THE SAIL OF THE CENTURY
River cruises have never been more popular — and now’s the time to grab bargains of up to half price
EUROPEAN river cruising is back — and there’s no stopping the flow of deals for end-of-season 2021 sailings and the traditional spring start in 2022. Before the pandemic, passengers were flying in from all corners of the globe and bookings had to be made at least a year in advance to secure the best cabins.
Now, uncertainty over long-haul travel has meant only a trickle of U.S. and Canadian passengers sailing this year. Combined with Australian and New Zealand travel restrictions, it means now is the time to mop up low fares and no single supplements, as well as bagging complimentary drinks, wifi packages and free tours.
‘There’s a small window here to book great-value end-of-season cruises and get in quickly for 2022-23 before the markets come back strongly,’ says Zoe Palmer, of Travel Counsellors. ‘British passengers can have the pick of the bunch.’
To attract new and existing customers river cruise lines have also been adding alluring 2022 itineraries, including once-ina-decade festivals such as the Oberammergau Passion Play, in Bavaria, from May 14 to October 2, and Holland’s Floriade Horticultural exhibition, which opens on April 14.
So, the message is clear: Get in quickly because these river cruise deals will not be around for long.
50 PER CENT OFF
SAVOUR autumn colours in Portugal’s wine country on Uniworld’s Douro River Valley cruise on new SS Sao Gabriel, meeting winemakers at charming quintas. The eight-day November 14 sailing features a 50 per cent discount with all-inclusive prices from £1,499pp (uniworld.com, 0808 168 9110).
£581 DROP
WANDER in Christmas markets knowing your 2021 cruise will be much cheaper than in 2022.
AvalonWaterways’ sevenday Christmastime on the Danube cruise from Vienna departs on November 27 with prices from £849 pp (next year’s equivalent cruises start at £1,430 pp (avalonwaterways.co.uk,
0330 058 8243).
£1,000 DISCOUNT
JOIN free guided tours in the cultural capital cities of Vienna, Budapest and Bratislava on Scenic Amber’s five-day Tastes of Imperial Europe cruise.
A classical concert in the Godollo Royal Palace is also included in the £1,495 pp fare, which has been reduced from £2,495 pp, departing on April 16, 2022 (scenic.co.uk,
0808 301 7599).
£750 OFF
VIKING is offering £750pp discounts on 2022 European river cruises when booked by December 31. The cruise line’s new Longships, custom-built for the Seine, each host 168 guests and
Paris & the Heart of Normandy eight-day roundtrips from April 2022 now start at £2,195 pp (viking. com, 0800 458 6900).
FREE DRINKS
HIKE from Mount Konigstuhl to Heidelberg and cycle in the Netherlands’ historic fishing villages during Emerald Dawn’s eight-day Jewels of the Rhine cruise.
Save up to £1,600 per couple when booking before
November 5 and receive a free drinks package plus £170 spend for spa treatments. Price from £1,995pp departing from Amsterdam on October 23, 2022 (emerald waterways.co.uk, 0808 301 3352).
VIP CAR
BE ONE of the first to visit the once-in-a-decade Floriade, Holland’s International Horticultural Expo, which starts on April 14, 2022. Fares on MS
River Discovery II’s eight-day
Floriade and the Delights cruise on April 13, 2022, from £1,549pp, including free VIP door-to-door travel service and four tours (titantravel.co.uk, 0800 988 5823).
SOLO DEAL
A PRIVATE underground dinner in Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland, is one of many highlights on Tauck’s 14-day Berlin & krakow cruise
with no single supplements. Cruises depart on May, 1, June 12, July 31 and August 28, 2022, with fares from £4,850 pp which includes private tours valued at £2,619pp
(tauck.co.uk, 0800 810 8020).
£343 saving
MAkE a final dash to Europe with
CroisiEruope’s last Douro river sailing of the season, on MS gil Eanes. Departs on november 9 and prices start from £1,182 pp (cruise only) with a saving of
£343 pp. (croisieurope.co.uk, 0208 328 1281)
FESTIVE OFFER
JOIn daily bike rides in the Cotes du Rhone and Beaujolais wine regions during Amakristina’s Colours of Provence sailings from Lyon to Avignon. Seven nights, reduced by £750pp to £1,708pp, departing December 16 and 23 ( amawaterways.co.uk, 0800
626 0126).
£429 SAILINGS
SHEARIngS has added eight new no-fly tours to its 2022 European
river programme. All sailings can be secured with a £25pp deposit and prices start at £429pp for a four-day cruise in Holland.
Price includes coach travel from local joining points or door-to-door
service, full-board and nonbranded drinks (shearings.com, 01709 249 698).
UNDER £500
SIP Alsatian wine in Strasbourg
and visit a traditional wine house in Mainz during TUI Maya’s four-night Mini Wine on the Rhine cruise on november 20. Fly
from Birmingham for the Frankfurt round-trip with prices reduced from £569pp to
£490 pp ( tui.co.uk, 0800 975 4477).
ALL-INCLUSIVE
SEE the Oberammergau Passion Play during five-star SS Beatrice’s eight-day cruise from Budapest with prices from
£5,748pp plus four-day pre-cruise extension £3,684 pp on May 25,
June 22, July 6, August 17 and September 14, 2022 departures (uniworld.com, 0808 301 2561).
EARLY SAVING
BOOk early to save
£1,000pp on APT’s Travelmarvel Vega’s European gems 14-night cruise through Hungary, Austria and germany. Drinks, tours, tips and flights are included on the March 31, 2023, sailing with prices reduced from £3,395pp to £2,389pp (rolcruise.
co.uk, 0800 204 4660).
UNDER £2,000
RIVIERA Travel’s cruise from Porto, Portugal, to Salamanca, Spain, departs on november 12 for solo travellers only.
The eight-day sailing starts from £1,989 and includes eight guided tours including lunch and a flamenco show. Flights from Manchester (rivieratravel.co.uk, 01283 523431).
CABIN UPGRADE
RECEIVE up to £250pp off and a
free cabin upgrade on new ship Spirit of Danube’s 12-night allinclusive Bucharest to Vienna cruise on June 24, 2022. Prices start from £2,599pp (saga.co.uk, 0808
258 2978).