Where else can you travel to Paris, Mexico, Hawaii and Venice - all without leaving the shores of the UK? That’s right, in February we set sail on the MV Tynedale (aka Tynedale Hotel in Llandudno) for the superb Landlubbers Cruise, now in its 32nd year of cruising

If you’ve never been on a Landlubbers Cruise, it’s hard to explain just how brilliant these holidays are. It’s the attention to detail, the staff entering into the spirit of things wholeheartedly (although we have been told it isn’t mentioned what the role entails until AFTER they’ve accepted the job...), and the sheer quality of the hotel. If you have room, you can eat four times a day with breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner and evening buffet all included, as well as top-notch entertainment throughout the stay. This really is not to be missed, and it’s great to see our passengers entering into the spirit of the break and dressing up for each destination!

As well as the themed fun at the hotel, including the usual visit from Godfrey the camel, we also enjoyed some ‘shore excursions’ during our stay. We began with a scenic tour around Snowdonia, calling in at Llanberis for a journey on the Llanberis Lake Railway along the shores of Llyn Padarn, before heading over the Llanberis Pass to Betws-y-coed. Sadly the weather was against us and we didn’t see much of the view!

Wednesday was a free day in Llandudno, but we began the day with a Marine Drive Tour around the Great Orme by vintage coach - a great way to discover some history of the town and learn more about the local area, before spending the rest of the day at leisure

Our final excursion took us a little further afield to Chester, where we enjoyed a 30-minute boat trip on the river Dee. Due to recent rains the river was very high - quite appropriate for the Venice day of our Landlubbers Cruise! Stepping back on shore, our group enjoyed free time in Chester before heading back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the final evening: the Captain’s Venetian Masquerade Ball, where two lucky guests are invited to join the Captain for dinner

The good news is that the Tynedale Landlubbers Cruise will be setting sail again in 2025, to some new and different cruise destinations - where do you think we’ll make port?