Explore the current trends
RIVER SERENADE Titan Travel, partner of the ultra-luxury Uniworld brand, now has a river ship under its own name. MS Serenade 1, for 136 passengers, will sail the Rhine and Danube but things kick off with the six-day Dutch Waterways and the beautiful Keukenhof gardens tulip time itinerary (departing March 31, from £1,049, with Eurotunnel or ferry crossings and VIP door-to-door travel service).
0800 988 5873/titantravel.co.uk STAR ATTRACTION It’s not unusual to see stars on Queen Mary 2 (the likes of James Taylor and Crosby, Stills & Nash have performed on board) but this is different. A New York-London crossing celebrating United Nations World Space Week in Illuminations, the only planetarium at sea.
There are speakers such as astronaut and shuttle pilot Dr Jeffrey Hoffman, Charles Barclay, director of Marlborough’s Blackett Observatory, Stephen Attenborough of the Virgin Galactic team and Nasa historian Ken Taggart, plus specially created live shows. Departs October 6, from £1,599, including outward flight.
0843 374 2224/cunard.co.uk River cruising from Chicago? It’s coming. American Queen Steamboat Company this summer offers two trips from Ottawa just outside the windy city along the Illinois River all the way to St Louis on the Mississippi, both with a Chicago blues theme and local performers on board. After leaving Barack Obama’s homeland American Duchess calls at places such as Peoria, the river’s largest city, and Beardstown, where Abraham Lincoln practised as a young lawyer. Duchess, launching in June, is the company’s third traditional but boutique paddlewheeler and will spend most of her time on the Mississippi.
Departs August 6 and 20, from £3,395, including flights, drinks with dinner, shore excursions and pre-night at hotel.
01223 568904/lightbluetravel.co.uk Cruising is becoming ever more like a package holiday. P&O Cruises has a new series of departures from Malta with charter flights from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Newcastle and East Midlands.
Some trips on board Oceana focus on the eastern Med (Messina in Sicily and Split in Croatia), others head west. The 7-night Croatia and Italy cruise departing April 6 starts at £899. Equally to the point are Thomson Cruises’ seven-night cruises on TUI Discovery 2, which launches in May.
They sail from Malaga and Tenerife taking in sunny spots such as Barcelona. From £755 with flights.
0871 230 2800/thomson.co.uk THERE’S A THEME Avalon Waterways has a string of themed departures in 2017. Two beer cruises, one in Holland, one on the Danube, involve brewery tours, beer tastings, lectures and a special dinner hosted by a beer expert.
There are art appreciation cruises on the Seine, classical music on the Danube, jazz in Burgundy, and wine and food appreciation sailings. Beer drinking on the eight-day Charms of Holland and Belgium cruise, Antwerp to Amsterdam, departing April 6, starts at £985pp including excursions, beer (and wine) with dinner, flights and home pick-up service.
0800 668 1843/avaloncruises.co.uk
A round-up of the latest deals available
Cruise & Maritime Voyages continues its tradition of very British entertainment through 2017. Comedians Tim Vine and John Archer, Dad’s Army vicar Frank Williams and singer Dana are the line-up for the 15-night Springtime in the Azores & Madeira cruise from Bristol Avonmouth (April 4, from £899pp).
The 60s Pop Legends three-nighter from London Tilbury to Amsterdam and Antwerp (May 5, from £349pp) features the Swinging Blue Jeans, the Dreamers and Beatles tribute band the Cheatles.
And the Carry On Legends cruise, a five-nighter from Tilbury to Rouen and back to Newport in Wales (May 28, from £399pp, with coach transfer) features a trio of the film comedies’ glamour girls – Valerie Leon, Anita Harris and Jacki Piper.
0844 998 3796/cruiseandmaritime.com Got a spare £87,000? Try the Sea Sky Safari from SeaDream Yacht Club. The 20-night adventure starts with two nights in Barcelona before a six-day Med cruise to Nice. A private jet takes you to Rwanda for a week in Africa, including safaris and a couple of days in Cape Town.
Fly to Morocco for a couple of nights in Marrakech before flying to London and a night with farewell dinner in the Four Seasons on Park Lane. Departs May 5.
0800 783 1373/seadream.com Saga, the company for the over 50s, celebrates its 65th birthday this year yet you wouldn’t know it from the cruise adventures it offers. The 18-night Land of Ice and Fire trip aboard Saga Sapphire to Iceland features a “calm water kayaking” excursion in Ísafjörður, as well as seeking out Arctic wildlife, yomping around snow-tipped mountains and crashing waterfalls.
Departs Dover June 18, from £2,165pp. And the 12-night Madeira and the Canaries jaunt offers a guided hike up and around the largest crater on Gran Canaria. You can also hike through the Los Tilos rain forest on La Palma and stargaze from the slopes of towering Mount Teide on Tenerife. Departs Southampton October 16, from £1,998pp.
0800 505030/saga.co.uk/cruises