For those who aren’t so keen on flying, taking a cruise is a wonderful alternative to explore the world from a different angle, and a great stress-free option. You discover things you can’t see from the land, visit multiple destinations on your voyage, plus have all of the entertainment on board that you could wish for. With many different providers out there, you’re sure to find something to fit the bill for your dream holiday!
Bruges and Paris
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If you’ve never been on a cruise before, a short three-night break might be the place to start. Why not test the waters with a trip Bruges and Paris, starting from around £299 per person? As well as enjoying the best of entertainment and fine dining on board, you can venture into two remarkable cities: Bruges, with its title of a UNESCO World Heritage City, and Paris, the City of Lights.
Norwegian fjords
Image Credit: Markus Trienke
Cruises to Norway’s fjords take you to view dramatic waterfalls, green cliff faces, and tall mountains. Active voyagers can get closer with kayaking or hiking trips, or travellers can enjoy excursions on land to admire more of Norway’s stunning scenery. While on land, there are plenty of museums to explore and local produce to sample, including woollen items and unusual food pairings. Various cruise lines offer 7 to 12-night departures from Southampton to the Norwegian ports of Bergen, Stavanger, Olden, Innvikfjorden, and beyond, from £579 per person.
Spain and Italy
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For somewhere a little warmer, try a Mediterranean cruise. Numerous stop-off cities are available on round-trip routes from Southampton, but for a mixture of iconic cities each with their own unique sights and sounds, try the P&O cruise on the Britannia, leaving in early May 2019 from £1299 per person. The ship stops off at Cadiz, Barcelona, Florence and Pisa, Rome, Cartagena, and Gibraltar, before returning back to base. Foodies will love the five-course Marco Pierre White menu on board, or may enjoy the deck barbeques on a warm spring evening.
Madeira, Caribbean and Azores
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If you’re a fully-converted cruise-lover, go all out on a Caribbean cruise this autumn on the Arcadia, from £3189 per person for 28 nights away. Set off from Southampton for sunshine, taking in stops on some beautiful paradise islands en route: Madeira, Barbados, Grenada, St Lucia, Dominica, Antigua, St Kitts, St Maarten, and Ponta Delgada. Each destination has a wide variety of excursions to choose from and plenty of new activities to sample. Whilst at sea - and not chilling by one of the two pools! - try out some yoga and dance classes, watch a show in the stunning Palladium theatre, catch the latest films in the boutique cinema, relax in the spa, or have a flutter in the casino.
Title Image Credit: kansasphoto (Image Cropped)