Cruise and tour the ultimate Titan holiday

And you get to tick off so many bucket list highlights in just one holiday. From the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and sailing to South Africa to standing on top of Sugar Loaf mountain in Brazil, then voyaging to the white wilderness of Antarctica. We have several Cruise & Tour holidays to suit all tastes.

The main driving force behind our new Cruise & Tour packages is product manager Rob Stapley, who has been collaborating closely with the other product managers in creating these incredible destination rich itineraries.  We speak to him to find out more and let him explain why he thinks you’re all going to love them.

Rob, what exactly is a Cruise & Tour holiday?

We’ve been working together as a team to see how we can really develop a new range of holidays that can really complement the existing Titan holidays. What a Cruise & Tour holiday is… it’s unique. It’s completely focused on the destination and mixing element of touring on the land up to seven days before joining an ocean cruise. And I believe, a really showstopping range of holiday experiences. With this concept are also all these tick-offs, and plenty of these once-in-a-lifetime moments in just one single holiday.

We wanted to create a really unique holiday that is underpinned by the experience of being with a tour manager during the land tour who, as always, will take care every detail of your holiday and really focus on making sure your get the best out of your experience.

What was the thinking behind Cruise & Tour?

Our Deluxe Alaskan Voyage is a Cruise & Tour and one we’ve actually run for almost 30 years now.  We are one of the pioneers offering this amazing blend of seven nights touring in the Canadian Rockies, and travelling on the Rocky Mountaineer down to Vancouver and then taking a Holland America Line cruise ship up to Alaska – where customers can  enjoy the natural beauty. So, what we wanted to do is to replicate that experience elsewhere in the world. I have been collaborating with our product managers who are all destination experts. They have been talking to our ground partners all over the world, in places where we feel we can create similar magical holidays. 

Is there a good mix of adventure and downtime?

Absolutely, it’s the perfect blend really of land touring and cruising. We’ve created these holidays to begin with the land touring element. Seeing all these amazing highlights and then finishing with an ocean cruise. We find this works really well, as the group can really get to know each other, experience all these wonderful things on the ground and then join the cruise together. Then our customers can be as active as they wish, as we sail to all these incredible destinations.

I should also mention the cruise lines that we have partnered with have been chosen because of the itineraries they offer, as well as the incredible experiences on board their luxury ships. There really is no better way to see so many destinations in one go  and we have a fantastic mix of different cruise styles to suit different tastes.  

How is Cruise & Tour different to other holidays we offer?

What we won’t be doing is offering the simple overnight in port before your cruise, which is what we have done in the past. These are going to be genuine touring experiences, before joining the ship. So it’s really playing to Titan’s expertise here and our worldwide offerings.

We’re looking at our Cruise & Tours holidays in this initial launch to be in Europe, Africa, South America. Eastern Canada and Antarctica. So a whole range of destinations that we think captures the perfect blend of holiday. It gives an extensive insight of an area, that just isn’t available with the cruise line. And then expands the horizons when you get to sail on the ocean to explore further afield.

What cruise partners are we using?

We’re going to start with seven cruise partners. They’re all very different. And that is why I think we’ve got something for everyone. For example, if you want to travel to Antarctica, we sail with Hurtigruten, a state-of-the-art expedition ship with expert guides and scientists on board to really bring the destination to life.

If you’re looking for a high-end boutique style with just 700 passengers, then we have Azamara. Their strapline is destination immersion. What they do is they spend longer in port and often overnight, than other cruise lines. This gives you the chance explore destinations during the day and at night, which can be a completely different experience.

And then in Norway, we’re excited to be working with a brand new operator called Havila. This is for an authentic Norwegian experience touring up the coastline around Norway. And Havila will be the most environmentally friendly hybrid cruise line operating in Norway. So when you sail through the Norwegian fjords, it will be on battery power. You’ll really be able to soak in the atmosphere of the fjords. I think it will be wonderful.

And then in Croatia, we have a very different type of cruising experience. Just 28 guests on our privately chartered MV Seagull. It offers an intimate holiday experience and it’s like having your own yacht for a week as you sail around the Croatian coastline. You’ll see beautiful crystal-clear waters, and visit lovely uninhabited islands. You can swim off the back of the boat, but you can also go and visit fascinating cities including Split and Dubrovnik.

We also have Holland America, who have a wonderful range of dining options and entertainment. But still underpinning it, is that absolute focus on incredible itineraries. Fred.Olsen, similarly, has wonderful itineraries and a home away from home. As well as being very much tailored to British tastes. And lastly, in the Galapagos. We have the 100-passenger ship MV Galapagos Legend, who we’ve worked with for a number of years now. And that again is travelling with experts on board, offering a stunning small cruise ship experience to see the Galapagos islands in Ecuador. We’re going to be starting with this magnificent seven, but we’ll be looking to grow our range as we move on.

Why do you think customers should book a Cruise & Tour holiday?

In my opinion, a Cruise & Tour is the ultimate holiday choice. You will have all of the usual Titan touring benefits, with a number of days travelling in the care of an expert tour manager, visiting spectacular sights in the company of fellow Titan travellers and always assured that all the logistical details have been taken care of.

Then, having spent time together touring you will embark a cruise ship to continue your holiday aboard a floating hotel, discovering fresh perspectives of a region and often travelling further afield to new countries and highlights. I can see this being a way to 'tick' off several once in a lifetime destinations in one amazing trip – and it’s perfectly suited for people celebrating a special occasion - a landmark wedding anniversary or birthday for example. 

If you’d like to find out more about our Cruise & Tour holidays speak to one of our expert travel advisors.