Celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee with your very own regal tour
THE bunting is out and trestle tables are set for the final day of street parties today, but there are all sorts of deals available for future cruises that celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. And you can follow in Her Majesty’s wake, too. Here’s how.
THE QUEEN and Prince Philip loved summers sailing around Scotland aboard their beloved Royal Yacht Britannia – until it was decommissioned in 1997. So, for the Queen’s 80th birthday in 2006, and then again in 2010, she chartered a small luxury ship, Hebridean Princess, to potter around the Highlands and Islands, just as before.
You can have a similar experience, enjoying the country-house party atmosphere on a cruise from the 30-cabin ship’s base in Oban. A variety of itineraries, from spring to autumn, can take you in and out of sea lochs, anchoring in quiet coves and visiting islands not accessible by large ships. The seven-night
Highland And Island Discovery cruise departing on March 28, 2023, calls at Rum,
Eigg and Skye, with all-inclusive fares from £3,730pp (hebridean.co.uk).
Further afield, Azamara is offering $1,000 per cabin credit to spend on shore excursions during selected cruises with Royal connections, but you must book by Friday to qualify.
For example, its 13-night Australia Intensive cruise from Sydney on February 6, 2023, is on the list because the Queen has visited the country 16 times. This voyage calls at seven ports on its way to Perth, including Melbourne, Adelaide and Kangaroo Island. Cruise-only fares start at £2,289pp (azamara.co.uk).
Uniworld has a special promotion to honour the Queen’s Jubilee. Book by June 15 for any river cruise sailing this year and you’ll get a voucher for complimentary B&B at the five-star Rubens hotel in London, which overlooks Buckingham Palace’s Royal Mews, home to
Her Majesty’s horses and carriages.
Trips that qualify include a one-week allinclusive Venice And The Gems Of Northern Italy cruise aboard luxurious SS Venezia, with flights from Heathrow, which costs from £1,999pp (uniworld.com).
Another river cruise line offering a Jubilee bonus is Emerald – if you book by Thursday. Choose a cruise in Europe for this year and you’ll get €250 per cabin to spend on board. One-week Danube Explorer cruises, between Regensburg in Germany and Budapest, cost from £1,645pp including flights, excursions and tips (emeraldcruises.co.uk).
Book by Tuesday from 20 Fred Olsen cruises (quoting the code ‘JUBILEE’) to enjoy free allinclusive drinks packages plus £70pp on-board spending money. There are departures from ports all around the UK sailing to such destinations as Norway, Iceland, Canada, Spain and the Azores (fredolsencruises.com).