​Royal Caribbean International has announced that new UK sailings onboard Anthem of the Seas will be departing from Southampton from 7th July 2021. Families can holiday together as the cruises, which will sail with vaccinated crew, will be available to any adult guests who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and those under the age of 18 with negative test results.  

​UK residents can choose from a combination of 3 to 4-night Ocean Getaways in early July and 5 to 8-night British Isles cruises, starting 15th July, that feature visits to iconic destinations across the UK such as Liverpool, Belfast and Kirkwall. Bookings start on 7 April.

 Free staterooms
 
In recognition of the tremendous efforts of the emergency services, NHS, social care sector and armed forces over the last year, Royal Caribbean will offer 999 free staterooms onboard the first Ocean Getaways to those in these professions. Free sailings can be secured by pre-registering through the Royal Caribbean International website starting 13th April 2021. Pre-registrations will be entered into a ballot to be drawn by the end of April. 
 
For more information, check out their website.

Saga has launched its Summer cruises, and guests are spoiled for choice. Three of the four cruises will be on Spirit of Discovery whilst the fourth will be the inaugural cruise of Saga’s brand new ship, Spirit of Adventure.

All Saga cruises include drinks, gratuities, internet access, insurance and speciality dining, and all cabins have balconies. Cruises also include a choice of complementary UK travel to and from the port including a private door-to-door chauffeur service up to 250 miles each way, car parking near the port, domestic flights or standard class rail or coach travel. 

Scottish Highlands and Islands departs Tilbury on June 27th, 2021 aboard Spirit of Discovery for six nights calling at Lerwick on the Shetland Islands, followed by Scrabster and Invergordon before returning to Tilbury. Sight-seeing tours of Lerwick and Invergordon are included. Prices start from £1,154 per person.
 
 Great British Isles Adventure departsTilbury on July 11th, 2021 aboard Spirit of Discovery for 14 nights, calling at Falmouth, Holyhead, Belfast, Greenock, Ullapool, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Newhaven and Newcastle and disembarking back in Tilbury. Sight-seeing tours of Belfast, Kirkwall, Edinburgh and Newcastle are included. Prices start from £3,375 per person.
 
From the Northern Isles to the Fjords departs Tilbury aboard Spirit of Discovery on July 3, 2021 or July 25, 2021 for six nights, calling at Kirkwall in the Orkney Islands, cruising Sognefjord in Norway, Lerwick in the Shetland Islands and Stornoway followed by Scrabster in Scotland before returning to Tilbury. Sight-seeing tours of Kirkwall and Lerwick are included. Prices start from £1,539 per person.
 
The Inaugural Cruise on Spirit of Adventure departsTilbury on July 26th for 15 nights and heading to Newcastle, Newhaven, Dundee, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Ullapool, Cruise St Kilda, Greenock, Belfast, Douglas, Holyhead, Bristol and Falmouth before disembarking in Dover. Sight-seeing tours of Newcastle, Edinburgh, Belfast and Bristol are also included. Prices from £3,458 per person.
 
In line with Government restrictions, guests will only be able to disembark at British ports. The Fjords cruising is purely scenic. All guests will require to show evidence of having received their second Covid 19 vaccination at least two weeks prior to boarding.

For more information on all Saga ocean and river cruises, click here

At this time, in a normal year, the city of Valencia would be immersed in intense activity. March is famous for the Fallas Festival. This well-known Intangible Heritage of Humanity festival fills the streets with music, flowers and wooden monuments that turn the city into a huge open-air artistic fest. But this year everything is different. Due to COVID, Fallas has had to reinvent itself. That’s why the #morefallerosthanever challenge has been created. A virtual program and a video campaign to let the fallas spirit live, while we wait to celebrate them as we used to in the past.