CRUISING THIS AUTUMN WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS?

The joyful blare of the horn on MSC Grandiosa was almost drowned out by cheers from spectators on the shore as it became the first big cruise ship to set sail in the Mediterranean last Sunday.

But the passengers waving from the deck included no Britons – only travellers from Schengen countries were allowed on board. Similarly, Costa Cruises will only cater for Italians when it starts again on Sept 6.

National restrictions are not the only hurdle that UK travellers face if they fancy cruising overseas. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is still advising against travel on ocean ships, although it has made an exception for river cruises.

So what options are available in this country for those who still want a holiday afloat?

In Scotland, alongside Red Moon Cruises (see above), two boats from The

Majestic Line – Glen Shiel and Glen Etive, which normally carry up to 12 guests – will take a maximum of 10, starting on Saturday.

The itineraries (including destinations such as the Isle of Mull and the Isle of Skye) are filling up fast, though there are still some places left, starting at £2,260 per person for six nights, for the season that ends in mid-October. For that, you get a crew of four including your own chef.

Skarv Lines, which operates former trawler Nova Spero, is setting sail on Sept 7 on a 15-night voyage from Inverness across to St Kilda and then back along the Caledonian Canal. The line has also come up with the novel idea of offering three-night taster cruises of Loch Linnhe, Oban and Mull, charging only £97.50 per person per night for bed and breakfast. Guests can take their other meals ashore or pay £10 each for lunch and £15 for dinner on board.

As for luxury barges, European Waterways offers the 12-passenger Spirit of Scotland

(left), to explore Loch Ness, and the eight-person Magna Carta on the Thames, where the four-person canal boat Kailani also sails.

In Gloucester, England’s biggest hotel boat – the 22-berth Edward Elgar – is taking passengers along the River Severn to Stourport and by canal to Sharpness on the Bristol Channel.

Around 50 cabins are available until the end of October from The Cruise People, starting at £315 per person for a weekend cruise.

For those who want to get out on the waves, West Country company VentureSail Holidays has launched “boat bubble holidays” where a household of up to eight people can create a “bubble” with the crew, who count as a second household, to enjoy voyages of between three and six nights around the coasts of Devon and Cornwall. Prices start at £130 per person per night.

It’s been a lost year for the big passenger ships, with the major operators, such as P&O Cruises, Cunard and Saga, not due back until November at the earliest.

Until then, cruise lovers may well discover a new pleasure taking a small boat along the backwaters of Britain.