A cruise holiday offers great value

After so many years selling holidays with the focus on skiing, we decided to chase our other passion which is cruising!

Having taken over Whitestar Cruise & Travel from Carol McCarthy in 2015, we have grown our cruising business to representing and selling a number of cruise lines. From the premier brands of Cunard & Seabourn to the award-winning all-inclusive Celestyal Cruises in the Greek Islands and the Med; P&O Cruises for affordable cruises in the Caribbean and Europe, and Hurtigruten the explorers favourite and Norway specialists; as well as offering charters of smaller boats from self-drive barges to skippered gullets and luxury yachts.

A cruise holiday offers great value as your cruise fare includes nearly everything you need for a fantastic trip : all meals, accommodation, daytime and evening entertainment as well as travel between destinations! It is a great way to see the world – visiting multiple destinations and unpacking only once!

Explore the many cruise options available from a self-drive canal boat or barge to small luxury yachts and bigger cruise ships. Choose from casual and all-inclusive to more upmarket, or the ultimate expedition experience to some of the most remote and awe-inspiring locations.

So you think cruising is not for you…? Think again! More and more travellers are cruising and loving it! With so many destinations on offer and cruise lines to choose from, the key is choosing the right ship for your needs.

Exclusive use cruising

Many travelers are now placing even greater value on privacy and spaciousness – and onboard this translates to smaller ships and private spaces where high space to guest ratios create a more comfortable travel experience. How about holidaying on a canal boat, barge or luxury yacht with options to suit different budgets, party sizes and holiday styles. For a more traditional cruise holiday, smaller ships with fewer guests and spacious onboard areas may offer you more peace of mind plus they also tend to visit smaller, less-crowded ports only accessible by smaller ships and yachts.

Cruising in a Covid era

Most cruise lines have for many years had health and safety protocols in place that are now considered essential, including hand-sanitising stations and rigorous cleaning and disinfecting procedures.

 All aspects of a cruise holiday are being reviewed and cruise lines have implemented strict procedures to ensure the health and safety of guests and crew. These include looking at strict hygiene and cleaning protocols, as well as measures such as screening guests before they board; frequent temperature readings upon boarding, reduced guest capacity to allow even more social distancing and working out how this will impact crew and guests as well as suppliers at ports visited.

The cancellation of many cruises and the resulting pause in operations has allowed cruise lines to fine-tune their health and safety protocols while also re-looking at many of their itineraries, making for a safer cruise experience.

Contact us for cruise options and itineraries to best suit you! There are so many choices for 2021 and beyond. As travel opens up again, so cruising will resume for you to explore new and different destinations around the world.