Britain is rarely considered a major cruising destination, but it’s booming

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","dateModified":"2026-04-28T05:57:02Z","datePublished":"2026-04-28T05:57:02Z","description":"The British are going mad for domestic cruising, and that’s good news for Australians looking for increasing choices in chilly but interesting seas.","headline":"Britain is rarely considered a major cruising destination, but it’s booming","keywords":"Cruises, Ocean cruises, UK","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news/britain-is-rarely-considered-a-major-cruising-destination-but-it-s-booming-20260319-p5qnr3.html","@type":"WebPage"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"1322.6666666666665","url":"https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.4349643874643875%2C$multiply_0.7025%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_68%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/a0afcbf4d2940d6fd77f7c5450e66efd294ed441","width":"744"},"isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":[{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccessibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".paywall"}],"publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","name":"SMH Traveller","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"628","url":"https://www.smh.com.au/metro-assets/assets/static/smh.png","width":"1200"},"url":"https://www.smh.com.au/traveller"},"isPartOf":{"@type":["CreativeWork","Product"],"name":"SMH Traveller","productID":"smh.com.au:webonly"}}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/traveller","name":"Home"},"position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/travel-news","name":"Travel news"},"position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/traveller/topic/cruises-l5k","name":"Cruises"},"position":3}]}AdvertisementTravel newsCruisesBritain is rarely considered a major cruising destination, but it’s boomingApril 28, 2026 — 3:57pmSaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items.Remove items from your saved list to add more.ShareAAAThe British are going mad for domestic cruising, and that’s good news for Australians looking for increasing choices in chilly but interesting seas.Viking Star navigating the Thames at Greenwich. Britain is one of our favourite places but we seldom previously thought of it as a cruise destination.That’s changing, however, with research by Cruise Critic showing that the greatest increase in interest in fly-cruising among Australians in 2025 was for the British Isles and Western Europe, up an impressive 270 per cent on 2024.AdvertisementMeanwhile, the Expedition Cruise Network also reports strong growth in expedition cruising in the United Kingdom, with a survey among its operator members noting that younger travellers (the under-55s) are driving the market.Sign up for the Traveller newsletterThe latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.In 2025, cruise ships visited 57 ports across the UK and several more in Ireland. Among the cruise lines that visit are Celebrity, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, Silversea and Viking.Then there are niche British lines such as Ambassador, Fred Olsen and Saga, which offer departures from smaller regional cities such as Aberdeen, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Tilbury (London) rather than Southampton, which is favoured by international lines.Hebridean Princess in Scottish waters. Hebridean Island Cruises, which is represented in Australia by Cruise Traveller, has no fewer than 37 journeys in the…

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