Make sure you check out all the options before booking a tour, writes Isobel Marriner.

Before you embark ensure five essentials are packed, advises Megan Singleton.

Catherine Masters enjoys a kaleidoscope of European sights from her floating hotel.

Pamela Wade - and her nightie - enjoy her cruise so much she'll be back.

Catherine Masters cruises the Danube, taking in central Europe's stunning cities.

Sue Bryant looks at the best of the cruise industry's shore excursions for the year.

The cruisy life on a river ship appeals to Justine Tyerman.

Mother Nature puts on an unexpected show for Graham Bright and his wife during a cruise aboard Cunard's Queen Elizabeth.

Jared Savage enjoy a new view from his room each morning as he cruises the Mediterranean.

On a transtasman voyage, Winston Aldworth gets a taste for the high life aboard the regal Queen Mary 2.

Paul Rush finds cruise ships have plenty for kids to do.

The peak cruise season may be over but it's never too early to start thinking ahead, writes Jennifer Ennion.

Cunard's grand ships have dominated the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships rankings in the Large Resort Ship category.

Peter Hamling picks a few shore excursion ideas from outside the square.

Carthage's seafaring and military history still fascinate, writes Susan Buckland.

Plenty of discoveries await the explorer, writes Pamela Wade.

A week-long cruise shows John Roughan why Fiordland's wilderness has never been tamed.

On a small ship, free of the 'ra! ra!' bustle of big liners, Pamela Wade takes a dive.

John Roughan gains a deeper understanding of how Cook first saw New Zealand.

For a holiday where the travel subsumes you, Queen Mary 2 is a big ride.

Gabriella Le Breton selects the best cruises on some of the world's more far-flung rivers.

Cruising up the coast of Vietnam to Hong Kong on a boutique ship is a great way to sample a slice of Asia.

Isobel Marriner joins the Queen Mary 2 for the first royal circumnavigation of Australia, following the journey of a famous explorer - though in a rather more opulent style.

A towering Queen Mary 2 was dwarfed by the huge mountains and stunning landscape as it cruised into the Fiordland National Park.

A cruise ship was delayed in Rangitoto channel near Auckland yesterday after an 80-year-old passenger had a heart attack.

If you’re a first time cruiser, here are some things to know before you go.

A lazy cruise down the Waikato River is a belated birthday getaway for Isobel Marriner.

Peter Hamling spends a week cruising the Hawaiian islands.

Stepping off P&O Cruises' superliner Pacific Jewel, Jennifer Ennion spends an "island day" on Vanuatu's Mystery Island.

Paul Rush sails to dreamy tropical islands under the spirit of the Bula.