David
The best cruises are those where your holiday experiences exceed your expectations – by a lot. If you make the right choice your cruise ship will be wonderful, with excellent facilities, the crew will look after you exceptionally well, the food will be delicious and varied and the weather perfect. To top all this you simply need to book a cruise that visits wonderful destinations. Let’s take a look at some of the favourites available.
Our preferred Caribbean luxury cruises from Barbados will take you on a circular route to St Lucia, St Kitts, St Maarten, San Juan, St Thomas and Dominica before heading back to Barbados for your flight home. There are lots of great onboard facilities, a variety of activities, including some for kids, and dining options ranging from sushi to burgers and much, much more.
An Alaska cruise often starts in the USA or Canada, however, you can also fly to Seward in Alaska and then travel south. Leaving behind the beautiful mountain scenery around Seward you will stop at Icy Strait Point where in summertime you can often see orcas and humpback whales. This is followed by stops at Juneau, the capital city of Alaska, Skagway, where you can enjoy the White Pass and Yukon route in the summer months and Ketchikan, home to the world’s largest collection of standing totem poles. During this cruise, you’ll be able to view Sawyer Glacier and the Inside Passage. You finally disembark in Vancouver to fly home.
If you don’t want to take an ocean cruise, you have lots of choices when it comes to European river cruise deals. For example, there are lovely 2018 luxury cruises along several of the European rivers, particularly the Rhone and the Saone. If you set off from Lyon via the river Saone, you can first of all visit Chalon and see St Vincent’s Cathedral and then Beaune, known as the wine capital of Burgundy. The cruise continues along the Rhone to Vienne and Tournon, eventually arriving at the Ardèche Gorge in the south of France. Arles and Pont du Gard precede Avignon, where you disembark.
Choosing the best of the Mediterranean cruises is tough, although some incorporate cheap flights business class to get you to your starting point, which is a help. We love short cruises in the Mediterranean, as they’re relatively cheap compared to longer cruises and you could easily persuade yourself to have to or three in a year instead of one long one. A lovely example is the short cruise that leaves from Genoa and Portofino in Italy and travels on to Palermo in Sicily and then Cagliari in Sardinia. Although this is geographically a relatively small area you can make the most of glorious unspoilt beaches, plentiful local history and European cultural events that are lively and stimulating.
So whether you choose Caribbean cruises, a trip to Alaska, European river cruises or sailing on the Mediterranean, there really is something for everyone. Browse the cruise operators’ websites to select your favourite cruise, then compare prices until you find the best cruise packages and deals that suit your pocket. Check out any available extras, such as prepaid beverage cards and additional nights at your points of embarkation or disembarkation and you’re ready to book, pack and go.
