The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
How the world cruise map is changing
Companies are offering reworked itineraries, flexibility and great deals, says Katherine Lawrey
If you are booked on a cruise in the coming weeks or months you may fear that coronavirus will disrupt your itinerary, as ports continue to impose restrictions ranging from outright bans to temporary blocks on certain vessels. As we went to press, Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess was being held off California, while tests were carried out, after a former passenger died. Earlier this month, Silversea’s Silver Spirit was diverted to Malaysia when Yangon in Myanmar closed its port to all cruise ships.
Fred Olsen’s Braemar was turned away from the Dominican Republic, when passengers developed flu-like symptoms. The ship sailed to St Maarten, where one set of passengers disembarked, and the new passengers flew in from the Dom Rep. Braemar then set off for Central America on her original itinerary. No one on board was diagnosed with coronavirus, but the mere threat of it caused this upheaval.
February proved tricky for cruise ships in Asia, with Diamond Princess quarantined in Yokohama and Holland America’s Westerdam turned away from five countries before finally disembarking passengers in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.
However, the advantage that ships have over land-based hotels is they can be relocated, and cruise lines have worked fast to move out of Asia into regions less troubled by port closures. Sapphire Princess is redeploying to Australia six months earlier than planned, and 44 new cruises are replacing a cancelled Asia programme.
A refurbished Norwegian Spirit was due to sail in Asia from April 15 to
Dec 7 but will now offer a season of seven-day voyages to the Greek Islands, Turkey and Israel. Royal Caribbean has cancelled Spectrum of the Seas’ Asia season and sent the ship to Australia, where it is offering complimentary cruises to emergency workers from the recent bushfire crisis. World cruises including Seabourn Sojourn, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 and P&O’s Arcadia, plus MSC Bellissima’s Grand Voyage have replaced Asian ports. River cruise vessels are much harder to relocate, and the likes of Viking, Wendy Wu, APT and Scenic have cancelled voyages on the Yangtze in China.
Even before coronavirus took hold, cruise lines were subject to strict health and safety protocols. The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) UK and Ireland said: “Cruising remains a very safe holiday option and customers should not be deterred from taking a cruise.”
Cruise lines are taking their own steps to reassure a nervous market. Fred Olsen has introduced a Booking Reassurance Guarantee allowing guests to cancel in return for a future cruise voucher in the same year of departure. The guarantee applies to all new cruise bookings made between March 4 and May 5 2020, and guests can move their cruise once only, with at least two weeks’ notice.
Silversea, Saga and the Scenic Group have all eased their own cancellation policies, which for a cruise market, where people often book many months ahead, makes huge sense.
There’s a fantastic range of cruise deals on offer, whether you want to book a holiday for further down the line or take advantage of a short-notice, too-goodto-miss deal. Here’s our selection of the 10 best ocean, river and expedition deals.
POLE POSITION
If we have to go to the ends of the earth to escape coronavirus, an Antarctic cruise will do it. Scenic Eclipse is offering one-way business class upgrades from the UK to Buenos Aires for various departures in 2020/2021. The ship carries Zodiacs, kayaks, two helicopters and a submarine to help guests explore the icy landscapes and have mesmerising wildlife encounters.
A 16-day Antarctica in Depth itinerary on Scenic Eclipse, departing Buenos Aires on Feb 25 2021, starts from £11,602pp, based on two sharing (0808 301
3988; scenic.co.uk).
SCOT FREE
Antarctica a step too far? Find peace and solitude closer to home with a Scottish cruise. Set sail on Majestic Line’s newest ship, Glen Shiel, on a six-night cruise covering Arran, Campbeltown, Gigha and Islay. The seven-cabin ship will sail around the Mull of Kintyre, anchoring in an idyllic bay, to enjoy local produce prepared on board. Alternatively, Red Moon Cruises is offering weekend getaways this
July and August from £915 per person.
A six-night Isles of the Clyde and southern Hebrides cruise departing from Holy Loch on April 11 starts from £2,030pp, saving £390 (01369 707951; themajesticline.co.uk).
FUTURE PROOF
Should you still feel apprehensive at the thought of cruising this year, while coronavirus lingers, take advantage of Crystal Cruises’ Book
Now Savings. This offer applies to hundreds of itineraries stretching as far as three years ahead. Book by March 18.
A 12-night Andean Coast Adventure on Crystal Endeavor, departing Lima on Oct 19 2022, starts from £7,084pp, a saving of £2,670. Flights extra
(020 7399 7603; crystalcruises.co.uk).
TAKE YOUR PICK
To celebrate the 100th birthday of Uniworld’s parent company, The Travel Corporation, the luxury river cruise line is offering up to 30 per cent off a number of cruises. Offers are available until March 31 on voyages across Central Europe, France, Italy, Russia, Spain and Portugal, including
Holland and Belgium at Tulip Time; Enchanting Danube and Imperial Waterways of Russia. Flights or Eurostar are included, and some single supplements have been cut by 50 per cent.
The eight-day Castles along the Rhine, departing Basel on March 29, is reduced to £1,959pp from £2,799 for a classic stateroom, based on two sharing (0808 231 5259; uniworld.com).
GOING SOLO
Looking for no single supplement? Aurora Expeditions has a number of offers for solo travellers this summer including a circumnavigation of Iceland and a cruise from Iceland to Labrador and St John’s. On the rivers, Avalon has no single supplements on select Magnificent Europe; Canals, Vineyards &
Castles; and Active & Discovery on the Danube departures.
A nine-day Active & Discovery on the Danube cruise departing from Linz on July 2 2020, starts from £2,809pp, excluding flights (0330 058 8243; avalonwaterways.co.uk)
OCEANS APART
For a dream cruise and stay, combine five nights of complete relaxation at Rannalhi in the Maldives with a seven-night roundtrip cruise from Dubai on P&O’s Oceana, touring the Arabian Gulf, including Muscat and Abu Dhabi. The package also includes one night in the QE2 floating hotel in Dubai.
An all-inclusive Maldives and seven-night cruise package, departing London on Dec 6 2020, starts from £1,999pp based on two sharing an outside cabin. The package works out at £143 per day (020 8248 2355; bawaycruising.co.uk).
GREEK SEASON
Now is a good time to bag a suite with Seabourn, across a range of departures, if you fancy cruising in the lap of luxury. Book an Ocean View Suite for a Veranda Suite upgrade, and book a Veranda Suite for an upgrade that could be three categories higher. The Sensational Suite Savings offer, available until April 30, also includes on-board credit, air credit and an internet package.
A seven-night Ephesus and the Greek Isles itinerary on Seabourn Ovation, departing Athens on Oct 10, starts from £3,740pp, based on two sharing, saving £850 per couple, including a three-category suite upgrade from a Veranda Suite V2 to V5, a £300 on-board credit and
300 internet minutes (01244 897581; elegantresorts.co.uk).
SEA CHANGE
This Highlights of the Mediterranean cruise on Marella Discovery is a steal when booked online. The jam-packed itinerary makes it great value, with port calls at Ajaccio, Civitavecchia (for Rome); Marina Di Carrara
(for Florence and Pisa); St Raphael (for St Tropez and Cannes) and Tarragona.
A seven-night Highlights of the Mediterranean cruise departing May 2 from Palma, flying from Bournemouth, starts from £737pp, based on two sharing an inside cabin, including flights (0871 230 2800; tui.co.uk/cruise).
WIZARD IN OZ
If you are able to plan a trip to Australia at fairly short notice, you might want to snap up this deal, based around an eight-night Western Australia and the Coral Coast Cruise on board Sapphire Princess. Package includes free oceanview upgrade, a three-night five-star Perth hotel stay and a free highlights of Perth tour. Cruise calls include Geraldton, Broome and Exmouth, before sailing back to Perth.
A 13-night package departing the UK on
April 30 starts from £1,349pp including flights (0800 953 4963; cruise1st. co.uk).
NORTHERN PROMISE
Owing to the coronavirus epidemic, Viking Orion will be in Alaska earlier than planned, from the end of April. As a result the fares for May are particularly enticing, for cruises that feature Ketchikan, Sitka, Juneau and Skagway, plus scenic cruising in Glacier and Yakutat Bays.
An 11-day cruise departing Vancouver on April 26 starts from £2,790pp, based on two sharing, including flights (0800 652 2469; vikingcruises.co.uk).