Cruise Lines

You can always tell when the festive season is approaching as it's time for the puns to be dusted down and given an airing.

Costa has to get top prize, with its "Costa sleighs the competition this Christmas" headline - well it certainly caught my attention, as did the prices it is offering.

* Seven nights on the Costa Luminosa sailing around the Arabian Gulf from Dubai departing December 19 (so Yule (!) have Xmas on the ship) from £559 per person - less than £80 a day on a new ship and with all food included. Flights are extra.

* If you fancy staying closer to home, there's an eight-night Spain and Portugal cruise on the Costa Serena, also departing December 19, from £649 per person. That's £81 a night and it includes flights.

For more information on Costa, see your travel agent, click here or call 0845 351 0552.

If you'd rather something to blow away the post-Xmas blues (or just want to avoid those on-board Turkey dinners) Gill's Cruise Centre has some New Year deals.

* 15-day Caribbean cruise from Barbados on P&O Cruises' Ventura on January 2 from £1,299 per person. Price is for a balcony cabin and includes flights.

* 13-day Canary Islands cruise from Southampton on Fred Olsen's Boudicca on January 5 from £949 per person - £73 a day - for an outside cabin. And you'll get £75 to spend on board as well.

* 11-day Mediterranean cruise from Genoa on MSC Cruises' MSC Splendida on January 20 from £699 per person. That's less than £64 a day for a balcony cabin and including flights.

To book click here or call 08456 582323.

I'm not sure these deals are being offered entirely in the festive spirit - show me a cruise line that is happy to discount and I'll show you a real live fairy on top of a Christmas tree.

But who cares? There are some great offers around for anyone still looking for a great pre or post Xmas getaway.

* French line Compagnie du Ponant is offering mums and dads a free second cabin for two kids aged under 18 on selected sailings this month. They include a one-week cruise around the Arabian Gulf from Dubai departing December 16 and costing from £1,770 per person and a seven-night sailing from Bombay to Cochin departing December 28, priced from £1925 per person. Prices exclude flights. For more details click here or call 0808 234 3802.

* Windstar has cut the price of a seven-night cruise from Barbados on the 312-passenger Wind Surf sailing ship until March 2010. Prices start from £2,207 per person (down from £2,866) for a cruise departing December 13 including return flights. For information, click here or call The Cruise Portfolio on 020 7292 2387.

* Gill's Cruise Centre is offering a five-night Fred Olsen Christmas Markets cruise on Black Watch from Southampton on December 14 2009 from £249 per person. That's for a superior outside cabin. Book here or call 08456 58 23 23.

* Not quite Xmas but perfect for the New Year - a 15-day Caribbean cruise from Barbados with casual cruise line Ocean Village departing January 27 from £1,199 per person for an inside cabin including flights. Contact Gill's again on 08456 58 23 23.

It you'd prefer more time to plan, Costa Cruises has some good deals already lined up for 2010.

* 11-night Colours of Canada cruise from Quebec to New York on Costa Atlantica departing April 24 from £789 per person excluding flights.

* 21-night Alluring East cruise from Mauritius to Singapore on Costa Romantica departing March 27 from £1,479 per person excluding flights.

* 20-night Greenland cruise roundtrip from Amsterdam on Costa Luminosa departing August 1 2010 from £3,359 per person excluding flights.

For details of Costa cruises click here or call 0845 351 0552. 

The economic news throughout this year might have been dire but not enough to trouble the folk booking with Gill's Cruise Centre.

The cruise specialist says this year, 80% more customers than in 2008 have chosen to book balcony cabins. Or put another way, balconies have accounted for 36% of the company's bookings this year.

A kind of two fingers to the recession I guess, or is it just that the prices are so good they would be daft to miss out.

How about an 11-night Eastern Mediterranean on MSC Splendida from Genoa from £699 per person including flights and a balcony cabin on January 31? Or a 14-night transatlantic crossing from Barbados to Southampton on P&O's Oceana on March 19 2010, from £1,299 per person including a balcony cabin and one-way flight to Barbados?

Both deals, and more, are bookable by going to Gill's website or calling 08456 582323.

Rooms with balconies have become the cabin of choice for more and more people these days - it's why new cruise ships have so many and invariably the cruise lines report that the ships fill from the top down.

They are also addictive. It's a strange person indeed who chooses to go back from a balcony to an inside or seaview room that never enjoys a bit of fresh air.

Just think. No private place to sit outside and get away from the maddening crowds and nowhere to enjoy a glass of bubbly as the sun goes down and you bid farewell to yet another port. It's a hard life!

Cruise Critic's editor in chief Carolyn Spencer Brown must have been reading Cruise Thomas Cook's latest press release when making her 2010 prediction that cruise lines will carry on discounting into 2010.

Last week the cruise retailer hit the high streets fighting, promising a 2010 campaign where "we won't be beaten on price".

Specifically, it guarantees to match any quotation from another ABTA travel agent within 24 hours of booking or receiving a quote. It is also offering up to £500 more discount per booking and giving away a cruise a week with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises via an in-store scratch card promotion.

Here are a few of the deals available until January 31:

* P&O Cruises - save up to £800 per stateroom and get up to £200 on-board credit. Oceana special --- on board credit on every 2010 sailing.

* Princess Cruises - save up to £1,000 per stateroom and get $200 on-board credit on Alaska 2010 sailings and selected Exotic 2010/11 sailings.

* Cunard - save up to £300 per person on all transatlantic crossings and get $10 per person per day to spend on board if you book by February 28.

* Royal Caribbean International - save up to £400 per stateroom and receive up to $200 per cabin on-board credit on selected Oasis of the Seas sailings.

* Costa - receive £400 on-board spend on selected Far East sailings on Costa Allegra and Costa Classica.

The recession might be officially over, but there's no sign of an end to the great cruise offers we've been seeing over the past year or so. Here are some to get the credit card jumping.

SeaDream Yacht Club

If you can pack fast, you can save an incredible £6,000 on an 18-night Caribbean cruise from St Thomas in the US Virgin Islands to San Juan in Puerto Rico on SeaDream I on March 5. Prices now from $6,516 (£4,200) per person cruise-only, down from $14,800 (£10,200).

Closer to home, save more than £4,000 on a seven-night June 5 Greece and Italy cruise on SeaDream II from Piraeus, the port for Athens, to Civitavecchia, the port for Rome. Prices now from $3,226 (£2,080) per person cruise-only, down from $9,327 ($6,200) per person.

SeaDream I and SeaDream II each holds just 112 passengers. Drinks and gratuities are included in the prices. To book visit your local travel agent and tell them to call 0800 783 1373, quoting IBOS2010.

Oceania Cruises

Cruise the Med in luxury while saving more than £2,000 on this 14-night Venetian Rhapsody cruise from Barcelona to Piraeus, the port for Athens, on Insignia on April 18. Prices now from $3,612 (£2,300) per person cruise-only for a Penthouse Suite with a butler, down from $7,039 (£4,500).

Join the jetset on a 10-night Yacht Havens cruise from Civitavecchia, the port for Rome, to Barcelona on Nautica on August 5 and save £650 per person. Prices now from $2,139 (£1,450) per person cruise-only, down from $3,139 (2,100).

To book, see your travel agent, click here or call Oceania on 0845 505 1920.

P&O Cruises

Cruise into spring for just £74 a night on a 14-night no-fly Mediterranean voyage from Southampton on Ventura departing April 10. Prices from £1,025 per person cruise-only for a balcony cabin and including £100 per adult on-board credit.

Or why not try something new? There's a 16-night no-fly cruise on new ship Azura on May 10 from £1,475 per person cruise-only for a balcony cabin and including £100 per adult on-board credit.

To book, click here or call on 0845 3 555 333.

Iglucruise

Book an eight-night cruise from Lisbon to Oslo on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas departing April 19 from £579 per person including flights and gratuities. You can also upgrade to an outside cabins for £100 per person and to a balcony for £250. To book click here or call 020 8544 6447.

The top is the ultra-lux lines Yachts of Seabourn and Silversea, which have released some very tempting offers.

The bottom is Louis Cruises, which has eight-night cruises from £399 per person. You have to buy a flight as well with these guys, but with a full-board cruise at under £50 a night it's still a bargain.

Yachts of Seabourn
Book a summer or autumn cruise in the Med or Norwegian fjords by April 30 and you'll get free flights and private car transfers. Here are some samples, all including flights and transfers. Don't forget on Seabourn drinks and gratuities are also included in the price.
 
* Seven-night Cote D'Azur & Spanish Isles cruise from Monte Carlo to Barcelona on Seabourn Legend departing August 14 from £2,199 per person.

* Seven-night Greece & Dalmatian Isles cruise from Pireus, the port for Athens, to Venice, on Seabourn Odyssey on September 4 from £2,499 per person

* Twelve-night Grand Norwegian Fjords cruise from Copenhagen to London on Seabourn Sojourn on September 15 from £3,199 per person.
 
To book, see your travel agent, call Seabourn on 0845 070 0500 or click here.

Silversea
Silversea is including free flights on selected Middle East cruises. These prices include the flights and transfers, and also all drinks and gratuities while on board.

* Seven-day cruise around the Arabian Gulf roundtrip from Dubai on Silver Whisper with departures on March 30 and April 6 from £2,538 per person.

* Fifteen-day cruise from Dubai to Piraeus, the port for Athens on Silver Whisper on April 13 from £4,183 per person.

To book, see your travel agent, call 0844 770 9030, or click here.

Louis Cruises
This is the no-frills end of the cruise market, perfect if you're on a budget and desperate to get away to the sun. These are all cruise-only so you'll need to book your own flights. Prices are valid until March 31.

* Eight-night Iberian Coasts cruise roundtrip from Genoa on Louis Majesty on April 1 (you can also embark in Marseilles on April 2) from £399 per person.

* Eight-day Greece and Turkey cruise roundtrip from Piraeus, the port for Athens, on Louis Cristal on April 2 from £489 per person.

* Three-night Aegean Legends cruise roundtrip from Piraeus on the Aegean Pearl or Aquamarine on April 2 from £169 per person.

To book call 0800 018 3883 or click here. 

Still undecided about whether you can afford to book a cruise this year? Here's a selection of this week's best deals.

* Cruise and Maritime Voyages is offering free upgrades on a six-night springtime cruise from Tilbury on April 23, visiting Rouen in France, Guernsey and the Isles of Scilly. Prices from £399 (that's just £66.50 a day) per person cruise-only. See your travel agent, call CMV on 0845 833 9798 or click here.

* Iglu Cruise has seven nights on Princess Cruises' Grand Princess sailing from Southampton to Scandinavia on May 22 from £599 - that's just £85 a night with all food included - and you'll get a free upgrade to a balcony cabin. The cruise visits Bruges, Copenhagen, Helsingborg and Oslo. Call Iglu on 020 8544 6447 or click here.

* Gills Cruise has 14 nights on P&O Cruises' Oceana, sailing from Southampton to the Med on May 1, from £799 per person for an inside cabin. Cruise calls include Gibraltar, Civitavecchia (for Rome), Barcelona and Cadiz. Call 08456 582323 or click here.

* Gills again, but this time with a 10-night cruise on Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas from Southampton to the Canary Islands. Prices start from £749 per person for an inside cabin. Call 08456 582323 or click here.

* Star Clippers has a kids-sail-free offer on a one-week Turkish Riviera cruise roundtrip from Rhodes on the clipper ship Star Flyer on July 24. Kids have to be under 18 to qualify and will have to pay port taxes. Price start from £2,860 for a family of four excluding flights (saving £2,320). See your travel agent, call 0845 200 6145 or click here.

* If river cruising is more your thing, AMAWaterways is offering two free nights' in a five-star hotel in Prague with all bookings for its seven-night Castles and Rivers' cruise from Nuremberg to Trier on the Main, Rhine and Mosel Rivers. Prices start from £1,275 per person departing October 29, including daily excursions and wine with dinner but excluding flights. See your travel agent, call 0808 223 5009 or click here.

* Finally, Voyages of Discovery is offering upgrades from inside to outside cabins on selected cruises (there's one to France in August and one to Libya in October among the selection). Bookings must be made in April. See your travel agent, call 0844 822 0802 or click here.

Sometimes you come across an offer you just can't afford to ignore. I reckon the first three here, from Iglu and Carnival Cruise Lines, fall into that category. This week there are also some great no-fly deals and an Arctic one for would-be explorers.

Iglu Cruises has a five-night Spring Getaway from Southampton on Cunard's Queen Victoria from £399 per person, with a balcony cabin just £50 per person more - £449. You'll have an night in Amsterdam and visit Zeebrugge (for Bruges) and Le Havre in France. Call 020 8544 6447 or click here.

Iglu also has 14 nights from Southampton to the Norwegian fords on P&O Cruises' Oriana departing June 2 from £699 per person for an inside cabin. That's just £50 a night. An upgrade to an outside cabin costs £200 per person. Call 020 8544 6447 or click here.

Carnival Cruise Lines has a seven-night Western Caribbean cruise on the new Carnival Dream from Port Canaveral from £359 per person cruise-only on May 1, and there's a host of other great deals as well. But you'll have to hurry as these prices are only available today and tomorrow. Ask your travel agent to find Carnival's Pack and Go rates.

Cruise & Maritime Voyages has a six-night Norwegian fjords cruise on Ocean Countess from Hull on April 20 from £449 per person for an inside cabin or £649 per person for an ocean view. See your travel agent, call 0845 833 9798 or click here.

Gills Cruise has a 10-night Canary Islands cruise from Southampton on Royal Caribbean International's Independence of the Seas. It departs May 5 and costs from £749 per person for an inside cabin. Call 08456 582323 or click here.

It's Gills again, but this time with a 13-night Baltic cruise from Dover on Fred Olsen Cruise Lines' Braemar departing May 29, with prices from £999 per person. Call 08456 582323 or click here.

For something very different, polar cruise operator One Ocean Expeditions is offering free charter flights from Canada, worth $1,600 per person, to passengers booking a 13-day cruise through the Northwest Passage from Resolute in Canada to Kangerlussuaq in Greenland on the 122-passenger Clipper Adventurer on August 2. Prices start from US$5,590 per person excluding international flights. For more information, click here.