Jane McDonald At Christmas

Anyone watching ‘Christmas Cruising with Jane McDonald’ a couple of days before Santa arrived couldn’t fail to get into the festive spirit. Channel 5 decided to film a special programme with the cheeky singer from Wakefield on a Christmas Markets cruise aboard Uniworld’s S.S. Antoinette along the Rhine. After embarking in Cologne, Jane set about creating her very own Christmas in her suite with canopied bed. Visiting some of the most dazzling festive markets Europe has to offer and sampling traditional delicacies such as Lebkuchen, bratwurst and glühwein, she was spoilt for choice with quaint, hand-made Christmas ornaments in her quest to “trim” her cabin.

Back on board, the fun continued as Jane joined her fellow shipmates to make decorations, chatted up a chef to help her decorate a gingerbread house and had a Mary Berry moment creating her signature Christmas dish – a trifle doused with enough sherry to launch a ship. A carol concert by the crew entertained passengers as the cruise continued to Basle in Switzerland, the final stop on this magical festive cruise.

The rise in river cruises timed to visit fabled Christmas markets in Europe during Advent has been phenomenal in recent years. Little wonder as you can sail to legendary Strasbourg on the Rhine, considered the ‘Capital of Christmas’ and home to one of the oldest Christmas markets arrayed in front of the Cathedral. The River Main courses through Nuremberg, a stunning medieval town which has over 200 stalls selling traditional decorations and festive gifts. A cruise along the Danube takes guests through the picturesque Wachau Valley to Vienna where you could even extend your holiday with a stay in Prague, where school choirs spread the festive cheer.

Uniworld’s European fleet consists of 13 boutique-style ships, all of which have interiors far removed from trendy minimalism, each unique and is a showcase of refined taste. One of the first things you see when you step onboard the 154-passenger S.S. Antoinette is the 10-foot high vivid-blue Strauss Baccarat chandelier hanging in the lobby. Elsewhere the scene-stealing décor is inspired by a vision of Marie Antoinette’s France with antique mirrors, gold-leaf detailing and custom period furniture. As for the cuisine, let’s just say, the menu is less prêt-à-manger, more haute couture using the finest local produce.

Christmas cruises to European towns and cities with impossibly festive markets run from the end of November and stop a few days before Christmas. You can follow in Jane McDonald’s footsteps on a cruise from Cologne to Basle or vice-versa aboard S.S. Antoinette on a 7-night ‘Rhine Holiday Markets’ cruise departing on 28 November and 5 December. Other Uniworld festive cruises include a 7-night ‘Classic Christmas Markets’ cruise from Frankfurt to Nuremberg or you could forget roasting the turkey at home and sign up for a 10-night ‘Enchanting Christmas and New Year’s’ cruise from Passau to Budapest departing on 23 December. If you’re already thinking about a Yuletide break with a difference then speak to our experienced team on 0808 256 6742.