Travel: All aboard

Sunday Mirror, Apr 18, 2004 by Gill Williams

TEA dances and old-fashioned deck games have been tossed overboard as cruising has undergone a massive change. It's now the fastest- growing sector in the travel market and a million of us will book a cruise this year, attracted by prices starting from around pounds 499 for a week in the Med.

Part of the appeal is that what you pay covers all meals and snacks. And eat you will. On a fortnight's cruise, passengers on a 2,000-berth liner get through four tons of bacon and 50,000 eggs...and that's just the first meal of the day. Some cruise prices include drinks but usually you can expect to pay for booze, laundry, tips and treats such as beauty treatments. Entertainment and activities are free, from West End-style shows to sports like scuba and even golf.

Choosing a cruise is no harder than buying any other type of package holiday. Just do your homework first and decide what type of cruise is best suited to you. Ships vary hugely in style, from the enormous liners to old sailing boats. Some are formal, others more relaxed.

There are cruises for all age and interests. There are floating holiday camps for families and wildlife cruises for would-be David Attenboroughs. You can take up painting, join cookery lessons, or simply bag a deckchair and brown your knees...

BEST FOR FAMILIES

ISLAND CRUISES, MEDITERRANEAN

KIDS are collected from the cabin so mum and dad can have a lie- in on Island Cruises' holidays in the Med.

These family-themed cruises provide entertainment for kids of all ages. While younger ones join a professional cast and crew to produce their own West End show, teenagers can hang out in the ships amusement arcade.

Children can also visit the bridge and meet the captain. If they're still not tired out, there are magic shows, evening discos and pyjama parties.

Island Cruises have no set meal times so you can take the kids to the buffet any time to suit them, rather than any shipboard routine. The cruises operate out of Palma, Majorca. The Mediterranean Essence cruise goes to Corsica and Rome, across to Nice and Mahon, then back to Palma.

The Mediterranean Spirit cruise sails to Sicily, Naples, Livorno and Barcelona. then back to Majorca.

HOLIDAY INFO: A week's full board cruise costs pounds 699 including flights from May 4. A two-week cruise leaving the same day on both ships costs pounds 1,049. Kids prices on those dates are pounds 288 for one week, pounds 408 for two. Call 08707 500414.

BEST FOR COUPLES

THOMSON CRUISES, MEDITERRANEAN

TV wine enthusiast Jilly Goolden and designer Linda Barker have given the liner Thomson Spirit (below) a makeover in time for her summer 2004 cruise season.

Linda swapped Changing Rooms for state rooms when she redesigned the ship's suites, which have lounges with picture windows looking out to sea and separate bedrooms with king-sized beds.

Meanwhile, Jilly worked with the restaurant crew, choosing wines to go with menus in the ship's three restaurants (you can eat 24 hours a day if you must).

Spend days exploring ports, lounging by the pool with a book or working off dinner with a personal trainer in the health club.

Then dress up for cocktails in the Horizons bar and watch the sun set over the bow. Thomson cruises are based in Palma, sailing east toward Italy and Greece, south to North Africa and Egypt or west to Morocco, Madeira and the Canary Islands.

HOLIDAY INFO: Prices start from pounds 879 for seven nights full board staying in an inside cabin on decks one or two. This includes flights from most UK regional airports and transfers. Call 0870 550 2562 or visit www.Thomson.co.uk

BEST FOR SHORT BREAKS

FRED OLSEN TO FRANCE

FIND out whether cruising is for you by testing the water with a short break.

Fred Olsen Cruises has three ships running three-or-four-night breaks from Southampton and Dover across the Channel, the North Sea or west toward Ireland.

Sail from Dover to France and Belgium on a summer break on board the liner Braemar. The ship pulls away from the dock at 5pm and arrives in France in time for breakfast croissants and baguettes.

Spend the day exploring the French port of Honfleur, stocking up on wine and cheeses. Then reboard for an overnight sail to Antwerp in Belgium. Be sure to add chocs to your shopping list when you visit the city before returning home overnight to Dover.

There's nothing ferry-like about the Braemar, a smallish but elegant ship (above) with polished timbers and gleaming brass.

The liner has live music and cabarets plus formal and informal restaurants - along with a health club to work up an appetite for dinner.

HOLIDAY INFO: The Dover to Honfleur and Antwerp cruise departs August 28 and you spend three nights at sea. Prices start from pounds 395pp sharing an inside twin cabin. For details, look at www.fredolsen cruises.co.uk or call 01473 742424.

BEST FOR SIGHTS

NORWEGIAN COASTAL VOYAGE

TAKE plenty of film when you join this cruise up the coast of Norway from Bergen to Kirkenes in the far north.

Once upon a time, these ships were the only contact isolated villages had with the outside world.