The perfect way to pay for a slice of Scandi chic
IT’S not been an easy year for cruiselovers. But great deals are opening up for sailings in 2021 and there are some amazing new ships and itineraries to book now for 2022. Here’s my pick.
THE first of the gems sets sail next summer and it’s perfect if you prefer not to fly first. Board the new, hightech Sky Princess (princess.com) in Southampton and you can open your cabin door and pay for purchases contact-free using the new ‘Ocean Medallion’ that’s the size of a 10p coin.
Book now and you will save £400 per person on a 12-day Scandinavia & Russia round-trip cruise departing on July 1, 2021, with fares starting at £1,099pp. Ports of call include Copenhagen, Stockholm, Helsinki and St Petersburg for an overnight stay.
Another flight-free option is to take Eurostar and a TGV to join luxury riverboat AmaCello for a week’s cruise on the Saone and Rhone rivers, starting with a night in a hotel in Dijon and ending with two nights at a 17th Century former farmhouse in the Camargue.
On the ten-day trip to Burgundy and Provence with Kirker Holidays (kirker holidays.com) leaving on August 4, 2021, you’ll go wine-tasting in Macon, visit the papal palace in Avignon and tour Arles. Book early to save £900pp and the cost, from £3,847pp, includes private car transfers, excursions and wine with meals.
Further ahead, the most exciting event of 2022 will be the launch of the first super-yacht from Emerald Cruises, a company best known for its river voyages. The swish Emerald Azzurra (emeraldyachtcruises.co.uk) allows just 100 passengers to explore the world in the lap of luxury. Better still, Super Early-bird fares knock up to 30 per cent off the first cruises.
A great choice is a Red Sea tour departing January 28, 2022. Book by Christmas Eve for fares from £3,837pp, including flights. It saves about £1,000pp on the all-inclusive, one-week cruise to Jordan, Egypt and Israel.
Head to Alaska in summer 2022 to board Celebrity Solstice (celebrity cruises.com) and you’ll see the lessvisited Endicott Arm fjord and dazzling Dawes Glacier. Seven-night cruises from Seattle run from May to September. New ‘Always Included’ cruise-only fares, starting at £952pp, mean that your drinks, wi-fi and on-board tips are covered.