What better way to celebrate spring than to book a cruise? Whether you fancy a short vacation soon, a summer river cruise or a long fall trip to look forward to, here’s a look at my picks of the best.
Add a last-minute city break to your holiday year on April 15 with a mini-cruise from Southampton.
The four-day cruise aboard the tall ship Sky Princess takes you to Zeebrugge, the port of medieval Bruges with a chocolate shop on every corner, and Rotterdam with its beautiful modern architecture, museums and the Markthal full of Dutch cheeses to go. Planet Cruise (planetcruise.com) has prices from £392 per person.
A new Cruise & Explore holiday for this year combines a river cruise with a hotel stay on the shores of Lake Lugano in Italy and a spectacular Bernini Express train journey across the Alps to the Swiss city of Chur, before arriving at A -Rosa Aqua riverboat docks in Basel.
Your week-long Rhine Cruise includes stops in Cologne, Ghent and Antwerp and ends in Amsterdam. Departures are weekly from April to September for the 10-night tour, with prices from £2,999 per person, including flights (rivercruising.co.uk/arosa-cruises).
Saga’s Autumn Colors of New England flight-free cruise aboard boutique ship Spirit of Discovery (above) is now almost £900 cheaper per person
And one more for river cruise fans: CroisiEurope is celebrating 30 years on the Danube with up to 20 percent discounts and no surcharges on two exciting itineraries.
The first savings are on round trips on the beautiful blue Danube from Vienna, starting from April to July. In one week you will visit the Slovak capital Bratislava and Budapest and sail through the beautiful Wachau. Cruise fares are now £1,422 pp pp (saving £276 pp).
Or explore the remote Lower Danube and travel nine days between Budapest and Bucharest through Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania. Prices for departures on 28 May and 25 July start from £1,422 per person (saving £276 per person) including flights ( croisieurope.co.uk ).
The fiery colors of the North American autumn are legendary. And the fun is doubled when you see the reflections from your balcony as you cruise through the New England fall colors.
Cruise the Danube with CroisiEurope and dock in Slovakia’s capital, Bratislava (above)
Plus, a 28-day all-inclusive flightless cruise aboard the boutique Spirit of Discovery ship is now almost £900 cheaper per person. She will sail round trip from Portsmouth on September 26 and the itinerary will include Portland and Bar Harbor in Maine, Halifax in Nova Scotia, St. John on the Bay of Fundy, Boston and New York. And on days at sea, join experts from the whale conservation organization ORCA on deck to watch for whales.
The cost of £7,554 per person (previously £8,443 per person) includes door-to-ship driver, drinks, tips, wifi, travel insurance and five excursions (saga.co.uk/cruises).
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to drift along the canal at 4mph, you’ll have a great opportunity to find out on April 23 when Drifters Waterway Holidays hold an open day at 16 shipyards across England and Wales be held.
Between 11:00 and 16:00 you can take part in a tasting on a narrow boat with a skipper and see different types of boats that can be rented. Find out more and download a voucher for a free boat trip at drifters.co.uk/openday.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
