424.