Bon Voyage

Fancy trying a cruise? From luxury liners to intimate river boats, Malcolm Ginsberg offers tips for first-timers.

Cruising is big business in the UK – almost two million holiday packages were sold in 2016, at an average price of just over £1,000. A booming part of the leisure sector, 12 new ships will arrive this year, ranging from National Geographic’s 100-passenger Quest expedition ship, to MSC’s Seaside, with capacity for more than 5,000 customers when it launches in December.

There are essentially two ways to take part in a water-borne holiday – deep-sea or river cruising. You can book direct with the operator or via a specialist cruise agent. And, conveniently, you can spend two weeks abroad without changing money from sterling. Your ship docks, you join a tour, or just take a walk, and then return.

If you are a regular to the US, Cunard – which has been operating the Atlantic since 1840 – has a Queen Mary 2 programme between Southampton and New York that allows you to travel by air in one direction and by sea in the other. Price-wise, it is much the same as flying on a premium ticket. This year, there are 11 passages in each direction.

Out of Southampton is the best for Brits, with no air passenger duty to pay, and the arrival in New York, sailing past the Statue of Liberty, is spectacular. Cunard certainly knows how to keep its customers happy – and busy, if required – even youngsters, who have their own area and specially qualified staff.

Other companies cross the Atlantic in the spring from North America and the other way in the autumn. It’s a good way to get a taste for cruising, and the operators offer a busy onboard entertainment programme, franchise spas and well-equipped gyms. Wifi at sea is also getting better and better.

SPOILT FOR CHOICE