Blue Water Blog

One of our cruise specialists, Samantha, recently joined an APT Danube River cruise onboard Travelmarvel Polaris. Read Samantha's blog as she explores Vienna, Durnstein, Melk and many other unique destinations on a memorable three night short break cruise

One of our cruise specialists, Emmy, was lucky enough to join Ponant on an adventure of a lifetime to Spitsbergen. Read Emmy's blog for a full insight into how truly amazing this journey was.

On Wednesday 5th July on ITV1, Joanna Lumley is embarking on her most epic voyage to date, the Spice Trail, on which she'll be exploring Indonesia, Zanzibar, India and Madagascar to gain a full insight of the age-old tale that is the spice trade...

We asked Julie Nunes from Silversea about why cruising the Galapagos Islands is an experience you will never forget!

Football lovers, foodies, and shopaholics unite as we tell you all about one of South America's greatest gems, Buenos Aires. This thriving cosmopolitan city has so much to offer from world-class steak to the unforgettable Tango tradition, you will never be bored when in this bustling corner of the world.

Explora journeys is the latest travel brand launched by the MSC Group with creative direction from the Aponte Vago family. Their aim is to create a luxury, immersive journey at sea with individual services and experiences to suit each and every guest.

At Blue Water Holidays we are experts when it comes to river cruising. From tips on when to book to shore excursions, this article contains everything you need to know about river cruising.

The three new river ships will shine bright, like the stars they were named after: Polaris, Capella and Vega. Combining state-of-the-art design with more dining options and social spaces, these contemporary river ships offer a relaxed new standard of cruise.

I have been very lucky in my time at Blue Water Holidays to have taken some wonderful trips, but when I received this invitation, it really did feel like a once in a lifetime opportunity. I had been asked to spend three nights onboard the Star Clipper sailing the Amalfi coast in Italy stopping at Amalfi, Sorrento and Ponza!

Just a small selection of cruises to Europe’s finest gardens, from France to the Netherlands, Scotland and beyond, there is a cruise to tempt all keen horticulturalists.

We take a look at Ponant’s new polar ship, Le Commandant Charcot. Le Commandant Charcot, the very first hybrid-electric polar exploration ship powered by liquefied natural gas, has now made it possible to experience polar expedition cruises of a kind never before undertaken.

Whereabouts in the Mediterranean can you find an unspoiled island with astounding natural beauty, quirky towns, vibrant small cities and a fascinating history? This island gem off the coast of Italy has myriad attractions and relatively few tourists!

Costa Rica is the ultimate eco-friendly holiday experience, and now you can experience the Pura Vida life with Star Clippers, the first cruise line to be approved by the Costa Rican Tourist Board.

A sparkling jewel in the Caribbean, Barbados is on every must-visit list. A colourful fusion of the Caribbean’s best beaches, colonial history, spectacular scenery and a mouth-watering cuisine, Barbados has something for everyone. Why not extend your Caribbean cruise with a few days on this beautiful island, where the superb resorts, dramatic east coast and white-sand west coast offer a multitude of exciting and unique ways to pass the time. Read our guide on the top things to do in Barbados.

Cruising in the Middle East brings a sense of luxury with the region’s 5-star amenities, sun-drenched beaches, and culture-rich cities. Relax on pristine beaches, splash out in air-conditioned malls, or haggle at authentic souks. There is warm sun all year round and many opportunities to check off a number of items on your bucket list.

With its picture-perfect white-washed towns, gleaming sandy beaches and crystal-clear waters, it’s no surprise that Greece is a favourite destination for film-makers. Many famous films have been set and filmed in the Greek Islands, and here are just some of our favourites.

Norway is one of our most popular cruise destinations and it is easy to see why. Spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, summer’s Midnight Sun and winter’s magical Northern Lights are just a few things that make this exquisite country one of our favourites too. Read our top 10 reasons to visit Norway for even more destination highlights

Looking to book a river cruise but aren’t sure when to travel? The good news is that there isn’t a wrong choice, as every season offers something different. The bad news is that doesn’t make your decision any easier! Read our top tips for choosing which season and river will suit you.

Ambassador are the first British cruise line to launch in over 10 years. Offering a choice of over 30 different itineraries, all departing from the UK, this article discovers what this brand-new cruise line has to offer.

If you are looking for a unique and authentic way to explore France then a Hotel Barge Holiday could be just what you are looking for. This article uncovers exactly what Hotel Barging is and our suggestions on which canals to cruise.

As cruise lines look to welcome guests back to cruising there are some incredible deals around, so it seemed only right to take advantage of one. Read our guide to find out what to expect!

Sales Supervisor Rebecca and Marketing Executive Laura recently joined Uniworld's Authentic Danube river cruise. Read on to find out what to expect on a Uniworld river cruise!

Our Product and Marketing Manager, Kathryn, recently enjoyed Emerald Waterway's Danube Delights cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg. Read her exclusive review!

Samantha, one of our cruising specialists, recently enjoyed Avalon Waterway's Active and Discovery on the Rhine river cruise. Read her exclusive review!

Our Cruise Specialist, Emmy, recently enjoyed a river cruise through Holland and Belgium on board Emerald Waterways' 182-passenger ship, Emerald Star. Read her exclusive review!

Be part of the first-ever world expedition voyage from Silversea Cruises. In 2021, luxurious 254-passenger Silver Cloud will spend 167 days cruising to an incredible 107 ports in 30 countries.

The incredible Seven Wonders of the Modern World are architectural marvels, some built by ancient empires and others relatively more recently but no less impressive. Spread across the globe, they can all be visited whilst enjoying a cruise.

We have just released our superb Escape to Faraway Shores brochure, featuring a selection of our exotic river, small ship and luxury cruises that travel to far-flung lands, all with fantastic offers.

The idyllic Greek Islands are a joy to explore and a cruise is the perfect way to experience the best of Greece, allowing you to hop from one idyllic island another.

Cruising is the perfect way to experience Norway’s contrasting seasons. Hurtigruten’s small ships have been sailing the breathtaking Norwegian coastline for 125 years and continue to offer authentic voyages, departing daily all year round.

Discover turquoise seas, colourful reefs and white sandy beaches on a relaxing island-hopping cruise in the Maldives.

Designed to deliver the ultimate luxury experience of a lifetime, brand new Scenic Eclipse takes ocean cruising to a whole new level.

We are delighted to bring you these fantastic Black Friday deals on a range of worldwide cruises - call our cruising specialists on 01756 706500 to secure your savings!

We are delighted to introduce a number of new USA cruises to the Blue Water Holidays cruise collection.

Magical Iceland is still being shaped by mighty forces; geysers gush, volcanoes rumble, waterfalls cascade down majestic mountains and huge glaciers carve great pathways through the landscape.

Regent Seven Seas believe that travel should not be a reason to compromise.

Cruising Specialist Karen was lucky enough to be invited on board Viking Cruises' superb ocean ship Viking Sun when she docked in Liverpool.

Our Marketing Executive, Margaret, recently enjoyed a voyage along the beautiful Norwegian coastline on board Hurtigruten’s 590-passenger ship, Richard With.

The Yorkshire Cruise Show returned to Ilkley for the third year in a row and was once again a huge success, with over 500 people attending the event at the beautiful King’s Hall and Winter Garden.

An exciting era of cutting-edge expedition ships has arrived, and following in the footsteps of famous explorers has never been so luxurious, so immersive and so environmentally friendly.

We have just released our Autumn 2018 brochure, featuring a selection of our exclusive river, small ship and luxury cruises, all with fantastic offers.

Following last year’s success, the Yorkshire Cruise Club will again host the spectacular Yorkshire Cruise Show on Tuesday 18 September in Ilkley!

Staying in shape and keeping fit whilst on a river cruise may seem like a challenging task!

Cruise in style and comfort to remote corners of the world in search of exciting wildlife.

With Wimbledon well underway, our thoughts turn to strawberries and cream, and exciting tennis players from around the world. We’ve picked some of our favourite former Wimbledon champions and how you can explore their homelands by cruise.

Discover six of our favourite reasons to cruise, then call our cruising specialists on 01756 706537 to secure your cabin today!

Our Cruising Specialist, Ann, recently enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime holiday to Canada and the America East Coast on board Hurtigruten's expedition ship Fram. Read her exclusive review:

Cruising Specialists, Fay, Jade and Sam, were lucky enough to be invited onboard Crystal Cruises' brand new river ship, Crystal Bach, when she docked in Amsterdam. Read their exclusive review:

Our Product and Marketing Manager, Kathryn, recently enjoyed a Christmas Markets River Rhine Cruise with AmaWaterways. Read her exclusive review:

One of our customers recently enjoyed her first river cruise, joining the luxurious AmaPrima on a Rhine Christmas Markets itinerary. Read her exclusive review.

Our Cruising Specialists, Karen and Fay, recently enjoyed a luxury, all-inclusive Scotland cruise on 50-passenger Hebridean Princess. Read their exclusive review.

Our Cruising Specialist, Ann, recently enjoyed a cruise along the River Rhine on Riviera Travel’s stunning new ship, Oscar Wilde. Read her exclusive review.

Our Product and Marketing Coordinator, Kathryn, joined new ship SS Joie de Vivre in Paris. Read about this new boutique river cruise ship:

We have just released our bumper Autumn 2017 brochure, featuring a selection of our inspiring small ship, river and luxury cruises, all with fantastic offers. There are exciting
new destinations as well as some of our all-time favourites to give you a real flavour of the world of cruising.

Sarah in our Sales Support team recently joined Cruise and Maritime's flagship, Columbus, for a Scotland and Faroe Islands cruise. Read her exclusive review.

Our Cruising Specialist, Ann, recently travelled up to the port of Liverpool to see the newly refurbished Saga Sapphire. Read her exclusive review.

Our Cruising Specialist, Sam, travelled up to the port of Civitavecchia, Rome to see the newly refurbished Oceania Insignia. Read her exclusive review.

Our Marketing Executive, Laura, and Cruising Specialist, Jade, recently enjoyed a cruise along the beautiful River Rhine, courtesy of Amadeus River Cruises. Read their exclusive review.

Following last year’s success, the Yorkshire Cruise Show is returning to Ilkley on 26 September 2017. It will run from 2pm to 6.30pm at Ilkley’s Winter Garden, opposite the train station, with cruise line presentations being held in the Kings Hall.

Our Cruising Specialist, Karen, recently travelled to the port of Dublin to experience the Aegean Odyssey. Read her exclusive review.

Our Cruising Specialist, Ann, recently travelled up to the port of Edinburgh Leith to see the newly refurbished Silver Explorer. Read her exclusive review.

Our Cruising Specialist, Ann, recently enjoyed an all-inclusive Rhine river cruise on board the Royal Crown. Read her exclusive review.

Our Cruising Specialist, Jade and Marketing Executive, Margaret, were lucky enough to be invited onboard Hurtigruten's refurbished expedition ship Midnatsol when she docked in Edinburgh Leith.

Blue Water Holidays has released the Spring 2017 brochure, featuring a selection of our top river, small ship and luxury cruises for 2017 and 2018, all with fantastic offers.

Our Marketing Executive, Laura, recently enjoyed a Pandaw river cruise along the Irrawaddy exploring the highlights of untouched Burma. Read her exclusive review.

Our Product and Marketing Coordinator, Kathryn recently enjoyed a trip exploring Spitsbergen with Hurtigruten in the winter. Read her exclusive review.

Hurtigruten has been sailing Norway’s breathtaking coast every day for 123 years and they are as much a part of the stunning landscapes as the ancient fjords themselves. The journey along the Norwegian coastline has been labelled by Lonely Planet as 'The World's Most Beautiful Voyage'.

We are delighted to introduce you to Saga Ocean Cruises - new to the Blue Water Holidays cruise collection. Saga have been creating holidays for the over 50s for many years and 99% of Saga travellers rate their holiday 'excellent' or 'good'.

Our Managing Director, Juliet, recently enjoyed a premium cruise tour through the heart of untouched Burma. Read her exclusive review!

Would you like to know more about cruising? Then the Yorkshire Cruise Show will provide all the information and inspiration you need!

Blue Water Holidays has released the Autumn 2016 edition of its River, Small Ship and Luxury Cruise Brochure, which features a superb selection of itineraries all with fantastic offers.

Our Cruise Specialist Sam recently enjoyed a Travelmarvel by APT tour through Vietnam and Cambodia. Read her exclusive review.

We have just launched the first issue of our brand new and exclusive magazine, Sailaway. The 28-page magazine features cruise news, exclusive reviews and fascinating destination pieces, plus there is the chance to win a camera worth £279 in our photo competition.

Our Sales Team Leader, Joanne, spent a few days on board the stylish Aegean Odyssey, cruising from the beautiful city of Barcelona to historic Malaga.

Blue Water Holidays has released its brochure showcasing the unique cruises and superb ships of Ponant, exclusively packaged with flights and transfers. Sailing with Ponant is a chance to experience an intimate and refined cruise with discreet yet attentive service in a distinctively French atmosphere.

In 2002, Hurtigruten launched its first expeditions to Antarctica, shortly followed by Greenland. In 2017, Hurtigruten is expanding its voyage collection further by exploring new, exciting destinations on its fleet of purpose-built expediton ships.

Star Clippers have just launched their fantastic range of Summer 2017 cruises on authentic tall ships Star Clipper, Star Flyer and Royal Clipper. As well as the popular cruises around the Greek Islands and Turkish Coast, there are some exciting new additions.

2017 will be another exciting year for Cruise & Maritime Voyages with the addition of the impressive Columbus to the expanding fleet of five traditional cruise liners. Columbus will become the proud new flagship of the Cruise & Maritime Voyages fleet and will debut in June 2017, lining up alongside Magellan, Marco Polo, Astoria and Astor.