Now bag a white (sand) Caribbean Christmas

WE ARE all aching to get away right now, but booking ahead for a holiday later gives you a great choice of ocean and river cruises with discounts and substantial perks. Here are some of the best on offer.

MAKE up for a subdued Christmas last year by booking a festive holiday to remember, swapping snow for white sands as you sail away from Miami on December 23 for two sun-drenched weeks.

You’ll spend Christmas Day and New Year’s Day at sea, perhaps relaxing by the pool, or in the spa and bars of boutique ship Azamara Quest. Boxing Day will be on St Kitts, the first of many palm-fringed islands you’ll call at, before arriving in Barbados for New Year’s Eve.

You’ll have a day at private resort Labadee in Haiti and visit Florida’s Key West. Even better, there is up to 40 per cent off and free wi-fi if you book before March 31. Cruise-only fares, which include drinks and tips, start at £3,050pp (down from £5,139pp) for a balcony cabin with Iglu Cruise (iglucruise.com).

For a taste of luxury nearer to home, choose SS La Venezia (uniworld. com), newly adorned with Fortuny fabrics and Murano glass. Join the 126-passenger river ship in Venice to cruise on the Po river and to the islands of the Lagoon. An after-hours visit to St Mark’s basilica is one of the highlights on a seven-night cruise departing on October 10. The cost now, from £2,129pp, is more than £1,000pp off (was £3,165pp) and includes flights, tips and excursions.

If you’ve never tried a river cruise before, or would like to introduce friends to the joys, a five-day Tastes Of Imperial Europe itinerary next spring with Scenic (scenic.co.uk) is a brilliant opportunity.

Sailing on the Danube, from Vienna to Budapest, with a day in Bratislava en route, you’ll visit three fascinating capital cities in one short break. The all-inclusive trip (with flights and door-to-door chauffeured transfers) is on offer with Earlybird fares from £1,395pp (saving £1,000pp) for departure on April 6, 2022.

Two queens and a superstar soprano feature on Imagine Cruising’s 21-night trip aboard Queen Mary 2 sailing from Southampton to Dubai on January 10, 2022. It includes a twonight-stay on the iconic QE2 (now a floating hotel), where Katherine Jenkins, right, will give a private concert.

The cost is from £2,699pp, with the two nights on QE2 and flight home thrown in (imaginecruising. co.uk).