There’s still time to sail this summer

The Rhine for £400 less
Shearings is offering big savings on a Rhine cruise aboard the 107-passenger MV Virginia, an older but comfortable ship refitted in 2013. Sailing from Mainz, in Germany, on July 11 or August 1, it visits Strasbourg, the wine-growing village of Rüdesheim, in the sheer-sided Rhine Gorge, Koblenz and Cologne. Nine nights, cost £716pp, down from £1,124pp, including coach travel to Mainz, two excursions and wine or beer with meals and in the bar until 10.30pm each night. Flights are available for a supplement (0844 209 7143, shearings.com).

Norway on the QM2
You can sail to Norway this summer on the world’s most famous cruise ship for less than £800. No need for a plane, either. This eight-night cruise on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, which draws crowds wherever it docks, sails from Southampton on July 13 to Stavanger, Bergen and the Sognefjord. Sashay into the grand dining room in your glad rags on formal night, content in the knowledge that you paid only £799pp (0800 840 5801, imaginecruising.co.uk).

£800 off Andalusia
Fred Olsen is offering £800 off a detailed meander around the coast of southern Spain, on a 15-night no-flight cruise from Newcastle, departing on July 1. The 1,350-passenger Balmoral calls at Cadiz, for Seville; Malaga, where it docks for the night, giving time to visit Granada; Almeria; and, on the home leg, Gibraltar, Lisbon, Vigo and La Coruña. Prices start at £999pp, and you can upgrade to all-inclusive drinks from £15pp a day (0800 035 5242, fredolsencruises.com).

Croatia by small ship
Some coastlines are best explored by small ship, and that certainly includes the forested islands and rocky bays of Croatia. Intrepid Travel has £459 off a week-long voyage on the 32-passenger Royal Eleganza — from which you can jump straight into the sea — sailing from Sibenik to Dubrovnik via ports and pretty anchorages favoured by yachties, rather than cruise lines. It departs on July 17 and costs £1,071pp, including activities, breakfast and lunch, but only three dinners on board, as you’re encouraged to enjoy the balmy summer nights in restaurants on shore. Flights are extra, too (0808 274 5111, intrepidtravel.com).

See flamingos in the Camargue on a Provence cruise for families

DAVID TIPLING

Provence for families
River cruises don’t tend to be too family-friendly, but those run by the German-owned A-Rosa line are an exception, with plenty of kids on board in school holidays and bargain prices if you share a cabin. Drinks and meals are included, as is your taxi to the airport — so all you’ll need to budget for on this eight-day voyage down the Rhône from Lyons to Port St Louis, departing on July 15, is excursions and spending money. The ship has a pool and the child-friendly tours include a 4x4 safari in the Camargue and a chance to see prehistoric cave art in the Ardèche. Prices start at £1,099pp, or £2,749 for a family of four, including flights (0800 440 2797, cosmos.co.uk).

Indonesian adventure
In much of Asia, summer is monsoon season, but you should be in for sunny skies and fair winds on this 11-night voyage on Star Clipper, a 170-passenger square rigger. Departing on September 30, the trip includes two nights at a five-star hotel in Bali, then a swashbuckling week visiting Benoa, Madura, Probolinggo, Lovina Beach, Carik, Senggigi and Gili Sudak. Prices start at £1,799pp, including flights — a saving of £200 (020 3733 5557, iglucruise.com).

Free flights to the Med
Book a cruise with Holland America Line this summer and it’ll throw in flights, cover crew tips and give you $100 spending credit per cabin. Fresh from a multimillion-dollar facelift, the 1,916-passenger MS Westerdam has eight restaurants, children’s activities, a seagoing outpost of the BB King Blues Club, a spa and two pools. A 12-night cruise, leaving Barcelona for Rome on August 3 and stopping in Cadiz, Malaga, Palma, Calvi and Monte Carlo, among others, starts at£1,809pp if you book by July 10 (0843 374 2300, hollandamerica.com).

Swashbuckle your way around Indonesia on a square rigger

Lisbon for £1,000 less
Azamara Club Cruises has knocked £1,020 off the price of a trip from Southampton to Lisbon, departing on September 4. The smart, adults-only, 690-passenger Azamara Journey visits St Peter Port, in Guernsey, spends two nights in Bordeaux, then sails to St-Jean-de-Luz, Pasajes, Bilbao and Porto, ending up in Lisbon. Azamara is known for great food — including a steakhouse — and there’s no need to pack a tuxedo, as it’s casual all the way. Prices start at £2,099pp, including flights, drinks on board, a classical concert in Bilbao and one hotel night in Lisbon (0808 202 6105, sixstarcruises.co.uk).

Baltic with a balcony
An upgrade to a balcony cabin, free drinks and $300 to splurge on spa treatments or excursions are all good reasons to book a Baltic voyage with Celebrity Cruises this summer. You’ll sail on Celebrity Eclipse from Southampton to St Petersburg, calling at, among others, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn and Warnemünde, the hopping-off point for Berlin. This is a big ship, with a gym and a spa, several restaurants and bars, a decent pool and, on the top deck, a lush lawn for croquet, picnics or lazing. Prices start at £2,099pp for an August 13 departure (0800 441 4054, celebritycruises.co.uk).

Discount Douro
Emerald Waterways is offering up to £450 off Douro cruises in Portugal this summer on its brand-new boat, Emerald Radiance. You’ll sail from Porto deep into the wine-growing area and past steeply terraced vineyards and riverside villages, stopping at the furthest navigable point inland for a day trip to the gorgeous old Spanish city of Salamanca. Along the way, there will be visits to grand port estates — and no shortage of tasting opportunities. The cruise departs on July 29; prices start at £2,195pp, including flights, a choice of excursions, tips and wine or beer with meals (0808 115 6269, emeraldwaterways.co.uk).

River of wine
You’ll have to be quick, but AmaWaterways has cut the price of a Taste of Bordeaux cruise by £500. Sailing on June 22 on the riverboat AmaDolce, this seven-night wine-tasting odyssey around the chateaux, vineyards and wine-growing towns of the Médoc and Saint-Emilion now costs £2,504pp, including flights, drinks with dinner, excursions, wi-fi and bicycles to use in port. Travelling on your own? While singles don’t get that £500 discount, there’s no supplement on the original price, so sole occupancy of a cabin costs £3,004 (0800 320 2336, amawaterways.co.uk).

Barcelona to Athens
Oceania Cruises is offering big discounts and a choice of perks on some of its Med cruises. Book the nine-night Pillars of History trip on the smart, 1,250-passenger Riviera, departing on August 22, and you can choose between six shore excursions, an all-inclusive drinks package or $600 of on-board credit. The itinerary is a voyage from Barcelona to Athens, with calls at ports including Antibes, Sorrento, Chania and Santorini. The ship is laid-back — no need to dress up — and has a reputation for some of the best dining at sea. Prices start at £2,747pp for a balcony cabin, down from £5,159, including flights (0345 505 1920, oceaniacruises.com).

Upgrades in Alaska
Believe it or not, the wilds of Alaska can get pretty busy in the middle of summer. So dodge the big ships and get closer to the wildlife and the spectacular coastline on the extremely luxurious 458-passenger Seabourn Sojourn, which sails from Seward to Vancouver on August 25. If you book the most basic cabin, you’ll be upgraded to one with a balcony — quite a bonus when there are whales and dolphins breaching alongside the ship. Splurge on a penthouse or above and Seabourn will throw in $1,000 of on-board spending money. Prices start at £4,999pp for 14 nights, including flights, a one-night hotel stay before departure, and all meals and drinks on board (0843 373 2000, seabourn.com).