Cruise Lines

If you're planning to book a P&O cruise for next year, do it next month, when the line is running a Early Booking Spectacular (their words, their capital letters!), with up to £1,500 per couple off cruises departing Southampton between March and October 2011.

They're also giving away free car parking or coach transfers on cruises of seven nights or more, on-board credit of up to £375 per couple and an extra 5% off if you pay for the cruise in full when you make the booking (roundtrip cruises from Southampton only).

You've got until Thursday September 30 to browse their brochure and make the booking. Call 0845 3 555 333, click here or see your travel agent.

If you'd rather get away sooner and escape the British rain, Iglucruise has a 26-night cruise from San Francisco to Sydney on October 13 on P&O Cruises' Oriana from £1,849 including flights, transfers and three nights at the Grace Hotel in Sydney. Call 020 8544 6447 or click here.

I'm recently back from a cruise along the US East Coast and into Canada so I can thoroughly recommend the places you'll visit on this nine-night Canada cruise offered by Cruise Thomas Cook from £1,140 per person including flights. I went with Princess, this one is with Carnival Cruise Lines, cruising on Carnival Glory, and it departs on October 2. Call 0800 916 6070, click here or visit your nearest Thomas Cook or Going Places.

River cruise companies say they are choc-full with bookings this year, but AMAWaterways has nevertheless found enough room to offer a few two-for-one deals on the Danube and Rhine including a seven-night Europe's Heartland cruise from Trier to Nuremberg on November 7. It now costs from £1,549 for two people including meals, wine with dinner, daily excursions but excluding flights. Call 0808 223 5009 or click here.