I’m planning a lads mini cruise with a few friends. What’s the best ship to go on from the UK?

For this type of cruise, you’ll want to avoid booking with any of the luxury lines and you’d be better off choosing a mainstream ship where there are plenty of activities on-board. Most of the mainstream lines offer cruises departing from the UK, but not all of them offer mini cruises from the UK, so if you’re thinking of being away for no more than 5 days, you’ll have fewer options. P&O Cruises offer a good choice of short cruise breaks, sailing out from Southampton and ranging from 3-6 nights, calling at Amsterdam and Zeebrugge and St Peter Port. Royal Caribbean offer three and four night sampler cruises on the Independence of the Seas and the Adventure of the Seas which call at ports in France and Belgium, while Thomson offer a 4-night cruise from Harwich on-board the Thomson Spirit which calls at ports for Amsterdam and Le Havre.