ALL ABOARD
The latest news for your next cruise
Aintree top tip
CRUISE & Maritime Voyages’ Magellan will dock in Liverpool for three nights so guests can race to the Grand National in 2021. The April 8 Aintree Grand National Festival break starts from £259 pp, or guests can bolt on four and seven-night sailings to France and Holland ( cruiseandmaritime.
com, 0844 998 3788). First for Portsmouth
HISTORIC Portsmouth has been chosen for the naming of Saga Cruises’ second new ship Spirit of Adventure. The ceremony will take place on August 19, the first time a new cruise ship has been named at the port, before the 999-passenger ship’s 17-night inaugural cruise to the Baltic from Dover on August 21. Prices from £4,981 pp (saga.
0800 50 50 30).
co.uk/ocean-cruises, Time to be single-minded
THREE cruise lines are waiving single supplements on bookings made by the end of this month. Check out Arena Travel ( arenatravel.com, 0333 331 5116) for Rhine and Danube offers, or there’s Emerald Waterways’ six European river sailings with savings of up to £2,670 ( emeraldwaterways.
com, 0808 301 3352), plus Silversea’s selection of voyages ( silversea.com, 0207 340 0700), which include a 19-night Chilean fjords adventure (below) departing on October 28 from £7,920.
Low deposits
PAy £100 to secure a 2020 Mediterranean cruise on elegant Crystal Serenity. Choose from seven to 13 nights on a choice of May to August sailings, including the seven-night Monte Carlo to Rome trip on August 16 from £ 2,839 pp. Offer ends on March 4 ( crystalcruises.co.uk, 020 7399 7601).
Perfect Day cruise and stay
CAN’T decide between Las Vegas and New york for your next U.S. sailaway? Do both on Planet Cruise’s new holiday on November 6. Spend three nights in Sin City and two in the Big Apple before boarding Anthem of the Seas’ cruise to Royal Caribbean’s private island Perfect Day, as well as calls at Orlando and Nassau in the Bahamas. Fly-cruise price from £2,149 pp ( 0239 427 0126).
planetcruise.com, Foodie heaven
DINE at L’Abbaye de Collonges, near Lyon, founded by late French chef Paul Bocuse, during APT’s new eight-day foodie-focused river cruises along the Rhone in 2021. Choose from the Provence & Burgundy sailing from Arles to Chalone-sur-Mer with prices from £3,395 pp, or the Colours of Provence from Avignon to Lyon starting at £2,695 pp ( aptouring.co.uk, 0800 012 6683).
Ionafest line-up grows
THE Script, Pixie Lott and dance group Diversity will join the line-up for P&O Cruises’ Ionafest, when new ship Iona launches on July 4. DJs Trevor Nelson, Alex James and Jo Whiley are already booked alongside Gary Barlow for the naming ceremony in Southampton. Its seven-night maiden cruise to the Norwegian Fjords starts from £749 pp ( pocruises.com, 03453 555 111).