One school of thought says that cruise companies are going to benefit from the downturn in air travel. Another says they are just as much at risk as the rest of the travel industry. Whatever the outcome, cruises are certainly becoming more affordable, and a number of impartial sites claim to make it easier to choose them.
Cruisin'
stutt.com/cruising/home.html
The enthusiast's site. Lengthy discussions of the relative merits of port days and sea days, the etiquette of tipping, new launches and information on hardcore cruising on freighters - a cheaper, and often longer, option. QE2 fans should also visit qe2.org.uk.
Cruise2
cruise2.com
Sanitation inspection scores and logs of gastrointestinal outbreaks for the hypochondriac traveller.
CruiseReviews
cruisereviews.com
Tom Ogg, a frequent cruiser, is the enthusiastic presence behind this site: fortunately, he lets other people contribute their reviews, too. Highly subjective, but engrossing.
Cunard
cunardlines.co.uk
From £695 for a 12-night cruise from Southampton to Florida
Cunard, which sails the QE2, the Caronia and (in 2003) the Queen Mary II, has a number of special offers, including a £6,995 fare for the 62-day journey to Sydney.
P&O Cruises
From £1,264 for a 15-night cruise to the Caribbean
One of the few sites to include a webcam from one of its ships - not terribly exciting when the Aurora is at sea, but presumably more captivating as it approaches a port. It's also one of the most impressive in terms of cabin views and elaborate interactive tricks.
Swan Hellenic
swan-hellenic.co.uk
From £625 for a five-night cruise from London to Normandy
Not the most detailed of sites, but it has some interesting European cruises and a few in the Black Sea and to India.
Norwegian Cruise Line
uk.ncl.com
From £999 for 14 nights in the southern Caribbean
Offers some unusual itineraries in Alaska, New England and the Panama Canal.
Thomson Cruises
212.113.21.170/live/home/
Operates three ships in the Mediterranean, Canaries and Caribbean, which sometimes have late availability and special offers; these were hard to track down, and you have to phone for prices. An uninspiring and opaque effort.
Page & Moy 1st4 Cruising
1st4cruising.com
From £718 for nine nights in the western Caribbean
The Bargainholidays.com of cruise sites, Page & Moy specialises in discounted packages. It also claims to list almost every cruise ship departing from the UK and around 8-10,000 itineraries, with a section devoted to families. An outstanding site - the only drawbacks are that you can't book online, and you might want to check company sites for more details of cabins and ship specifications.
Thomas Cook Cruises
thomascook.co.uk/bold/cruise.htm
From £2,313 for 21 nights to Sydney
Acts as an agent for P&O, and may have special offers unavailable on the P&O website.
