Bafta-winning cruise star Jane McDonald picks some of her favourite voyages
The darling of the ocean voyage is back on our screens with a fourth series of the Channel 5 show Cruising With... in which she goes even farther afield to bring the masses all aboard
CRUISE liner darling Jane McDonald returns to our screens on Friday with the fourth series of hit Channel 5 show Cruising With.
The last run picked up a Bafta and this season sees Jane head further afield in her mission to bring cruising to the masses.Here, she describes the fun and fabulous sights in the new show as she heads Down Under...
I’VE been cruising for years and I’ve been all over the world but I’ve got a new favourite place: New Zealand.
I was sailing Down Under on Holland America Line’s Noordam.
We sailed across the Tasman Sea to reach the South Island and our first glimpse of land was Milford Sound, which is one of the most beautiful sights I’ve ever seen.
It was like being in a pop video — ethereal and amazing.
Every single person was on deck staring at the mist rising from the water.
And once we arrived, it was just non-stop. There is so much to do: I went to the places they filmed The Hobbit, I jumped off the Sky Tower in Auckland, I went quad biking, visited a Maori tribe village and took in Tasmania.
We also went to this fantastic place called Devil’s Bath in Wai-O-Tapu. Thermal pools with every mineral you can think of.
But my favourite place was Dunedin, which has a rich Scottish heritage. Scotland was my favourite place but New Zealand is like Scotland on steroids but without the midges. It’s beautiful.
And even though I wasn’t so interested in hobbits before, after being there the first thing I want to do is watch some of the films again because the place is exquisite. I fell in love with it.
You get sucked into it even if you’re not a fan. You can imagine Sir Ian McKellen and all the other movie and book characters.
We also went to the Spy Valley winery in the Marlborough region. Oh my goodness, there wasn’t one wine I didn’t like.
You know how you’re meant to swill and spit? I didn’t. I just necked the whole lot!
The cruise took us to Australia as well. It’s a country on a lot of people’s bucket lists.
So many people say: “Let’s go on a cruise for our 70th birthday or our golden wedding anniversary.” But my advice is don’t wait, just go! Spend the kids’ inheritance. It’s too good to delay.
And a cruise is a great way to do it. Although many only think of the Mediterranean and the Caribbean when they consider cruising, I really recommend Australia and New Zealand.
On a ship there’s something going on 24/7 so if you’re jet-lagged you can get up and have breakfast at 3am or you can have a nap whenever you want.
Sydney is really cosmopolitan and buzzing and the famous harbour didn’t disappoint. I climbed the bridge and got to explore inside the Opera House.
I actually got to stand on the stage and sing, so that’s another one off my bucket list.
For the second part of this series we went to South America and I did it in style onboard Silversea’s new ultra luxury ship, the Silver Muse. We ticked off Chile, Argentina and Uruguay.
They are so vibrant. There’s street art everywhere, dancing, music.
And when we went to Buenos Aires, I saw where Evita did the balcony scene. Oh my goodness, it was passionate.
Then we went to the Falklands, which was one of the most emotional things I’ve ever done.
I‘m not one for politics but when I stepped foot on the disputed islands it made me proud because that was a little bit of Britain here in South America.
I met up with some war veterans and hearing what they’ve gone through was emotional.
And there’s still the red buses and the phone boxes, which is strange but lovely.
Doing Cruising With Jane McDonald is the best job in the world. People like it because it’s feel-good TV.
I get very passionate about cruising and said right from the start I wanted to just go out and have a laugh, because I’m all about that.
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There’s no side to me. The show is just me saying: “Come on, let’s go and have a holiday.”
I’m so pleased that people enjoy it. Winning the Bafta still hasn’t sunk in. The reaction has been something I’ve never experienced in my whole career. It’s wonderful.
I hope this means many more series — although I don’t know how we are going to top this one.
- Cruising With Jane McDonald is on Channel 5 on Friday at 9pm.