Elisabeth Easther and her son enjoy the festive cheer on board a freighter ship in the Pacific.

Now's the time to think about a romantic snowy Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere. Ewan McDonald takes a Yuletide cruise on the Danube.

On a billion-dollar ship, Toby Manhire dodges the conga line and opts instead for several fine ales and a ride on the North Star.

River cruises are growing in popularity, particularly across Europe. Pamela Wade explains why.

Rod Emmerson looks at the nuts and bolts of a luxury cruise through the Greek Isles and Turkish Coast.

Sarah Marshall travels effortlessly from downtown Auckland to a world beyond Earth.

Those axe-wielding, marauding Norse ancients would be so envious of the comforts on today's ships, writes Catherine Masters.

Cruise ship travellers look likely to be charged a higher rate - possibly nearly $3 per person more - than others under a new levy imposed from January on all travellers arriving and leaving New Zealand.

Party of one Helen van Berkel boards an ocean liner for a Pacific cruise and learns that being on your own is far from lonesome.

Cruising Europe's rivers reminds Pamela Wade of having front row seats at a travel documentary.

A Mekong Sun jaunt is as much an educational cruise as one of relaxation, writes Patrick Horton.

Jane Jeffries tries to mind her manners while cooking a meal for her fellow cruise ship passengers in Fiji.

Tropical beaches, fine dining, cooking and dance lessons – Lynley Bilby finds her every whim is catered for on a Pacific island cruise.

Peter Hughes enjoys Champagne service as the Queen Victoria completes one leg of a majestic round-the-world voyage.

Land-based luxury is taking to the water, while some cruisers will soon be able to climb aboard the Millennium Falcon in a Jedi Training experience.

Elisabeth Easther and her son booked a passage on a freighter to explore the far-flung charms of French Polynesia’s Marquesas Islands.

All Italy stops to watch a spectacular boat race that's been contested for more than 700 years, writes Carol Smith.

Twelve days spent cruising the Mediterranean on the Nieuw Amsterdam is bliss. Carol Smith shares the highlights at each coastal stop.

Bev Wood experiences the Italian capacity for both wild frenzy and languid indolence.

Budapest is one of the most elegant and charming of European capitals, and certainly one of the cheapest.

Taking to the mighty Danube River in luxury and style and a bed so comfortable that the memory of it brings a tear to your eye is a marvellous way to travel, writes Sophie Barclay.

In an azure and cobalt bay, gentle sea creatures welcome Phil Welch to the 'closest island to paradise'.

The marine animals and birdlife on the remote sub-Antarctic Islands captivate Isobel Marriner.

On the ship Orion, Jane Archer heads to Australia's Kimberley region to scale waterfalls, sample helicopter tours and spot man-eating beasts (from the safety of a rubber dinghy).

Autumnal riches stud the New England coastal route and, for Pamela Wade, come courtesy of small-ship luxury.

A freighter is no floating hotel. But, as Guy Needham found, it offers mind-freeing - and enlightening - time-out from everyday life.

Megan Singleton has the lowdown on the world's largest passenger liners.

The hunt for the man-eating Komodo, writes Rachel Williams, makes for one heart-stopping cruise excursion.

A wildlife cruise on the Isle of Mull is heaven for bird lovers, writes Richard Tulloch.

Brand new and full of impressive technology, Quantum of the Seas promises a new experience in cruising. Winston Aldworth gets a unique perspective on a very new ship future.