Fred. Holidays launches Beyond the Water campaign
Fred. Holidays Beyond the Water campaign is a new collection combining bucket-list destinations, land experiences and stays with ocean and river sailings.
Each journey pairs a cruise with handpicked stays, tours and cultural experiences, aiming to give customers a deeper way to discover a destination rather than a cruise alone.
Highlights include India’s Golden Triangle, China’s Terracotta Warriors and Great Wall, a South Africa safari and winelands package with Azamara, the Canadian Rockies, Iguazu Falls, three-ship no-fly grand voyages and the Monaco Grand Prix.
The collection was developed by Fred. Holidays’ specialist product team with trusted travel partners and destination experts, bringing stays, tours, transfers and cruise together into a single sale for agents.
Simon Sharpe, Head of Tour Operations at Fred. Holidays, said: “Travel has never been more experience driven. Today’s travellers are looking beyond traditional holidays and seeking journeys that inspire, enrich and leave a lasting impression.”
Virgin Voyages’ biggest-ever UK ship tour
Virgin Voyages has completed its biggest UK and Ireland trade activation to date, welcoming more than 1,200 First Mates onboard Valiant Lady this summer.
The Valiant Lady UK Summer Tour 2026 ran throughout August, calling at Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, Belfast, Edinburgh and Portsmouth twice, the highest number of ports and ship visits Virgin Voyages has included in a single UK and Ireland trade initiative.
Feedback showed 94% of attendees rated the overall experience “four or five out of five”, with Belfast and Glasgow both reaching 96%.
Onboard service scored 94% and food scored 90%. Agent confidence in selling Virgin Voyages rose from 57% before the visits to 91% afterwards, a 34-point uplift.
Of those who attended, 79% were new to selling the brand.
SJ Walker, UK Director of Sales at Virgin Voyages, said: “These results show why ship visits matter. We always talk up our kid-free positioning, buffet-free all-included dining and boutique hotel design, but stepping onboard makes that difference feel tangible.”
The visits followed Valiant Lady‘s dry dock and introduced agents to new additions including Ariya by Razzle Dazzle and refreshed social spaces.
Oceania Cruises announces industry’s first entirely gluten-free ocean voyage
The cruise industry’s first entirely gluten-free ocean sailing will take place aboard Oceania Vista in 2028.
Departing Southampton on May 31, 2028, the 12-night round trip voyage calls at Cork (Cobh), Dublin (Dún Laoghaire), Glasgow (Greenock), Stornoway and Edinburgh (Newhaven).
Every dining venue on board, from Toscana, Polo Grill, Red Ginger and Jacques to Aquamar Kitchen and Waves Grill, will offer entirely gluten-free menus, alongside afternoon tea, in-suite dining and pastries from The Bakery.
The voyage has been developed with Celiac Cruise, which is providing expertise on the needs of gluten-free travellers and will act as an official booking partner.
Jason Montague, Chief Luxury Officer of Oceania Cruises, said: “This voyage gives our culinary team an extraordinary opportunity to reimagine our acclaimed onboard dining experiences through an entirely gluten-free lens while remaining true to the creativity, quality and abundance at the heart of our philosophy to serve The Finest Cuisine at Sea.”
Maureen Basye, Founder of Celiac Cruise, said: “The opportunity to board a ship knowing the culinary experience has been designed to be entirely gluten-free fundamentally changes what travel can feel like for so many.”
