CRUISE NEWS
Earlybird savings of up to £1,400 per couple are on offer with the new Emerald Cruises 2023 European river cruising programme.
Bookings made by September 30 for the Rhine, Main and Danube and the rivers of France can get the maximum discount, while £1,200 is up for grabs on Portugal’s Douro. All new bookings also get a free Premium Drinks Package and Deposit Protection Plan, plus passengers who pay in full a year prior to departure are given an additional 10% Super Earlybird saving.
Prices start at £1,845 per person on the Danube in October 2023. emeraldcruises.co.uk
Saga will offer two pre-christmas Canary Islands round trip cruises on its two boutique ships from Southampton.
Spirit of Discovery departs on December 5 for 13 nights, while Spirit of Adventure will sail on November 20 for 16 nights.
Savings of up to 30% are on offer with fares starting at £2,800 and £4,129 per person respectively, including chauffeur service to the port, all-inclusive, wi-fi, excursions and tips. travel.saga.co.uk/cruises
communities we travel to – while creating an elevated and ethereal sailing experience.’’
Let’s see if he’s right…
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
With a Covid test at the port and, suitably negative, we’re issued with a band and a touch ‘lozenge’ to use for embarkation security, payments and unlocking our cabin door.
Most of the pre-cruise check-in process was done via a smartphone app at home, a wearying process of freezes, crashes and reinstalling.
As we board, I admire the 108,192 gross tonnage ship’s distinctive vertical bow and the dashes of vivid Virgin red against on-trend grey.
Because of tides, we board on Deck 4, not at the normal Deck 5 area, where there’s no lofty atrium, but a stylish area with a giant ceiling compass where the red slots always point north.
Government virus restrictions mean a reduced capacity of 1,169 out of a potential 2,816 Sailors; we’ll have plenty of space.
THE CABIN
Besides the bed/sofa switch (left in the hands of our fab steward, Darwin), we loved the balcony hammock.
It’s not the biggest cabin and we were concerned about storage, but once we’d put away our kit for the four-night trip we felt there was ample room for a week with clothes for a warm climate.
The bathroom has a good rainfall shower and the amenities are fine (except for the sludgy black soap).
Cabins also have a box containing condoms and a vibrator to buy. You don’t get that on Cunard!
Before sailing there’s a safety briefing and, yes, it’s unusual – a razzmatazz music video which made what is normally a pretty tedious, if important, message rather enjoyable (you also have one-to-one lifejacket instructions).
The TV, lights, a/c, curtains and steward services are operated by the cabin tablet, which worked well, as did the slow-but-steady free wi-fi.
THE FOOD
You will be wowed. There’s no main restaurant but there are many choices and six no-fee signature dining venues (heroically, we managed five).
The Wake: a smart steakhouse where we had a superb filet mignon.
Razzle Dazzle: named and styled for First World War ship camouflage, it is ‘veggie forward’ but does have chicken and salmon dishes. The vegan ‘Impossible’ plant burger is phenomenal.
Pink Agave:
Mexican cuisine with a modest menu but what’s there is done well. The seared shrimp and marinated beef short rib and Monterrey Jack were lovely. Test Kitchen: ‘experimental’ food with six courses – triple mushroom mousse/pate, confit egg and peas, scallops and jamon, beef with chocolate and beetroot jus (it looked like a Mafia hit), blue cheese ice cream, chocolate and coconut cake. Glad we tried it, but it would be the last one we’d return to.
Gunbae: a Korean barbecue sharing experience with a lively atmosphere. We feasted on seafood, sliced steak and pork belly, egg fried rice and various veg. Memorable.
We never made it to the Extra Virgin Italian, but heard great reports from fellow Sailors. Also a shout out to The Dock for its meze, the Galley food court for variety and the Lick Me Till… Ice Cream (ooh, er) gelato stall. We tested this extensively –