School Holiday Cruise Deals

July 31, 2009 - PRLog -- A record number of British families will set sail on a cruise holiday this summer, taking advantage of last minute cruise deals as schools finish up for the holidays this week.

The cruise industry grew by more than 11 per cent last year as families across the UK opted for all-inclusive holiday options and cruise liners launched a host of new ships and itineraries. This trend is set to continue this summer, with cruises accounting for at least one in ten holidays booked.

Cruise ships are well set up for families, offering supervised child care around the clock in the form of kids clubs on board and qualified nannies for younger children.

Older children can enjoy teen-only lounges and night clubs on board offering a range of entertainment including PlayStations, Nintendo Wiis and Formula 1 simulators.

Larger ships are often equipped with bowling alleys, surf parks, ice skating rinks and rock climbing walls with family movies under the stars and West End-style shows in the evenings.

James Cole, director at Cruise118, said: “Cruise holidays can be tailor-made for any family, with a host of different facilities on board to keep children of all ages entertained.

“For babies and younger children, cruise lines such as P&O Cruises and Costa Cruises are ideal as they both offer an excellent choice of kids’ clubs and entertainment. For older children, Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas offers great kids’ menus for picky eaters and even private surfing lessons on the ship’s FlowRider wave simulator.

“A cruise holiday represents superb value for money, with most of the usual holiday extras such as food, entertainment, sunbeds and sometimes even drinks and ice cream included in the cost. Holiday makers can also choose to sail from UK ports if preferred to cut out the hassle and cost of flights to international ports.”

Here’s a selection of Cruise118.com’s best school holiday late cruise deals:

•   13th August: Seven-night Mediterranean cruise on board the Thomson Destiny. Departing from Palma (Mallorca), the ship calls at Palermo (Sicily), Naples (Italy), Olbia (Italy), Toulon (France) and Barcelona before returning to Palma. Prices start at £699 pp.

•   29th August: Eight-night Norwegian Fjords cruise on board the Fred Oslen Black Watch. Departing from Southampton the ship calls at the Norwegian ports of Stavanger, Eidfjord, Flam, Gudvangen and Zeebrugge (Belgium) before returning to Southampton. Prices start at £629 pp.

•    30th August: Seven-night Mediterranean cruise on board the Royal Caribbean Voyager Of The Seas. Departing from Barcelona (Spain) the ship calls at Naples (Italy), Rome, Florence (Italy), Nice (France) and Provence (France) before returning to Barcelona. Prices start from £629 pp CRUISE ONLY

For more information on any of the above or for more summer holiday cruise deals, visit www.cruise118.com or speak to a cruise concierge on 0800 280 2614.
   
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For further information and images contact Siobhan McGrogan at Beattie Communications PR Agency on 0161 932 1027/07718 660 120 or siobhan.mcgrogan@beattiegroup.com  
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Notes to editors:

• Cruise118 is an independent cruise retailer offering the full range of cruise holidays
• Cruise118’s team of cruise concierges provide each customer with an individually tailored service. The company’s independent status means customers receive the  best deals and advice when choosing and booking their cruise
• Bookings available via telephone, internet and email
• Cruise118 is committed to providing exceptional customer service as standard
• Cruise118 is ABTA bonded, offering customers complete peace of mind