If you’re looking for a no-fly cruise there is a huge amount of cruise lines that are sailing out of the UK including Silversea, Fred Olsen, P&O, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Cunard, Azamara, Ambassador, Oceania, Carnival, MSC, NCL (Norwegian Cruise Line), Regent, Viking, Seabourn and Disney Cruise Line.
Cruise lines with UK home ports
P&O Cruises (Arcadia, Arvia, Aurora, Britannia, Iona and Ventura), Celebrity Cruises (Celebrity Silhouette), Cunard (Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth), Princess Cruises (Royal Princess and Sky Princess) and Royal Caribbean (Anthem of the Seas) and finally MSC’s Virtuosa have their ‘home port’ in the UK, so you have the widest range of choice when it comes to no-fly cruise.
Which cruise line is best for - YOU?
P&O CRUISES
Iona and Ariva are just stunning, if you want to be ‘blown-away’ by stunning interiors these are the ships for you. The included dining options are good, but the speciality dining options are ‘top-notch’ and in my opinion well worth the supplement. The entertainment was also very good.
Tips are included in your cruise price but if you want Wi-Fi and a drinks package you need to add these on. The classic drinks package is £44.95 (per person, per day), and the high speed WiFi (which I need to work) is £18 (per person per day). For a 7 night cruise the enhanced WiFi and classic drinks package would be an extra £882.
Also, the trend for new ships is to get larger, with P&O’s Arvia taking 5,200 guests, and MSC’s Virtuosa taking over 6,300 passengers, making them just too big for many cruisers, who enjoy the smaller ships.
These larger ships also tend to be very popular with families, as they offer great value.
PROS – WOW INTERIORS, SPECIALITY DINING & ENTERTAINMENT, GREAT FOR FAMILIES
CONS – EXPENSIVE ADD ONS, AVOID DURING SCHOOL HOLIDAYS IF YOU’RE CRUISING WITHOUT CHILDREN.
PRINCESS CRUISES
The Sky Princess is stunning and is my favourite for its interior and layout.
The included dining options are very good with the buffet, main restaurant, and an excellent pizza restaurant.
The Princess Plus package which includes drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities offers excellent value, and this in my opinion sets it above P&O.
However, the service can be shaky at times (but very good most of the time!) and the Medallion App fabulous when it works and downright frustrating with its regular glitches.
When we were on board the WiFi was also problematic, as there is no ‘enhanced’ service, which I need to run my business. Princess promote the “The Best Wi-Fi at Sea – Fast. Reliable. Unlimited. Affordable” however, when I went last year, it was none of these things which was problematic, but clearly, less of an issue for light users.
The Sky Princess takes up to 4100 guests, so almost a third less than the new P&O ships.
PROS – WOW INTERIORS, DINING AND PRINCESS PLUS PACKAGE
CONS – WIFI, MEDALLION APP (if you are not very tech savvy)
PRINCESS CRUISES
The Sky Princess is stunning and is my favourite for its interior and layout.
The included dining options are very good with the buffet, main restaurant, and an excellent pizza restaurant.
The Princess Plus package which includes drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities offers excellent value, and this in my opinion sets it above P&O.
However, the service can be shaky at times (but very good most of the time!) and the Medallion App fabulous when it works and downright frustrating with its regular glitches.
When we were on board the WiFi was also problematic, as there is no ‘enhanced’ service, which I need to run my business. Princess promote the “The Best Wi-Fi at Sea – Fast. Reliable. Unlimited. Affordable” however, when I went last year, it was none of these things which was problematic, but clearly, less of an issue for light users.
The Sky Princess takes up to 4100 guests, so almost a third less than the new P&O ships.
PROS – WOW INTERIORS, DINING AND PRINCESS PLUS PACKAGE
CONS – WIFI, MEDALLION APP (if you are not very tech savvy)
FRED. OLSEN CRUISES has one of the highest level of returning guests. As new cruise ships move to become ‘floating resorts’ Fred Olsen retains the cruising traditions of formal nights, set dining times and shared tables, things I personally love!
Guests love the incredible range of no-fly itineraries, departing from Southampton, Portsmouth, Dover, Liverpool, Newcastle and Edinburgh (Rosyth).
There are only four ships in their fleet – and they’re small with around 1200 guests making the service intimate and attentive.
They are all older ships. You may find some of the cabins and bathrooms a little dated but they are generally spacious and well maintained. On Bolette, the amount of public space per guest is very generous, so the ship never feels too busy.
The food is very good, and the drinks package very well priced (£25 per person per day). Children’s facilities are limited, but they are offered during the school holidays, so whilst you’ll see a few children on board you won’t be overrun with them!
I thoroughly enjoyed by time on Bolette, and I can see why so many people love Fred Olsen. If you don’t like the huge ships, and you don’t want to pay Silversea, Seabourn or Regent prices, Fred Olsen is a really good alternative.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN, MSC & CUNARD
ROYAL CARIBBEAN
The Anthem of the Seas is a bold, beautiful ship, with more restaurants, bars and entertainment onboard than you can hope to experience in a week. It’s entertaining and flashy, think ‘Las Vegas hotel’. The atmosphere is equal parts modern sophistication and straight-up fun.
PROS – BEST FAMILY CHOICE & ENTERTAINMENT
CONS – VARIABLE FOOD, AVOID IF TRAVELLING WITHOUT CHILDREN IN THE SCHOOL HOLIDAYS, EXPENSIVE
CUNARD
My clients describe this as “how P&O used to be” and remains the most formal of the cruise lines. It also operates three different classes and attracts an older demographic.
The Queen Anne will join the Cunard fleet in 2024, alongside Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth.
BEST FOR TRADITION & MOST FORMAL
MSC
MSC’s Virtuosa has been based in Southampton since covid and is a great value family choice with lots of things to do, but you need to double-check what’s included in the fare and what costs extra. The ship is stunning, the drinks package is very good however, the service and food are not consistent.
BEST FOR FAMILIES & BUDGET
CELEBRITY CRUISES
I loved my time on Celebrity Silhouette and if food and service are the most important factors when booking a cruise then there’s no need to look any further. Also, it’s great if you’re looking to manage your costs, as if you booked with an ‘always included’ fare your drinks, wifi and gratuities are all included. Though this is set to change shortly with gratuities being removed from this offer.
The ship takes 2,886 guests, so half of the passenger number on Arvia, Iona and MSC Virtuosa. The ship does feel busy, particularly the bars at night, which is great for ambience but you can also struggle to get a seat. The “lawn” is also something very different, I’m sitting on the grass writing this and watching ‘Elvis’ the movie on the big screen.
Our balcony cabin was spacious, particularly the balcony area which was double the size we had on Princess, which we’ve really enjoyed in the good weather.
However, the Celebrity Silhouette, as an older ship, just doesn’t have the wow factor of the new P&O, Princess and MSC ships. Also the main ‘theatre’ entertainment is just okay, though we enjoyed the guest entertainers and the ship’s musicians. The ship also has limited attractions for children, which self-regulates the numbers which many guests prefer!
The service was the best I’ve experienced on ANY cruise line, which for me is the absolute standout for Celebrity.
Celebrity Apex will be sailing from the UK in 2024, which is one of the most modern ships in the fleet so this is very exciting news!
PROS – SERVICE & FOOD
CONS – OLDER SHIP, BUT APEX IS COMING!