Extending your holiday cruise with self-catering holiday homes

For certain people, although they would like to spend some time at sea, enjoying the expansive views across the ocean and the excitement of visiting different ports along the way, spending their whole holiday on a ship is not something that they are that keen on. If this sounds like you then you can always mix a short boat journey with a week or two in a more traditional holiday home to organise the kind of break that is perfect for you. For example, Cunard cruises, among others, have a 5 night trip starting and finishing in New York, which you could take, and then spend some time in the Big Apple on your own afterwards. The great thing about most routes that the major companies sail is that you can usually join and leave wherever you choose, so you do not have to stay with the ship for the entire journey. If you enjoy holidays in Cornwall then you could book a delightful cottage for a week and if you want to go for a short sea voyage you can join one of the Princess cruises that call in at Falmouth. There are endless ways that you can build your own holiday itineraries in this way; a look through what the various companies have to offer in the way of trips by sea is a good place to start. There are also many independent agents online that can help you find the ideal holiday home in the United Kingdom.

"Overall view, we had a very nice relaxing time,staff were very good,food good,met some nice people and enjoyed ourselves a lot." - Manning, Luton on 28th Sep 2009 (NCL Cruises)

Getting around

One thing you might be worried about with mixing two types of holiday like this is the logistics of it all. First of all you need to decide whether you are going to use a car or rely on public transport. MSC cruises are one of the lines that have arrangements with garages in various ports, if you are looking for secure parking for your car while you are away. If you decide to use public transport then of course this means that you do not have to worry about such things as parking. You may find though, that some of the more out of the way self-catering holiday properties could be harder to reach. One solution is to take a taxi from the nearest train station to your cottage or apartment. With cruises from Southampton there are park and ride facilities, where you park and then take a transfer bus to the terminal, as there are at many ports. If you decide to take a train to the nearest station when making for your holiday home, it might be a good idea to check online for local taxi service numbers before you depart, especially if the station is small or in a remote location. Obviously once you are onboard ship for the sea-based part of your holiday, you do not have to worry about how to get around. NCL cruises are one of the options for trips leaving from the UK, with an interesting Baltic tour leaving from Dover.

"Our cabin steward Socorro, was excellent and our cabin was always clean & tidy. The balcony as a big bonus and we were able to enjoy room service on it during sea days." - McQuitty, Newtownards on 27th Sep 2009 (P&O Cruises)

Preparing to go to sea

For those who are new to travelling the oceans on a luxury liner, you may want to know if there are any special preparations that you should make before you depart. For the shore-based part of your break, you can check with the agent as to whether or not you will need to bring your own bedding and what sort of facilities there are in the property. To prepare for your sea voyage, with Royal Caribbean cruises and the other main operators, it is a good idea to pack a small carry-on bag, and put all your relevant travel documents in here, together with any essential medication and perhaps one change of clothes. Your main bags will be checked into your stateroom, so this way you do not have to wait for them to arrive before you can change into something comfortable once you depart. If you have several weeks to spare over the summer, It is possible to plan a holiday where you go for more than one trip by sea, while basing yourself on land. Fred Olsen cruises are one company that have a number of short journeys departing from Portsmouth, Southampton and Dover, which are all convenient for South Coast holidays. You may not want to pay to rent your holiday cottage while you are at sea though, in which case you can either take all your luggage with you, or check to see if it is possible to store it somewhere while you are at sea.

"We had a wonderful cruise very grand but comfortable entertanment was excelent cabin cosy and kept very clean we had a great time thank you." - Tumelty, Darwen on 27th Sep 2009 (Cunard Cruises)

Some places to think about

Assuming that you want to spend part of your break in a holiday cottage or apartment, you then have the choice of either making for a UK departure port for your sea trip, or you could alternatively fly to a harbour from your nearest airport. P&O cruises are one of the companies that can arrange a charter flight for you, from various locations around the UK. If you would like to stay in a self-catering property in Scotland for instance, then you could make your way to Glasgow and fly to Southampton to join up with a ship there. Some companies have boats that call in at Greenock and Rosyth, so this is another option to think about. For trips that last about a week or so, if you are leaving from the UK with a company like Celebrity cruises, then you will be looking at visiting areas around Europe mainly. If you want to travel further afield then you will definitely need to do some flying at some point. As long as you are happy with this, then the world really is your oyster. You can think about combining your self-catering break in the UK with a tour of the Orient for example, or perhaps you would like to see some of Australia and New Zealand in between a stay in a beautiful farmhouse in Devon. For perfect beaches and tropical weather with guaranteed sunshine, Caribbean cruises have got to be on your list of possible trips as well.

"We were more than happy with the food choices in both venues and so did not bother with Johnny Rockets or Portofinos. Food and service were excellent in MDR as were the choice and standard on the buffet." - Jones, Wistaston, Crewe on 28th Sep 2009 (Royal Caribbean Cruises)