Summer is the ideal time to book your winter voyage

The school summer holidays may only just have begun but if you are a cruise fan, now is the time to start thinking about Christmas.

The cruise companies are already tempting passengers with a range of special deals – whether you prefer a blast of December sunshine in the Caribbean or have time for a longer voyage.

The family-focused Ventura sails from Barbados for 14 nights on December 21. Father Christmas will abseil down the funnel on December 25. The fare is from £2,779 per person, including flights from Birmingham, Manchester or Gatwick, with P&O (0843 3740111, www.pocruises.co.uk).

If you love theme parks, start your holiday with three nights at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, before joining Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas for an eight-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale. Departure is on December 21 and the fly-stay-cruise package costs from £1,929pp with Virgin Holidays (0844 5734398, www.virginholidayscruises.co.uk).

You could also be sea-kayaking and snorkelling from a beach in Roatan, Honduras, on Christmas Day, or viewing the reef in a semi-submarine. Those are just two of 55 free excursions available on a ten-night cruise aboard Seven Seas Navigator (02380 682280, www.rssc.com), sailing from Miami on December 18. The ship sails to Key West and the Caribbean coasts of Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. The all-inclusive price, from £3,809pp, covers flights and open bars.

Further afield, an adults-only Mysteries Of The Indian Ocean cruise with Swan Hellenic (0844 8220679, www.swanhellenic.com), sailing from Sri Lanka to Singapore, will spend Christmas Day at sea between the Andaman Islands and Rangoon. The 16-night cruise, leaving on December 19, costs from £2,010pp including flights and excursions.

Why not spend Christmas heading round Cape Horn from the Atlantic to the Pacific? A 17-night cruise on Oceania's Marina sails from Rio de Janeiro on December 10, heading down the coast of Argentina and up the coast of Chile with Christmas Day at sea. The cost is from £2,792pp including flights (0845 5051920, www.oceaniacruises.com).

You can even get in on the act if you like a walk at Christmas, with a no-fly, two-week Ramblers 'cruise and walk' holiday aboard Fred Olsen's Balmoral. It leaves on a round trip to the Canary Islands from Southampton on December 22. After three days at sea with a traditional Christmas on board, your first guided walk is on Madeira and there are hikes on La Palma, Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and in Lisbon and Oporto. The cost is from £1,849pp (01707 386767, www.cruiseandwalk.co.uk).

For a bit more glitz, head to the Med on Divina, MSC's newest ship, launched this year. The 11-night cruise, a round trip from Genoa, calls at Barcelona, Casablanca, Madeira and Tenerife. On Christmas morning you'll wake up in Malaga. The cost is from £849pp including flights (0844 561 1955,

Looking for the latest FABCruise offers on a wide range of cruise holidays let FABTHINGS2do help you.

Independence of the seas nears completion

With only 15 weeks until delivery, Royal Caribbean International’s newest ship, Independence of the Seas, took to the seas for the first time on Friday 11th January having reached an 85% complete build status.

The ship, currently under construction in Turku, Finland at the Aker Yard ship yard, will be the third ship in the cruise line’s world record-breaking Freedom-class of ships.

Large sections of Independence of the Seas are nearing completion as an army of over 1,700 workers is currently working in temperatures several degrees below zero with snow forecast. Areas of the ship currently being worked on include the main dining room, the theatre and the upper deck pool area. The ship will be delivered to Royal Caribbean International in late April 2008, two weeks ahead of schedule.

She will arrive in Southampton in April 2008 for inaugural celebrations in the UK before becoming the first ever newbuild ship in the Royal Caribbean International fleet to be based in Europe.

Royal Caribbean International has also announced that Independence of the Seas will becoming into service two weeks earlier due to works being completed ahead of schedule, meaning an additional two sailings are now available on board the new ship from the beginning of May 2008. The new sailings including a four night Cork cruise that departs on 2nd May, sailing from Southampton to Cork and back to Southampton from £449 per person (based on two sharing an inside cabin), and an 11 night Canary Islands cruise that departs on 6th May, calling at Madeira (Portugal), Tenerife (Canary Islands), Gran Canaria (Canary Islands), Lanzarote (Canary Islands), Lisbon (Portugal) and Vigo (Spain) from £897 per person (based on two sharing an inside cabin).

Activities onboard Independence of the Seas will include the popular innovations already found on her sister-ships, Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, including the FlowRider surf simulator; the wet and wild H20 Zone children’s water park; cantilevered whirlpools suspended 112 feet above the ocean; an ice-skating rink; a boxing ring; and the 1,215-square-foot Presidential Family Suite, which sleeps up to 14 people.

Find out more about the Independence of the Seas with Hays Travel Cruise - the cruise experts

Independence of the Seas enter's service early

Royal Caribbean International’s Independence of the Seas will enter service two weeks earlier than planned after work on the ship completed ahead of schedule.

This now means Independence of the Seas will undertake two extra sailings from the beginning of May 2008.

- A 4-night Cork cruise departing 2 May
- An 11-night Canary Island cruise departing 6 May.

But, don't worry if you have already booked on the ship’s original 17 May maiden voyage - you will be offered first refusal to switch to the new inaugural sailing, which operates the same itinerary (Southampton-Cork-Southampton).

Constructed at Aker’s Turku shipyard, the 3,634-passenger Independence of the Seas will be the world’s biggest cruiseship and here at Hays Travel Cruise we look forwarrd to welcoming her to the UK port of Southampton in the spring of 2008.

Check out the latest offers on the Independence of the Seas with Hays Travel Cruise - The Cruise Experts.