Cruising: Best fleet forward

The number of ex-UK cruises is increasing next year.
Benefits include unlimited luggage and an ideal travel alternative
for nervous fliers. Travel Weekly looks at what is
available

THE growing band of Brits who like the convenience of cruising
from the UK are in for a treat next year when more cruises than
ever are scheduled to depart from British ports.

For summer 2005, Royal Caribbean International is basing a ship
in Southampton for the first time, aimed at the British market, as
is Princess Cruises. Thomson Cruises is making its ex-UK debut with
departures from Newcastle, Harwich and Southampton.

These are in addition to the usual sailings from UK shores
operated by P&O Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Line and Cunard.

The move to UK waters has been prompted mainly by the fact that
the number of Britons taking a cruise topped one million for the
first time last year, and by rising demand for domestic
departures.

According to the Passenger Shipping Association, 250,000 people
took a cruise from the UK between April and October 2003,
contributing to a 28% rise in ex-UK cruising across the year, and
numbers are set to break new records in 2005.

One big advantage of cruising from the UK is you can take as
much luggage as you want because there are no airline weight
restrictions. Once at the port, passengers can board their ship and
start their holiday. For nervous fliers, it’s perfect.

Royal Caribbean UK sales director Leslie Peden said the
Southampton sailings were also in response to demand from the trade
for a child-friendly, adventurous alternative to traditional
cruising from the UK.

Princess Cruises said the figures were important, but the
decision to base Sea Princess at Southampton for summer 2005 was
also encouraged by strong demand for US-style cruising from the
UK.

Ex-UK stalwart Fred Olsen welcomed the increased competition as
a way to develop the overall market. General sales manager Lol
Nichols said: “Our own product is unique – the smaller ships
and British atmosphere on board set us apart, so we are well placed
to maintain and increase our market share.”

Here’s our round-up of ex-UK cruises for next year.

Ship: Legend of the Seas.

Itineraries: sailings from Southampton next
summer include a 14-night Distant Islands cruise taking in Spain,
the Canary Islands and Madeira, and a 14-night Classic
Mediterranean voyage visiting France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.
There is also a four-night taster in May calling at St Peter Port
in Guernsey and Brest.

Suitable for: families and couples wanting a
relaxed, US-style cruise experience fine-tuned for Brits. Royal
Caribbean promises curry evenings, afternoon tea, British ales and
comedians, as well as mountain biking and waterpark excursions.

Shipshape: the 70,000-tonne Legend of the Seas
features Royal Caribbean’s trademark rock-climbing wall for
those who want a view 150ft above the ocean. There is a golf
course, health and beauty spa and the highly acclaimed – and
free – Adventure Ocean club for children aged three to
17.

Price: the Distant Isles and Classic
Mediterranean cruises start at £1,199 and £1,299 per
person respectively. The four-night taster cruise costs £399
per person.

Early-booking discount: up to £200
discount per stateroom and free parking at Southampton for bookings
made by the end of September.

Ship: Sea Princess.

Itineraries: the 1,950-passenger Sea Princess
will be based at Southampton from next April to September for seven
and

14-night cruises. These include three 14-day Mediterranean Magic
cruises calling at Spain, France, Portugal and Italy, and three
Italian Delight itineraries. Two 14-night Fire and Ice voyages head
to Norway’s fjords and Iceland and there are seven-night
cruises to northern Spain and Scandinavia.

Suitable for: families and couples who are
tempted by US-style cruising.

Shipshape: Sea Princess passengers can watch
movies in the poolside theatre or get married while at sea –
it is the only cruiseline to have weddings at sea. There is a spa
and gym, kids’ club and Princess Cruises’ Personal
Choice Dining, which allows passengers to choose where, when and
with whom they dine.

Price: seven-night cruises start at £1,057
per person. Fourteen-night cruises cost from £2,011 per
person.

Early-booking discount: Pricebreaker savings of
up to 45% until November 30.

Ship: Thomson Spirit.

Itineraries: next summer Thomson Spirit will be
sailing from Newcastle, Harwich and Southampton to the
Mediterranean, Norwegian fjords and Baltic cities. Itineraries
include the five-night Isles of Splendour from Southampton, calling
at Dublin, St Mary’s in the Isles of Scilly and St Peter Port
in Guernsey. The 14-night Baltic Capitals cruise sails from
Newcastle to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia and
Norway.

Suitable for: couples wanting a budget British
experience.

Shipshape: facilities on the 1,254-passenger
Thomson Spirit – with its Linda Barker-designed suites
– include two small swimming pools, show lounge, casino, spa
and Internet café. There are no set dining times so you can
dine when and with whom you like. A speciality restaurant has a
premium menu and superior service.

Price: Isles of Splendour starts at £469
per person; Baltic Capitals cruises start at £1,239 per
person.

Early-booking discount: various. Free
all-inclusive upgrades on cruises from Southampton to the Med and
free car parking at all ports, subject to availability.

Ships: Artemis, Aurora and Arcadia.

Itineraries: Arcadia starts its maiden season
with sailings from Southampton to the Med. It switches to northern
Europe and the Baltic capitals from June to August and returns to
the Med until October. Artemis will be cruising from Southampton to
northern Europe. Aurora starts and ends the season sailing from
Southampton to the Med; in between the ship heads north for P&O
Cruises’ first visit to Greenland. Oriana will sail
Mediterranean-bound cruises from Southampton throughout the summer
and autumn. Oceana has a busy season in the Med and sails for the
Caribbean in October.

Suitable for: those seeking an upmarket British
experience.

Shipshape: the new 1,968-passenger Arcadia,
designated child-free, enters service next April with a spa,
24-hour buffet-style dining, Oriental and gourmet restaurants,
various cafés and bars, and more. The 1,200-passenger Artemis
joins P&O Cruises in mid-June and will be the sole ship in the
fleet with only outside or balcony cabins. It is also
adults-only.

Price: Arcadia’s 17-night Jewels of the
Adriatic cruise starts at £1,599 per person while the 15-night
Arctic Adventure cruise on Artemis costs from £1,539 per
person.

Early-booking discount: the 45% Pricebreakers
discount expired on August 31. P&O Cruises said prices may
revert to the full brochure price or a higher discounted price.

Ships: Black Prince, Black Watch and
Braemar.

Itineraries: Black Prince starts the season in
April with two cruises from Greenock to the Canary Islands. A third
cruise, to Norway, ends in Leith for a series of Baltic
itineraries. Black Watch is based in Dover from June to September
for sailings to Norway, Spitsbergen and the Baltics. It switches to
Southampton in September for a 21-night voyage to Canada, a
27-night Eastern Med and Black Sea cruise and a 14-night Western
Mediterranean itinerary. Braemar will be based in Dover next summer
for Western Med and Baltic cruises.

Suitable for: clients aged 60-plus who want
very British, small-ship cruising.

Shipshape: all three ships have a main
restaurant, café and bar, plus swimming pools. Black Prince
has a health, fitness and beauty centre and pontoon that can be
lowered to sea level for water sports off the stern of the
ship.

Price: Black Prince’s seven-night Norway
cruise from Leith starts at £660 per person. Black
Watch’s 27-night Eastern Med and Black Sea cruise costs from
£2,733 per person, while Braemar’s 13-night Baltic
cruise, departing August 13, starts at £1,547 per person.

Early-booking discount: 30%-45%, available up
to six months before departure date.

Ships: Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2.

Itineraries: QM2 will be making 26 six-night
transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York – 13
in each direction – from April to November 2005. In between,
QM2 will be cruising from Southampton to the Med and the Baltics.
QE2 sails 22 round-trip cruises from Southampton next year –
19 to the Med, the Baltics and the Canary Islands and three to the
Caribbean and the Americas.

Suitable for: passengers who want to relive the
days of the great British liners.

Shipshape: QM2 is the new giant of the seas
– the biggest, tallest, heaviest, most expensive passenger
liner ever built. It also boasts the world’s first floating
planetarium, a cultural academy run by the University of Oxford and
the biggest and most extensive wine cellar at sea.

Price: one-way QM2 transatlantic crossings
start at £1,169 per person. A 15-night Mediterranean Mosaic
cruise on QE2 in June starts at £2,889 per person.

Early-booking discount: up to 45% off
QE2’s ex-UK cruises and 20% off QM2 sailings. These offers
could be withdrawn at any time.