Britons take to the waves as cruise holidays soar

The popularity of cruise holidays will see the number of passengers setting off from British ports rise by almost third next year, official figures reveal.


With holiday budgets stretched, travel experts say that cruises are gaining popularity because they provide more “bang for your buck” than other holidays. Although the average cruise holiday costs around £1,000, the price includes food, entertainment and the chance to see numerous cultural sites in a one go. Falling prices, as a result of people booking holidays closer to the departure date, are also behind the rise.

According to the Passenger Shipping Association (PSA), 835,000 people will take a cruise holiday from a UK port in 2012, an increase of 28 per cent over the last two years

Many of the large cruise companies – such as P&O and Cunard – have launched large ships in the UK in the last few years to cater for the increased demand. For example in April 2010 P&O launched the Azura in Southampton, which can carry over 3,000 passengers.

The fact that cruise holidays are stress free – with no organization or map-reading required on the part of the holidaymaker – is an added attraction to make Britons.

Entertainment has become an increasingly important part of a cruise holiday. Singers such as Gareth Gates have recently appeared on ships. Other forms of entertainment include historical lectures or plays.

For example, Cunard has a commercial relationship with RADA, the acting school. The cruise company puts on “specially-edited versions of renowned plays, and adaptations of great literary classics on Transatlantic Crossings, each lasting no more than one hour”, according to its website.

Earlier this year, passengers on a week-long cruise from Southampton to New York got more than they bargained for in the entertainment stakes when Roger Daltrey, singer from The Who, took to the stage and sang a number of hits including My Generation.

Mr Daltrey was on the Queen Mary 2 liner with his friend, the Squeeze singer Chris Difford, who was on the ship giving writing workshops.