Winter-sun cruises are every bit as varied as summer sailings, so take the time to find the right one for your clients, writes Katie McGonagle
Family fun or floating festivities? Sunshine in the South Pacific or wildlife-watching in West Africa? Winter-sun sailings come in all shapes and sizes, and many go well beyond simple fun in the sun to incorporate events and festivals, in-depth excursions and exotic destinations that truly shine at this time of year. Tempt your clients to try winter sun on the water with our pick of sailings to suit every type of traveller.
Best for festive fun
Why: Greet the dawn of 2024 in style on Explora I from new luxury line Explora Journeys. Guests can not only leave their post-festive-season blues behind in favour of golden-sand shores in the Caribbean – setting sail from Puerto Rico for the sun-kissed isles of St Kitts, Martinique, Saint Martin and St Thomas – but also experience one of the most exciting new ships to grace the waves in years.
Wow: While many festive sailings spend New Year’s Day at sea, Explora Journeys focuses on making the most of the destination at hand. Guests can enjoy their gala dinner and champagne toast, then walk off that midnight merrymaking the following day among the coral-fronted buildings of Saint Martin, comparing the French and Dutch halves of the island, or people-watch over a café au lait.
Book it: An eight-day Sensational New Year Celebration cruise starts from £4,200 per guest in an Ocean Suite, sailing on December 29 from San Juan to Miami; flights not included. explorajourneys.com
Or try: Keep the festive spirit going for longer with Ambassador Cruise Line’s 38-night Christmas & New Year in the West Indies & Dutch Antilles sailing. With no flight required thanks to a London Tilbury departure, the line’s second ship, Ambition, charts a course to Funchal and the Cape Verde Islands before crossing the Atlantic to Barbados, Grenada, Saint Lucia and Antigua, returning via the Azores. The December 11 sailing starts from £2,439 for an inside cabin.
ambassadorcruiseline.com
Best for history and culture
Why: Soaking up the sun is all well and good, but why not soak up some history too amid the temples and tombs of the Nile? AmaWaterways will be doubling its capacity next year with the debut of 82-passenger ship AmaLilia, joining sister vessel AmaDahlia on the popular waterway.
Wow: Exclusive experiences include private access to the lavishly decorated tomb of Queen Nefertari, a shrine from pharaoh Ramses II to his favourite wife and one of the most elaborate tombs in the Valley of the Queens, plus a private lunch at magnificent Abdeen Presidential Palace, a former royal residence now home to five museums.
Book it: An 11-night Secrets of Egypt & the Nile package, including three nights’ pre-cruise in Cairo, a seven-night sailing to Luxor on AmaLilia and a final night on land, costs from £5,750, including flights from Gatwick or Heathrow.
amawaterways.co.uk
Or try: The Gambia is known for its beach resorts, but The Rivers of West Africa, a seven-night sailing from Variety Cruises, reveals a very different side to this part of the continent. Expect birdwatching, biosphere reserves and wildlife, including crocodiles, hippos, chimpanzees and red colobus monkeys, on the round-trip sailing from Dakar, Senegal, which is priced from £1,957 plus £309 port taxes, excluding flights, departing on December 23.
varietycruises.com
Best for far-flung adventures
Why: Our winter – or the southern hemisphere’s summer – is the perfect time to splash out on the paradise islands of the South Pacific. Starting from Papeete in French Polynesia, this journey on Azamara Onward – the newest addition to the Azamara fleet following a refurbishment last year – takes in the volcanic peaks of Bora Bora, colourful local culture in Fiji and the undulating coastline of New Zealand’s Bay of Islands.
Wow: An impressive five maiden ports are included on this itinerary: Pago Pago in American Samoa; Apia in Samoa; Nuku’alofa in Tonga; and Lautoka and Suva, both Fiji.
Book it: The 15-night South Pacific Jewels Voyage, departing on January 24, 2025, costs from £3,568, excluding flights.
azamara.com
Or try: For an alternative Antipodean adventure, combine Australia’s cultural capitals Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart – home of the Museum of Old and New Art – with Kiwi capital Wellington, art deco architecture in Napier and the glassy waters of Milford and Doubtful Sounds. Silversea Cruises’ 16-day Sydney to Auckland sailing on new ship Silver Nova starts from £11,300 door to door, including all transfers, flights and pre-cruise hotel stay, departing on January 5, 2025.
silversea.com
Best for wellbeing
Why: Embrace the roots of yoga in the place it was invented with a wellness twist on one of Uniworld’s most popular routes. Combine a week on the Ganges sailing to and from Kolkata with highlights of the Golden Triangle, which include the Taj Mahal in Agra and Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) in Jaipur.
Wow: This sailing is more than just sightseeing, with onboard meditation sessions and yoga classes, backed up by healthy eating menus and certified wellness instructors in the spa to keep guests feeling good.
Book it: The 13-day India’s Golden Triangle and Sacred Ganges itinerary pairs seven nights on Ganges Voyager II with five nights in luxury hotels (including Oberoi properties), from £5,999 including flights and transfers; departures offered from September 2023 to March 2024.
uniworld.com
Or try: Polish your lotus pose on the sun deck of a sailing ship with Star Clippers’ yoga-themed voyages in Central America. A seven-night Costa Rica & Nicaragua cruise features on-deck yoga lessons surrounded by lush, wildlife-filled forests and sparkling seas. The 11-night package costs £5,489 including flights and four nights on land, departing on December 9.
starclippers.com
Best for family value
Why: Describing the Canary Islands as an ‘old favourite’ might seem like a backhanded compliment, but these Spanish isles have long been top of the list for winter-sun escapes. Sample the shores of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and Tenerife, then move to the Moroccan ports of Tangier and Casablanca, which are returning to Celebrity Cruises’ roster for the first time in 15 years.
Wow: Attention is often heaped on newer ships – including design-led Celebrity Beyond and soon-to-launch Ascent – but families on a budget will find the best bargains by looking beyond flashy newcomers to more-established ships, especially those sailing from ports that are accessible via low-cost flights. Celebrity Infinity launched in 2001 but received a refit in 2022, and is sailing its first winter seasons in Europe this year and next.
Book it: A 12-night Canaries, Morocco, Spain cruise from Barcelona costs from £939 for an Inside cabin or £1,094 in an Ocean View stateroom, departing on December 21, 2024.
celebritycruises.com
Or try: The Middle East has become a winter-sun wonder in recent years, gaining prominence when the delayed reopening of Asian ports prompted lines to shift to the likes of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the Red Sea.
MSC Opera, which launched in 2004, offers good-value family fun with a water park, kids’ clubs for all ages, virtual reality games and Lego. A seven-night round-trip from Dubai departing on January 7, 2024, calling at Muscat, Abu Dhabi and Sir Bani Yas Island, starts from £379 cruise-only or from £1,009 including flights.
msccruises.co.uk
Best for extended sailings
Why: For clients who don’t have to worry about annual leave limits, a world cruise departing in January might be the perfect way to escape the Christmas comedown. Cunard’s Queen Anne, which launches in May 2024, will start the following year with its first world cruise.
The 107-night odyssey sails from Southampton to the Caribbean, transiting the Panama Canal to the South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, before journeying back via the Far East, Dubai and Oman, ending in the Med come spring, with maiden calls in China, Malaysia and Sri Lanka along the way.
Wow: With their relatively high price tags, world cruises require a certain amount of splashing out, even for the lead-in cabins. Nonetheless, Cunard reports strong sales of its top-level Queens Grill suites on this Queen Anne voyage, with butler service, complimentary minibar, daily canapés and a table in the exclusive Queens Grill restaurant.
Book it: Queen Anne departs Southampton on January 9, 2025, with prices from £19,299 based on two sharing a Britannia Balcony stateroom.
cunard.com
Or try: Always dreamed of exploring South America from tip to toe? A series of four sailings by Regent Seven Seas Cruises can be booked back-to-back to create an ambitious 67-night circumnavigation of the continent, taking in everything from the crumbling Casco Viejo in Panama City to pristine scenery in the Chilean fjords. Circle South America, round-trip from Miami on Seven Seas Splendor, starts from £39,259, departing on December 4.
rssc.com
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Aroona; Msc Rights/Ivan Sarfatti; Uniworld River Cruises inc; Stephen Beaudet
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