Cruises are increasingly popular with honeymooning couples. Jane Archer picks five itineraries, from clippers in the Caribbean to Antarctic adventures
For more wedding and honeymoon trends, see our feature on private hotel and resort villas.
Like weddings at sea, honeymoon cruises are becoming more and more popular, and cruiselines have begun laying on special honeymoon packages to help couples get their holiday off to a memorable start.
Princess Cruises head of brand marketing Pieter van der Schee said: “A cruise makes a wonderful honeymoon. Newlyweds can start their life together being pampered in luxury and see exciting new places at the same time.”
Honeymooners who fancy going to sea are spoilt for choice, with big ships and small ships, opulent cruises or more affordable luxury. Couples can sail in the Med, island-hop in the Caribbean, discover the romance of the South Pacific, or choose an adventure off the beaten track.
We’ve picked five of the best cruises for the happy couple so you can help them decide.
Best for being pampered
Mediterranean cruise with Princess Cruises
As the star of the 1970s American TV series Love Boat, Princess Cruises has a head start when it comes to romance. It was the first cruiseline to offer weddings at sea, but you don’t have to tie the knot on board to honeymoon Princess-style and be pampered and waited on hand and foot.
Couples on the newest ships can relax in the adult-only Sanctuary, go for Anytime Dining, have a romantic table for two each evening, or treat themselves in one of the speciality restaurants. For the ultimate in indulgence, how about a champagne breakfast or lobster dinners on their balcony?
There are also special packages for newlyweds to make the holiday even more memorable. Champagne delivered to the cabin with two red roses, a framed portrait and personal card from the captain costs £75 per couple.
Add a champagne breakfast, his and hers 30-minute spa treatments and robes to take home for £223 per couple.
Sample package: From £1,299 per person for a 12-night Mediterranean cruise from Barcelona to Venice on Emerald Princess in September, including flights and transfers.
Best for romance
South Pacific cruise with Star Clippers
A fully-rigged tall ship with billowing white canvas cuts through the ocean as the happy couple laze in the sun, listening to the sounds of the waves below.
Star Clippers has three vessels – Royal Clipper holds 227 passengers and has five masts and 42 sails, sister ships Star Clipper and Star Flyer each hold 170 passengers and have four masts and 21 sails.
These ships are perfect for enjoying sun, sea and sky, maybe cooling off in the very small pool, or learning about navigation and knots from the captain.
On port days honeymooners can discover new sights and sounds – two ships are in the Med in summer and Caribbean in winter, while Star Flyer is in the dreamy South Pacific – and in the evenings they can enjoy drinks under the stars.
Sample price: From £1,090 per person cruise-only for a seven-night round-trip cruise from Papeete in Tahiti on Royal Clipper in December.
Best for lovers
Greece, Italy and Croatia cruise with MSC Cruises
Italian cruiseline MSC Cruises’ vessels come in all sizes, from the older MSC Rhapsody for 812 passengers to the new MSC Poesia for just over 3,000.
Whichever vessel newlyweds choose, they can be sure of enjoying the cruiseline’s trademark Made in Italy service, food and decor, a massage for two in the spa and a celebratory glass of something with the captain.
The new ships have balconies and speciality restaurants where lovers can escape the crowds and enjoy a romantic dinner for two. There are packages if they want to splash out on something special – a deluxe champagne breakfast or champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries treat cost £51 each.
Sample price: From £798 per person for a seven-night round-trip cruise from Venice on MSC Poesia in September including flights and transfers.
Best for intimacy
Caribbean cruise with SeaDream Yacht Club
SeaDream has two ships, each with capacity for just 110 passengers. With almost as many crew to look after their every whim, plus an all-inclusive drinks policy, top-deck al-fresco dining and Balinese beds on which couples can sleep under the stars, this is the height of luxury and romance.
The ships sail the Med in summer and the Caribbean in winter, usually on seven-night cruises that can be booked back to back to make a longer romantic break. Better still, young lovers with deep pockets can charter a ship, fill it with friends and have the honeymoon cruise of their dreams.
Sample price: From £3,015 per person cruise-only for a seven-night cruise from San Juan to St Thomas on SeaDream II in October.
Best for something different
Cruise to Antarctica with Hurtigruten
This is one for adventurous newlyweds prepared to cruise across Drake’s Passage to the last great wilderness, where days are spent gazing at stunning scenery, walking through penguin colonies, watching out for humpback whales and getting up close to icebergs.
Hurtigruten has two ships in Antarctica this winter – Fram will be sailing 11-night round-trip cruises from Ushuaia, at the tip of Argentina; Nordnorge is sailing longer itineraries, at times adding a visit to the Falklands to a cruise to the White Continent.
Be warned: honeymooners should treat themselves to a top-of-the-range suite or they will end up on single beds, which is not an ideal start to married life.
Sample price: From £5,845 per person cruise-only for a suite on an 11-night cruise on Fram, on a round-trip from Ushuaia in January or February 2009.
- Read Jane Archer’scruise industry blog for Travel Weekly
