In recent weeks, a number of cruise lines have released collections of 2021 itineraries perfect for those of us keen to get back on a cruise. These sailings all depart from the UK ports and sail some of the coastlines across England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland.
The new collections of ‘UK coastal cruises‘ come as the demand for cruising grows, with many us longing to getaway!
Which cruise lines are offering UK coastal cruises?
So far, P&O Cruises, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Cunard, MSC Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Saga Ocean, Virgin Voyages, and Disney Cruise Line have revealed summer 2021 UK coastal cruises, as detailed in the summary of released itinerary dates below.
Cruise line | Itineraries | Sailing Dates | Ships | Prices from | Available to Book |
Fred. Olsen | Coastal sailings off the British Isles, Norway and beyond | 5th July to 24th August | Balmoral, Bolette and Borealis | £332pp* | Available to book now! |
P&O Cruises | Coastal sailings off the South Coast, French Coast and Scottish Isles | 27th June to 18th September | Britannia and Iona | £399pp* | Available to book now! |
Princess Cruises | UK coastal cruises visiting UK ports on selected itineraries | 31st July to 28th September | Regal Princess and Sky Princess | £436pp* | Available to book now! |
MSC Cruises | British Isles cruises from Southampton visiting UK ports | Starting 20th May 2021 | MSC Virtuosa | £569pp* | Available to book now! |
Cunard | British coastal sailings | 19th July to 1st October 2021 | Queen Elizabeth | £332pp* | Available to book now! |
Celebrity Cruises | UK coastal cruises visiting UK ports on selected itineraries | 3rd July to 29th October 2021 | Celebrity Silhouette | £479pp* | Available to book now! |
Saga Ocean | British Isles cruises to the Fjords, Scottish Highlands and other UK ports | 27th June to 26th July 2021 | Spirit of Discovery and Spirit of Adventure | £1,359pp* | Available to book now! |
Royal Caribbean | British Isles sailings to a range of UK ports | From 7th July 2021 | Anthem of the Seas | £689pp* | Available to book now! |
Virgin Voyages | Southern British Isles cruises | From 6th August 2021 | Scarlet Lady | £499pp* | Available to book now! |
Disney Cruise Line | UK staycation sailings from selected UK ports | From 15th July to 1st October | Disney Magic | £318pp* | Available to book now! |
*Prices correct and updated as of 05/05/2021
With so many sailings to choose from, we’ve highlighted the key comparisons to ensure you pick the perfect cruise for you!
Sailing dates and duration
Cruise line | Sailing dates | Number of sailings | Duration |
Cunard | From 19th July | Queen Elizabeth (13) | 3- to 12-nights |
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line | From 5th July | Borealis (6), Bolette (3), Balmoral (2) | 3- to 7-nights |
MSC Cruises | From 20th May | MSC Virtuosa (35) | 4- to 7-nights |
P&O Cruises | From 27th June | Britannia (25), Iona (7) | 3- to 7-nights |
Princess Cruises | From 31st July | Regal Princess (14), Sky Princess (8) | 3- to 7-nights |
Saga Ocean | From 27th June | Spirit of Adventure (1), Spirit of Discovery (4) | 6- to 15-nights |
Celebrity Cruises | From 3rd July | Celebrity Silhouette (8) | 3- to 8-nights |
Royal Caribbean | From 7th July | Anthem of the Seas (10) | 4- to 8-nights |
Virgin Voyages | From 6th August | Scarlet Lady (6) | 3- to 4-nights |
Disney Cruise Line | From 15th July | Disney Magic (10) | 2- to 4-nights |
Ship passenger capacity
Cruise line | Ships and capacity* |
Cunard | Queen Elizabeth (2,081) |
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line | Bolette (1,338), Borealis (1,360), Balmoral (1,325) |
MSC Cruises | MSC Virtuosa (6,334) |
P&O Cruises | Britannia (3,647), Iona (5,200) |
Princess Cruises | Regal Princess (3,600), Sky Princess (3,600) |
Saga Ocean | Spirit of Adventure (999), Spirit of Discovery (999) |
Celebrity Cruises | Celebrity Silhouette (2,886) |
Royal Caribbean | Anthem of the Seas (4,905) |
Virgin Voyages | Scarlet Lady (2,700) |
Disney Cruise Line | Disney Magic (2,700) |
*Ships will sail at a reduced capacity. This is total occupancy.
Departure ports
Cruise line | Port of departure |
Cunard | Southampton |
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line | Dover, Liverpool |
MSC Cruises | Southampton, Liverpool and Greenock |
P&O Cruises | Southampton |
Princess Cruises | Southampton |
Saga Ocean | Southampton |
Celebrity Cruises | Southampton |
Royal Caribbean | Southampton |
Virgin Voyages | Portsmouth |
Disney Cruise Line | Liverpool, Southampton, Newcastle and London Tilbury |
Vaccination policies
Cruise line | Policy details |
Cunard | All guests must be vaccinated |
Fred. Olsen Cruise Line | All guests must be vaccinated |
MSC Cruises | No vaccinations required to sail* |
P&O Cruises | All guests must be vaccinated |
Princess Cruises | All guests must be vaccinated |
Saga Ocean | All guests must be vaccinated |
Celebrity Cruises | All guests must be vaccinated |
Royal Caribbean | All guests ages 18+ must be vaccinated |
Virgin Voyages | All guests ages 18+ must be vaccinated |
Disney Cruise Line | All guests ages 18+ must be vaccinated |
*Evidence of a negative test is still required to board.
P&O Cruises Ultimate Escape UK Holidays
P&O Cruises series of short breaks feature flagship Britannia and the new ship Iona. The sailings all depart from Southampton and will sail the UK coast ‘where the sun shines the brightest.’ It’s a memorable way to kick-start Iona’s maiden season, with a special seven-night sailing around the Scottish Islands where the ship will anchor off Iona, the island after which it was named.
Fred. Olsen’s Welcome Back Cruises
Also returning to UK cruising, Fred. Olsen has hand-crafted a selection of itineraries ranging between three- and seven-nights. There are three departure ports included – Liverpool, Rosyth (Edinburgh), and Dover – as well as three ships, including two brand-new ship for the fleet: Bolette and Borealis. The cruise line has said the sailings will be non-stop scenic cruises, showing the best scenery, landmarks and natural wonders of Norway, Scotland, the Channel Islands, and the rest of the British Isles.
Princess Cruises Seacation Cruises
Another cruise line offering its own collection of itineraries this summer is Princess Cruises. Sky Princess and Regal Princess will be setting sail on a series of short breaks and week-long cruises, departing from Southampton from 31st July to 26th September. The voyages will be mainly scenic cruising, but some will call at ports including Belfast, Liverpool and Greenock.
MSC Cruises British Isles Cruises
MSC Cruises are also offering a range of cruises in summer 2021 from 20th May. Departing from its new terminal in Southampton, MSC Cruises will kickstart the summer season with a series of short cruises on-board the line’s recently delivered and newest flagship, MSC Virtuosa. After these initial sailings, guests can also embark from Liverpool and Greenock (Scotland) on a series of seven-night sailings calling at a number of UK ports.
Cunard’s Summer at Sea
Cunard has also revealed its Summer at Sea sailings for July 2021, featuring Queen Elizabeth. The ship will offer 13 new voyages exclusive to UK guests and sail around Britain’s ever-changing coastline, exploring the UK shores and sailing where the sun shines brightest.
Saga’s British Isles Summer Cruises
With five new all-inclusive boutique cruises coming this summer, Saga Ocean are also cruising close to home. The ships include the brand new sister-ships – Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery. The itineraries vary, starting with Spirit of Discovery’s six-night sailing in June and ending with Spirit of Adventure’s inaugural 15-night sailing in July! The cruises visit UK ports as well as offering scenic cruising through the Norwegian Fjords and the stunning Scottish Highlands.
Celebrity Cruises Summer Season
Celebrity Silhouette will be sailing from Southampton on a series of 3- to 8-night cruises around the British Isles. The newly refurbished ship will offer luxury ‘staycation’ cruises visiting some of the UK’s most beautiful and impressive coastlines between July and October 2021.
Royal Caribbean’s Ocean Getaways
Anthem of the Seas will join cruise lines in also cruising around the British Isles this summer. From 7th July, Royal Caribbean will offer a range of 4- to 8-night cruises with ports of call including Liverpool, Kirkwall and Belfast. The sailings are available to book from 7th April!
Virgin Voyages Homecoming Series
From August, Virgin Voyages’ flagship Scarlet Lady will be setting sail on a range of 3- to 7-night Southern England coastal cruises ideal for getting back to the ocean waves.
Disney Cruise Line Staycation Sailings
Disney Magic will be bringing the ‘pixie dust’ to the UK from July, offering a series of 2- to 4-night staycation cruises. These new sailings exclusive to the UK, offer the full Disney vacation experience on-board, whilst cruising the UK coastline.
See all the summer 2021 cruises
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