Cruise and Stay

One of the main worries expressed by would-be first time cruisers is that they might feel a little too confined on a cruise ship. Another is that, although cruising will give them a tour of several destinations, they won’t really have time to really get to know them. Nowadays there is a simple solution – a "Cruise and Stay" holiday. The range of Cruise and Stay options is enormous, from simple stay-a-week, cruise-a-week Mediterranean holidays to pre and post cruise tours of North America, the Far East, Australasia and the South Pacific.

In Alaska, cruise and stay is very popular since it gives passengers who have made the long haul flight across the Atlantic the chance to make the most of their visit by touring both Alaska and Canada. From around £400 per person, Alaska passengers can top or tail a round trip cruise out of Vancouver with a five or seven night Rockies tour, highlights of which will be visits to Calgary, Banff/Lake Louise and Jasper, plus a drive along one of the world’s most scenic routes, the Icefield Parkway. Scenic rail journeys can also be built in.

If you choose a cruise between Vancouver and Anchorage in Alaska, you can add a tour of the magnificent Alaskan interior into the itinerary.

A land tour gives you the chance to get really close to nature with a visit to Denali National Park, where you can take nature walks, try white water rafting or set off on a grizzly bear spotting expedition. Prices work out at around £300 per person for a four-night Alaska tour, including a scenic rail ride to Fairbanks, an overnight stay in Denali and one night in Anchorage.

For those who like something a little less active, combining a cruise with a stay in the Caribbean is ideal. You can spend a relaxed week exploring, swimming and snorkelling on your choice of Caribbean island (including Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia, the Dominican Republic and the Cayman Islands), then top up the tan with a gentle cruise around the other Caribbean islands.

A Caribbean cruise can also be finished or started off with a stay in Florida. Here you can hire a car to go shopping, visit the state’s many theme parks, or get in a few rounds of golf.

Closer to home, you can do the Grand Tour of the Mediterranean’s cultural hotspots by cruise ship, then spend a lazy week soaking up the sun in Majorca.

Cruise and stay holidays are an excellent way to explore more exotic destinations. A Far East cruise, for example, can be combined with a seven or eight day stay in China. Or you can combine a cruise around New Zealand with a few days’ stay in Sydney. You could also round off a cruise around the spice islands of the Indian Ocean with a safari holiday in Kenya.

With some cruise lines, you can even break up your cruise by taking a land tour as you go, leaving the ship to spend a couple of days exploring the destination in more depth before rejoining your vessel in another port.

• You get the best of both worlds, a chance to visit many places from the comfort of a "floating hotel" one week, and to explore one destination in depth the other.
• It makes the most of your holiday, especially if the cruise starts from a far away location.
• You get the opportunity to combine lots of activity with plenty of time to relax.
• Cruise and Stay holidays can be booked through the cruise line or tour operator, usually eliminating the need to make independent arrangements. However, if you do require something that is not brochured, David Brown Travel can tailor make individual arrangements for you.

• Try to decide which part of the holiday you want to keep as your "relaxation time"
• Take the right mix of clothes. Cruise ships tend to be dressier than hotels. You will probably need a couple of smart outfits for Captain’s cocktails and formal dinners. On an Alaska land tour, you will need to pack warm clothes, sturdy walking shoes and an umbrella!
• Stock up on film before going ashore, especially if you’re staying somewhere off the beaten track like China or Vietnam. If you’re on medication remember to take a plentiful supply.
• Remember that though cruises include all meals, land stays do not, so budget a bit extra for the land stays.

Most of the major cruise lines operate Cruise and Stay packages.