Channel 5 host Susan Calman praises river as ‘brilliant option’ for new-to-cruise customers

TV presenter and comedian Susan Calman has described cruise as “the perfect holiday” at the annual Clia RiverView conference.

The comedian, who presents the Channel 5 series Cruising with Susan Calman in which she embarks on ocean and river cruises around the world, described river cruises as “a brilliant option” for people to try out the sector’s offering for the first time.

Speaking to delegates in Amsterdam, Calman said: “I love ocean cruises, but there are often apps and administration, and it takes a long time to get from one place to another place.

“River cruises, for people like me who hate administration and complication, are simple, which means you have got more time to enjoy the fun of cruises.”

Calman also highlighted the benefits of being able to fly direct from “almost anywhere in the UK” to Amsterdam to reach a European river cruise.

She added river cruises also feel “safe” as they are always close to shore and you can walk "straight off" the ships when docked to “enjoy” what the destination has to offer.

“I love the bigger [ocean] ships as well, don’t get me wrong, but there is a point when we were sailing to Costa Rica and we were the only ship [in sight], and it feels quite out there,” she said.

“I love sailing on the Danube, especially to Budapest and Vienna, and it’s a different experience of cruising.”

Calman said river was “a brilliant option” for people to try a cruise and not be “overwhelmed” on one of the bigger ocean ships, adding: “If you’ve got concern about how you feel on a ship, there is never much movement really on the [river] ships and I think it’s a great place to start for people to see if they like cruises.”

She said she was introduced to cruising after appearing on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2017 and subsequently being invited on a Strictly-themed cruise on P&O Cruises which she “absolutely loved”.

She said her first river cruise was a Christmas markets cruise on the Danube filming for the Channel 5 programme and recommended festive Europe itineraries as an option for people to try first.

Calman said: “For me, the Christmas cruises have been most popular with audiences because it’s everything they want and more.

“If you want a Christmas market, the Danube cruise we went on, everywhere we went was all the big hitters like Vienna, Prague and Budapest, and I think it is a great introduction for people because they will not be disappointed.

“You can’t be disappointed with a Christmas cruise.”

She added the Ganges River cruise with Uniworld Boutique River Cruises was “a once-in-a-lifetime experience” that was “so special” with “genuine spiritual moments”.

Calman admitted that she had only been on one holiday in the past 15 years as she had “always been working”, but that she broke the no-holiday streak with her first every golf holiday last year.

She said she would be interested in a golf cruise if one was available, adding: “There is nothing I love more than being on a cruise ship. It is the perfect holiday.

“You get entertainment but at the same time you get a lovely meal, you can talk or not talk to people.

“Cruises are the absolute best holidays you can go on.”