Mini Breaks ! On a cruise or here in UK….

Hi Everyone, I wanted to talk about Mini break cruises and why not to have one as your first cruise experience. I personally think you need at least 6-7 days to settle into a cruise and get to know the Ship and how to make it work for you and your needs. Not normally a lot of time for chilling as you want to make the most of the places you stop at. I have had a lot of feed back from my customers about mini cruise breaks and have to say not much is good. It tend to be that the feel for cruising is not an honest reflection when you take a mini cruise. They are more for shoppers (Christmas markets ) hen/stag parties or family weekends away. The feed back I get from my customers is that the bars are really busy (hard to get a drink) less staff on board and the crew don’t seem to be very happy during these breaks.

Personally having done a Christmas mini break for the markets I found that to be ok, but I much prefer to see something of the UK instead.

Florence and I in Antwerp Christmas Market Cruise

I have just visited York for the weekend and had a fantastic time. I spoke with one of my customers who has been all over the world and I have to agree with him , the Minster is a real special treat to behold. Although paying £10 to go inside was a mystery to me especially when the Church is one of the biggest land owners in the UK. The Minster definitely has the wow factor from outside.

There are so many places to see in York that are free. My favourite is the railway museum. It is free to enter or you can give a donation and as it is ran by volunteers I was happy to give.  I had a ride on the flying Scotsman and she was amazing. The restaurants and many Bars are fabulous too , I would highly recommend the El Groucho if you like a succulent steak. Not the cheapest but worth every penny.

Or may be check out the Shambles , were there are live bands playing in the square and wonderful cobbled street with quaint little shops with treats for all tastes.

The Yorkshire dales are so vast and simply stunning to see, so don’t forget to venture further than just the city. We had a lovely walk around Castle Howard and made friends with the ducks and swans on one of the many lakes there , the gardens I am sure will look amazing when the summer comes although I am a fan of snow drops so the forests were beautiful. They are even having the Antiques roadshow there in the summer.

I think mini breaks should be about re charging your batteries and seeing some stunning places. If a mini cruise has the right itinerary then why not, but remember that we have the most stunning scenery and architecture on our own door step too.

If you want to see some mini cruises to beautiful Antwerp, or Bruges or even Amsterdam check out the link below for some fab Christmas offers. Book now to avoid disappointment and enjoy.

mini Cruises at Christmas

Let me know your favourite places to see !!