Not all cruises are the same - the Canaries v the Baltic

 Because Spain has been more welcoming to UK families, the Canaries have become a go-to cruise destination. It is a long-used and liked holiday retreat for the British. Warm though sometimes windy, the sand is white and beautiful in most places, though a little black and volcanic in Lanzarote. In general, the islands are the same kind of cruise as the Caribbean in that you can treat the holiday as a floating hotel and do the beach. There is certainly nothing like the history of the Baltic, or the drama of the Fjords. 

Jean's videos of Madeira show the town, the gardens and the sledge ride. They form part of the playlist of Canary Island guides. They are all useful because she shows the buses in Tenerife taking you to the old town or across to the main beach, and Gran Canaria with the route down to the beach. 

This year we should be taking that tour and adding in Casablanca as well as another island or two. This is a relaxing cruise, sea sun and sand. A Baltic cruise can be said to be hard work, and we have at times been exhausted even though we love it just as much. It is a very different cruise because the beach doesn't really feature, although it can do. These ports are often following the old Hanseatic trade route and the towns are full of history. Palaces are grand, the guards often change and there are museums from Abba to the Vasa and St Petersburg art, religious buildings and re-constructed palaces. On this cruise as well as a coat or cover incase it does rain, though it can be very sunny, shoes and made for walking. Looking at Jean's videos you can see it is easy to more than your 10,000 steps a day at each stop.

Take a look at all the playlists we produce to help research before your cruise. This is our playlist of Baltic Cruise aids.

One note worth taking on board because this option sells out fast, is to do BOTH palaces in the same day. If you take a day for a palace, the tour inside is under an hour, the rest is taken up with looking at the outside and then strolling the gardens. Two palaces in a day is efficient. If you cannot climb stairs, check the help that might be offered. If it is only to watch a video tour in a room downstairs while others climb up the stairs and see the rooms, you will have seen it all here first.