The cruise industry continues to be one of the most stable sectors in the travel market, however, as cruise lines continue to launch new ships, cruisers become more demanding for new options and pricing becomes more competitive, travel agents and cruise specialists are creating an increasingly varied itineraries which incorporate nights at sea, nights ashore, and even at times, nights on trains!

Holidays combining both nights at sea on a cruise ship and nights ashore in a hotel offer the ultimate in relaxation. Travellers can chill out onboard the sundeck of a luxury liner or sun bathe poolside in a top class hotel. Also, the majority of cruise ships offer spa facilities and treatments which often rival those found in some of the finest resorts ashore and the same can be said for many of the hotels which have been packaged into these holidays.

Land and cruise packages are also a great choice for people who haven't been on a cruise before and may have some concerns about trying this new mode of travel. By selecting this type of holiday, people can pick a short cruise as a ‘taster' yet still enjoy a longer duration holiday by adding on a hotel based element.

Land and cruise holidays can offer a higher level of flexibility to the traveller as there is the option to create your own dream itinerary and also get the opportunity to visit more places than if you'd stayed just in one resort.

These types of holidays are becoming increasingly popular and therefore the choice available is constantly evolving as more exotic itineraries are created and released into the market. Growing in popularity as destinations which are included in cruise and stay packages are Dubai, the Middle East, the Far East and a whole host of cities in the US and Canada.

There are some options where it is also possible to combine your cruise with a pre-packaged land tour, commonly known as a ‘cruisetour' and these are especially popular on Alaskan cruise holidays. They offer travellers the opportunity to maximise their holiday experience to this breathtaking region by enjoying a stunning cruise journey through the glaciers with a land tour taking in the beautiful interior scenery or even the Canadian Rockies, both of which are inaccessible by sea.

Some cruise specialists are becoming even more inventive and are now offering a variety of even more exclusive packages. The first of these are holidays which incorporate not only nights onboard a ship and in a hotel but also onboard a sleeper train as the traveller moves from one destination to another. These packages are a fantastic choice for adventurers who want to experience some jaw dropping scenery as they cross countries from one city to another such as a journey across America from Chicago to New York. Some cruise specialists are even packaging up two cruises with different cruise lines, multi-destinations in hotels and even rail travel between land stay night hotels. An example of this would be to take a Cunard Transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York, spend some nights in the Big Apple, cross the US by train to Miami, relax in a top quality hotel on the famous South Beach for a couple of nights, before returning to the UK in 5 star luxury onboard a Celebrity Cruises vessel.