Duchess gets into the Spirit

THE bunting will be out in Dover on Friday for a dockside garden party to celebrate the launch of Spirit of Discovery, a smart new boutique ship for adventurous over-50s. The Duchess of Cornwall, the ship’s ‘godmother’, will be there to officially name the vessel. Be among the first on board, sailing on her 15-night Natural Scandinavia cruise from Southampton on August 17. Fares, including home-to-ship transfers and other perks, are from £2,999pp. saga.co.uk

The ideal first voyage

If you’ve never cruised or would like to introduce a friend to the joys of life at sea, a mini-cruise is just the ticket. Fares are from only £99pp for a two-night weekend cruise aboard traditional ship Marco Polo sailing from Tilbury on August 12. You’ll have a day ashore in Rotterdam and disembark in Newcastle. Linger in the city or join the coach back to Tilbury for an extra £20pp. cruiseandmaritime.com

Get your skates on

ITV’s Dancing On Ice stars Alexandra Schauman and Lukasz Rozycki are on board Independence of the Seas, sailing on no-fly cruises from Southampton this summer. See their daring moves in dazzling evening shows on the ship’s indoor rink and twirl round yourself in daytime sessions for all ages. The six-night, no-fly France and Spain cruise leaving on August 24 is from £849pp. royalcaribbean.co.uk

Luxury for less

Deluxe river cruise line AmaWaterways has £1,000pp off every European sailing this year and all Mekong river cruises departing before April 2020. Free flights to Europe from six UK airports and transfers are thrown in, too. For example, the one-week Captivating Rhine cruise from Amsterdam to Basel on AmaPrima departing on July 28 now costs from £1,633pp (down from £2,663pp). amawaterways.co.uk