Broadcaster, tour leader and travel expert Roger Mallock, the author of CruiseMaster, the definitive British guidebook explaining the pros and cons of taking holiday cruises, will give you all the answers at two special events for this year's Festival of Chichester.
00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Arts Editor at Sussex Newspapers and also Chairman of the Festival of Chichester.
00:08And in both capacities, lovely to speak to Roger Malek.
00:11Now, Roger, you are speaking twice for this year's Festival of Chichester, Saturday, June the 28th at 2.30 and Friday, July the 4th at 6pm.
00:22Both events free, but book in advance.
00:24You are talking, you are extolling the virtues of going on a cruise.
00:29Now, you're saying popularity of cruising, growing all the time, no sign of abating.
00:34Why is it such a big thing, cruising? Why do people go? Why do people have a great time?
00:40Today, the traveller is looking for value for money.
00:44And what I would say to you, Phil, is there is no better holiday out there, value for money wise, than the cruise.
00:50And why? Because if you think about it, it is so many different holidays in one.
00:55Start by boarding in Southampton, for example. Your holiday might style there.
01:00But then think of everything that comes from there. First thing, you're going to have an evening meal.
01:05All your meals are included in your cruise price. So that's even before you look at the cabins.
01:10Cabin grades can be from inside cabins, ocean views, balconies, suites, whatever.
01:14All of this is incorporated in your cruise fare. You've also got the many entertainments on board, depending on which cruise line that you're on.
01:25Larger ships will tend to have the more grand ones, if you like.
01:29But there are very tastefully ones put together by the local crew as well.
01:33If you're on the smaller ones, sometimes cruise ships actually get local entertainment in when they call into port as well.
01:41All of these aspects are covered, whether you're travelling, you know, out of Southampton or whether you're doing a fly cruise.
01:48That will then include your flights to take you out there.
01:51Obviously, you're two weeks abroad or whatever it may be.
01:55But covering all these entities that I mentioned at the same time, where can you go, for example, West End show in London overnight and have a show for like £100 a night or £150 a night or whatever to cover all these wonderful aspects?
02:09Also, great opportunity to meet new people.
02:12That's a huge reason why certain segments of the market go and then they return time and time again.
02:18Clearly, so many reasons to go.
02:21But is the issue to an extent that there is almost too much choice, isn't there?
02:25How do you know you're getting the right cruise for you, that it's going to suit you?
02:29I think you would have to say, Phil, there you need the expertise.
02:33You need to go to the, if you like, agent or consultant that is going to have the right product for you.
02:41Important to be aware of things like size of ship.
02:44My cruise talk is going to be mainly focused, obviously, on the small ships, the river ships and the expedition ones.
02:50And these are a perfect way to travel on a cruise if you're not looking to be on one of these ships, which you've got multi-thousand people.
02:58So it's a bit more personal.
03:00It's a bit more individual.
03:01It's a bit more, you know, tranquil, but serene.
03:05And maybe one might call it living market.
03:08Cruise lines such as Oceania, fantastic cuisine.
03:11Been on that one very recently.
03:14There's Sea Dream, which is like a private yacht.
03:17There's the clipper lines, which are these high-mastered ships.
03:20There's literally those.
03:22Then there's the traditional ones that we all know about.
03:25Then there's tiny ones that cruise off Croatia on little weak packages, as it were.
03:31And then, of course, you've got to go to the smallest size of all, catamarans of 16 people that go to the Galapagos, for example.
03:39And, of course, never forgetting those of 100, 200 people, or maybe a few more that are going to do Antarctic and Arctic.
03:46So there is a world to discover out there.
03:51And to be honest, cruising is probably the best way in which to do it, I would say.
03:56Brilliant.
03:57And you will be helping people make all those choices in your two talks for the Festival of Rochester.
04:03That's exactly what I'm intending to do.
04:05And me and my team, and we look forward to greeting everybody that's going to come and join us.
