UK Cruising: The top ten

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Cruises around the UK

Cruise ships are circling the UK’s shores this summer on a series of domestic sailings. Here’s a round-up of some of the top seacations

P&O Cruises is running three- and four-night “ultimate escapes”, with prices starting from £249pp for an inside cabin on Britannia. The cruises will depart from Southampton between June and September, sailing around the UK coastline. New Excel class ship Iona will be offering seven-night UK itineraries, including a maiden voyage sailing around the Scottish islands, anchoring off Iona, the island after which she was named. Prices start from £1,049pp. pocruises.com Riviera Travel’s four British Isles cruises in July will comprise exclusively of a ‘Cruising Scotland’s Highlands & Islands’ itinerary. The eight-day itinerary will depart from either Edinburgh or Greenock and will have a port stop and excursion included every day, taking in Aberdeen, Inverness, Orkney, Oban, the Outer Hebrides and Belfast. Tours on offer include trips to Loch Ness, Balmoral Castle, the Titanic Visitor Centre, the Callanish Standing Stones, and the Neolithic Ring of Brodgar henge and stone circle. Prices start from £1,999pp, based on two people sharing a cabin. rivieratravel.co.uk Cunard is operating a series of UK sailings on board Queen Elizabeth. The cruises will be round-trip from Southampton and will run between July and October 2021. British Isles Voyages include scenic sailings along coastlines such as The Jurassic Coast, Cornwall and Scotland, including the Isle of Arran, Mull of Kintyre and Sound of Mull. Four-night scenic British Isles Voyages are priced from £599pp, while a 10-night British Isles Voyage starts at £1,299pp. cunard.com Fred Olsen Cruise Lines will operate 11 UK sailings this summer featuring new ships Borealis and Bolette. Split between Dover and Liverpool, the ‘Welcome Cruises’ will include scenic-only sailings and others with ports of call visited by its smaller ships. The scenic sailings will include the Shetland and Orkney islands and the Isles of Scilly. Borealis will set sail on a three-night maiden voyage from Liverpool on July 5, with Bolette debuting from Dover for three nights on August 16. Prices start at £549pp for a four-night sailing. fredolsencruises.com Princess Cruises’ series of short UK cruises will depart in late summer. Regal Princess and Sky Princess will offer short breaks and week-long holidays between July and September, sailing from Southampton. The scenic UK cruises and voyages will provide a ‘touchless’ experience thanks to the line’s OceanMedallion wearable technology.

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Itineraries range from three to seven nights with stops in Liverpool, Portland, Belfast and Greenock. A seven-day round-trip with two port stops is from £899pp. princess.com Celebrity Silhouette will set sail from Southampton this summer following a refit. The new luxury ship will embark on six-to-eight-night itineraries around Britain’s coastline from July 3. Guests will have the chance to explore the Jurassic Coastline from Portland; discover Scottish cities and highlands, including Inverness, Kirkwall and Glasgow; uncover the history of Belfast; and visit Liverpool. celebritycruises.com Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Sea will begin sailing a combination of four-night Ocean Getaways in early July and five- to eight-night British Isles cruises, starting July 15, that will feature visits to Liverpool, Kirkwall in Scotland and Belfast. Royal Caribbean is offering 999 free staterooms on its first Ocean Getaways cruise to those working in the National Health Service (NHS), social care sector and members of the armed forces. royalcaribbean.com Disney Cruise Line is promising magic and familiar faces on its Disney Magic at Sea UK staycation cruises this summer. Families can look forward to Disney storytelling, character appearances and onboard entertainment on two-, three- and four-night cruises in waters around the UK coast that will depart from a variety of ports including Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle and London Tilbury. The cruises kick-off with a two-night cruise, sailing from Liverpool, on July 18, priced from £540pp. disney.go.com MSC Cruises is inviting both vaccinated and non-vaccinated passengers onboard its new flagship, MSC Virtuosa. Sailing out from Southampton, the cruise line will offer a special range of all-inclusive short breaks and week-long itineraries cruising UK coastal waters. A four-night cruise from Southampton, stopping in Portland, costs from £549pp. msccruises.co.uk Offering an adult-only sailing experience, Virgin Voyages’ ‘Summer Soiree Series’ will give passengers a first taste of Virgin’s first ladyship, Scarlet Lady. The summer staycation-at-sea voyages will include three- and four-night itineraries sailing the southern coast of England, with a six sailings this August.The lead-in rates for Sea Terrace cabins are £499pp for three nights and £599 for four nights. VirginVoyages.com