Under £600
Venetian value from Orient Lines (020 7959 5900) with a seven-night voyage on the four-star, 826-passenger Marco Polo departing Venice on 24 October. Ports of call are Korcula (Croatia), Corfu, Sorrento, Civitavecchia, Villefranche and Barcelona. Full board, sightseeing, scheduled flights and transfers all for £599 (inside cabin) or £699 (outside).
Chug around the Greek islands on a motor yacht cruise with Seafarer (01732 229900). Leaving on 19 October for eight days, the price of £599 includes half board, flights and transfers to Athens from Gatwick plus an optional extra night's hotel accommodation with breakfast in Athens.
Take a Nile cruise in Egypt with accompanied excursions to ancient monuments and sights along the river banks. Departing Luxor for seven-night holidays on eight dates between 18 October and 13 December prices range from £349 to £599. This includes charter flights with Excel from Manchester or Gatwick and full board on five-star ships boasting an indecent number of facilities. Libra Holidays (0870 242 2525).
Savings of up to 40 per cent are available on the seven-night Olympic Treasures cruise departing 14 and 28 October with Costa Cruises (020 7940 4499). Starting and ending in Venice it calls at Katakolon (for Olympia), Kusadasi (for Ephesus), Istanbul and Athens. The cost is £599 (inside cabin) and £779 (outside with balcony) and includes flights from Gatwick or Stansted, all on-board meals and entertainment. Flights from regional airports are available for a £50 supplement.
Festival Cruises (020 7734 0005) has reduced prices on its seven-night western Mediterranean cruise departures on 14 and 28 October. Sailing from and returning to Genoa the revised itinerary calls initially in Civitavecchia allowing a full day in Rome before stops in Naples, Malta, Sicily, Menorca, Barcelona and Marseille. At £515 (inside cabin ) and £565 (outside), flights, all meals and on board entertainment are also included.
Under £1,000
New Year celebrations in the bay of Funchal with a spectacular fireworks display is within your grasp if you can find £999 to spend on a 17-night cruise with Mediterranean Shipping Cruises (020 7637 2525) on their flagship the Melody. Leaving Genoa on 27 December you will also dock in Gibraltar, Grenada, Barbados, Antigua, Nassau and Florida. Includes flights, transfers, on-board meals and entertainment.
Royal Caribbean International (0800 018 2020) still has a few places on its 14-night Splendour of the Seas translantic cruise, which departs Lisbon on 9 November and calls at seven ports en route to Santos, Brazil. The £999 price includes flight to Lisbon, return from Sao Paulo plus full board (inside cabin). An extra gratuities charge of £90 can be paid when booking or on board.
All prices are per person based on two sharing.
