Who says cruising is expensive? A cruise can be affordable, even with all your meals, accommodation, entertainment and often flights included. Granted, unless you opt for ultra-luxury, you’ll usually have to fork out extra for drinks and excursions, but with fares as low as £70 per person per day, who’s complaining? Here are seven of the best lower-cost cruises for this year and next.
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1. Greek island hopping
This four-night itinerary on the 1,360-passenger Celestyal Discovery packs in the ports. You’ll have an evening in Mykonos, which will be quieter this late in the season, then a morning in Kusadasi, for trips to Ephesus which again, should be less crowded in October. Patmos, Rhodes, Heraklion and Santorini occupy the next couple of days, with imaginative optional excursions on offer that include beekeeping and pottery-making in Rhodes and a “Music, myths and history” tour in Santorini with a recital of Greek music.
Details Four nights’ full board from £599pp, including wi-fi and crew tips, departing from Athens on October 27 (celestyal.com). Fly to Athens
2. Cruise the Caribbean
St Lucia is on this P&O Cruises’s Caribbean itinerary
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A fortnight in the Caribbean under £130 per person per day is a splendid deal. You’ll fly to Barbados and board P&O Cruises’ smart, 3,647-passenger Britannia for two weeks of lotus eating as you explore eight of the most gorgeous islands of the Caribbean. First, it’s Curaçao and Aruba, two of the “ABC” islands off the coast of South America. Then it’s on to St Vincent, Grenada, St Lucia, St Maarten and Antigua, a chance to experience an array of cultures, dreamy beaches and plenty of rum punch. On board, don’t miss the tapas bar or Sindhu, the excellent Indian restaurant.
Details Fourteen nights’ full board from £1,809pp, including flights and crew tips, departing from Barbados on November 15 (pocruises.co.uk)
3. Adventure in Iceland
The spouting Strokkur geyser
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Head north to the “land of fire and ice” on a ten-night cruise from Rosyth on Fred Olsen Cruises’ cosy Balmoral. You’ll sail past the craggy Duncansby Sea Stacks and Orkney’s Old Man of Hoy, both dream locations for twitchers. There’s a day in the Faroe Islands before you arrive in Iceland, where there are four ports of call. Go whale-watching, visit dramatic waterfalls, hike glacier-scraped valleys strewn with purple lupins and admire the spouting Strokkur geyser in Thingvellir National Park, near Reykjavik.
Details Ten nights’ full board from £1,499pp, departing from Rosyth on July 10 (fredolsencruises.com). Take the train or fly to Edinburgh
• 9 of the best affordable cruises for less than £100 a day
4. Cuba calling
Cuba’s capital, Havana
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There’s a lot to love about this 40-night epic from Tilbury to the Caribbean on Ambassador Cruise Line’s 1,400-passenger Ambience, not least the fact that it costs about £75 per person per day — and that’s including all meals. You’ll dodge much of the British winter and the 13 ports of call include a day in Havana. Other stops include Martinique, the British Virgin Islands, Montego Bay and Ocho Rios in Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua. Granted, there are long periods at sea as you cross the Atlantic, but you could splash out on the spa, drink cocktails by the pool or join marine mammal specialists from the Orca charity on deck, surveying the waves for whales and dolphins.
Details Forty nights’ full board from £3,109pp (with 30 per cent off for a second guest), departing from Tilbury on January 30, 2026 (ambassadorcruiseline.com)
5. All-inclusive Canaries
Teresitas beach on Tenerife is the ideal spot to soak up some winter sun
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Catch some pre-Christmas sunshine on a seven-night cruise that takes in Tenerife, Lanzarote, La Palma, Gran Canaria and Funchal, Madeira, where you’ll be in port overnight. Excursions, which cost extra, include cycling in Lanzarote, exploring mountainous Madeira by 4×4, and heading into the hills of forested La Palma by dune buggy. And beaches, of course; it’s still warm enough to swim in the sea in December. On board the adults-only Marella Explorer 2, there are ten bars and nine restaurants to explore — and drinks are included in the price.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £947pp, including flights, drinks and crew tips, departing on December 8 (tui.co.uk)
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6. Norway on a new Queen
The mountains at Sognefjord appear to plunge straight into the water
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Try out Cunard’s newest ship, the 2,996-passenger Queen Anne, on a seven-night cruise to the fjords, sailing from Southampton. You will spend time ashore in Stavanger, Skjolden, Olden and Haugesund, but arguably the best moments are the scenic sailing along tranquil fjords, including Sognefjord and Nordfjord, where mountains plunge straight into the still water. Look for eagles wheeling in the sky and seals basking on the rocks from the comfort of your lounger on the teak deck. Pack your glad rags, too, as all Cunard cruises include at least one glittering formal night.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £989pp, departing from Southampton on July 27 (cunard.com)
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7. Late-summer sunshine in Spain and Portugal
You can easily reach Sevilla from the stop in Cadiz
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Head south to the late summer sunshine of Spain and Portugal on Royal Caribbean’s fun-packed Independence of the Seas, which will be based in Southampton this summer. You’ll stop in Vigo before continuing to Lisbon and then Cadiz, from where Seville is an easy drive. On the return leg, there’s a day in each of La Coruña and Bilbao. On board, try out the water slides, the surf simulator and the ice rink — and don’t miss the excellent entertainment, which includes a full production of Grease. You can dine on anything from steak to sushi and there’s even a poolside chippy, the American-owned line’s nod to its British audience.
Details Nine nights’ full board from £1,069pp, departing from Southampton on September 1 (royalcaribbean.com)
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