No-fly cruises – Are these for the elderly only, or do other groups of people like them too?

Cruises which start and end in the UK have always had great popularity amongst the elderly and those with mobility problems, but in recent years, especially with the increase in air travel restrictions, no-fly cruise holidays are being chosen by a wider selection of travellers.

For anyone who suffers from a fear of flying, no-fly cruises are an obvious choice for a stress-free holiday. Along with the fear of actually taking off and landing, associated problems such as claustrophobia and agoraphobia can severely limit someone's choice of holiday.

Southampton (one of the largest embarkation ports for cruise ships) is the starting point for a huge number of exciting holidays, and it's not just Mediterranean cruises – there are also ships that sail to the Arctic, the Amazon as well as the Canaries and Africa.

No-fly holidays are quickly catching on in the family cruising sector. Anyone who has struggled into an airport departure lounge at seven in the morning with luggage and noisy children, to be told by check-in staff that their flight has been delayed by several hours or worse still - cancelled, will know why a no-fly cruise is such an attraction. Instead of hanging around in the departure lounge waiting for their flight to be called, parents really appreciate relaxing in their cabin or exploring their new floating holiday home after a quick and easy embarkation. With no searching for their luggage, as it would have been delivered direct to their rooms by the time the boat sails, the children will have investigated the kid's programmes, and Mum and Dad's only important decision of the day will be which of the many restaurants to try for their first night out. Delays, lost luggage and frayed nerves are a thing of the past.

Long haul flights can mean leaving, or arriving in the middle of the night and this can leave travellers so tired that the first day of a holiday is often wasted due to lack of sleep, and on returning from a trans-Atlantic flight for example; jet lag can be a real problem. A cruise ship continues sailing through the night and passengers arrive at port refreshed and ready for an on-shore excursion, which will be planned down to the last detail. Travelling this way ensures that no precious time is wasted in check in and car hire queues. The ship does the travelling while the passengers dine, dance and sleep until they reach their first destination.

Luggage is also a problem when flying, and cruising is a great excuse to take a vast selection of day and evening wear without the restrictions of a 20 kg luggage allowance. This is a real bonus for female passengers, and for men too… as they don't have to struggle with the suitcases.

Today's modern liners are faster and smoother than a few years ago, so the options for no-fly cruise destinations are far more extensive than they used to be. Now passengers can take cruises from Southampton to faraway places, and cruise back without ever setting foot in an airport,