Updates on exceptional cruise deals and last-minute offers

Book early for the best deals

It's August bank holiday weekend and already the cruise companies are doing their best to get us to put down our money and make bookings for next year. For P&O that means offering discounts of up to 20 per cent on cruise fares, and free travel to and from Southampton from anywhere in the UK on bookings made between September 1 and November 30. Free return flights to Southampton - and transfers from the airport to the docks - are available from Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Leeds-Bradford. Free coach travel is also available from departure points throughout the [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:02+00:00 27 August 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments

Low-key launch for Silhouette

From today's Daily Mirror print edition: For a cruise ship christening, the ceremony on board Celebrity Silhouette this week was a low-key affair. There were no big star names, no fireworks, and the whole event took place 50 miles from the sea in the middle of Hamburg. But it was not short of emotion. All the Solstice-class ships - and Silhouette is the fourth - have been named by women who have fought back from breast cancer. Daily Mirror Pride of Britain award winner Nina Barough, who named sister ship Equinox in Southampton in 2009, and British yachtswoman Emma Pontin, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:04+00:00 23 July 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|1 Comment

Top value cruises for £70 a night

Competition is hotting up to fill the dozens of cruise ships sailing in the Mediterranean this summer, and it's good news if you're looking to book. Take these two deals which have just gone on sale; full-board holidays for around £70 a night - which has got to be less than the cost of a B&B, dinner and a night out at the theatre in Blackpool or Brighton. Virgin Holidays Cruises are offering seven nights on board the floating resort that is Norwegian Epic (above) for as little as £499 per person, including return flights from London airports to Barcelona. [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:06+00:00 3 June 2011|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Stay-at-home Americans give us the best Mediterranean cruise deals yet

There have never been as many cruise ships sailing in European waters as there are this summer. Royal Caribbean have a record 12 of their vessels on this side of the pond to compete with P&O's seven, and the fleets of Cunard, Fred. Olsen, and Thomson. NCL's giant Norwegian Epic is today calling at the Azores and arrives in Barcelona on Wednesday to begin a season of Mediterranean cruises. The expensively-refitted Grand Princess returns to Southampton next Saturday [May 21] and over the next few months will be tying up at Spanish and Italian ports alongside the ships of Costa [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:07+00:00 14 May 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments

Queue here for a free lunch

Who says there's no such thing as a free lunch? New website silvertraveladvisor.com - which does exactly what it says on the tin, that is dispense travel advice to the over-50s - has teamed up with Holland America Line to offer a series of visits to cruise ships this summer. The events, in Dover, consist of a tour of one of the line's ships, followed by lunch on board - all at no cost. They'll even provide free car parking. The ships are: MS Eurodam on May 22, June 3, July 9 and August 12; MS Ryndam on May 21, [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-04-11T14:25:01+00:00 11 April 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News|0 Comments

Best chance to see the Lights

The Northern Lights are putting on one of their most spectacular displays this year, thanks to an increase in solar activity. And according to the BBC's Professor Brian Cox, who presented Wonders of the Solar System, this is the best time of year to see them. But you don't need to tell cruise director Richard Sykes that - he saw the Aurora Borealis in all its glory yesterday, as this picture taken from the deck of Marco Polo near Alta, in northern Norway, vividly demonstrates. Oda Kvaal-Tanguay, of the Tromsø Tourist Office, explains: "This winter season is looking to be [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 16 March 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations|0 Comments

Deals do the business for MSC

Italian cruise line MSC - which will have its 1,700-passenger ship Opera ship sailing from Southampton this summer - has seen a boom in UK bookings, which are up 80 per cent on a year ago. But the increase is more likely to be a result of the recent "Four Free Extras" promotion on its Mediterranean itineraries than a rush to sail no-fly cruises to northern Europe. Free flights from Heathrow or Gatwick, free transfers to the ship, free cabin upgrades, and "free" £50 on-board credit formed the package which proved so successful. Giulio Libutti, the company's UK and Ireland [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:09+00:00 11 March 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise News, Cruise Ships|1 Comment

Best cruise deals for singles

A cruise is the perfect holiday for solo travellers - safe, secure, and with every chance of making new friends among the other singles on board. There's one big disadvantage which prevents many people taking the plunge - the swingeing supplements which in some cases mean having to pay as much for a twin cabin as a couple would. Now one of Britain's biggest cruise travel agents has come to the rescue with a selection of cruise deals which have low supplements, and in some cases no supplement at all. For example, a seven-night cruise on MSC Lirica, from Genoa [...]

By John Honeywell| 2011-02-11T19:08:36+00:00 11 February 2011|Cruise Deals|0 Comments

Talking straight – are these cruise deals are the best holiday value ever?

In the middle of their January sale - slogan "What you see is what you get" - Royal Caribbean is advertising 11-night cruises to Spain, Portugal and the Canary islands for a bargain price £749. Pretty good deal, isn't it? Sail from Southampton, visit six ports of call and enjoy four sea days taking advantage of all the facilities on board the Independence of the Seas. That means an ice rink, surf simulator, theatre, disco, countless bars, shopping on the Royal Promenade, and a selection of restaurants including a Johnny Rockets burger bar and the Chops Grille steakhouse. All for [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 8 January 2011|Cruise Deals|2 Comments

Take a chill pill – cruise to the Arctic

TV explorer Bruce Parry is bringing the Arctic into our living rooms this month with his BBC2 series, and many viewers will no doubt be thinking of taking a trip to the region. But as Parry will demonstrate, it's not only vast - stretching from Siberia, though Lapland, Greenland and Canada to Alaska - it's also very inhospitable. Visit by cruise ship or by expedition vessel, and you can see the spectacular sights and the stunning wildlife in comfort, with a warm bed (and a cold drink) ready for you after a day's exploration. Here are some suggestions: Traditional cruise [...]

By John Honeywell| 2017-06-15T16:00:13+00:00 8 January 2011|Cruise Deals, Cruise Destinations|0 Comments