They were once the preserve of the blue rinse brigade with a reputation as a sedentary, fuddy-duddy way of seeing the world, while eating and drinking too much.
Not anymore. Last year was a record one for cruising, new statistics show, with more than 2.28 million British and Irish passengers taking to the water for a holiday.
It represented an impressive bounce-back for a sector that feared it faced oblivion during the pandemic, after the outbreak of coronavirus led to ships being branded as “floating petri dishes”. The cruise industry was on its knees and facing the greatest challenge since 9/11, when travel suffered one of its biggest downturns.
“The good thing is that cruise has come back quicker than some other types of travel,”
