Brochures of the week

What with Britannia making its final regal lap of Britain and the popularity of Channel 4's series on ocean liners, you may also be considering a holiday at sea.

The new brochure from Celebrity Cruises will appeal to those with cash to splash out on such a jaunt. Based in the US, the company tours the Caribbean, Alaska, Bermuda and the Panama Canal. Prices (far too complex to detail here) include your flights, accommodation, all meals and entertainment, tips and taxes. There are also discounts for people who book early, and the company goes out of its way to cater for honeymooners, families, and indeed anyone else you care to mention.

The brochure is full of all the facts you need to work out what you can afford and when it's best to visit and the pictures used are enticing if cliched.

The thing that's really lacking is a clear explanation of what the atmosphere will be like on ship. How many other British people will there be? What sort of age range do these cruises attract? Before you book, make sure you get all these questions and more answered to your satisfaction.

For a less flash take on life at sea, there's the RMS St Helena brochure, which attempts to entice you aboard a hybrid cargo/passenger ship. Unlike some of the cargo-ship "cruises" where you can often be the only paying passenger, the St Helena carries up to 128 guests (and 2,000 tonnes of cargo).

As you may have guessed, the company serves the remote island of St Helena, a British dependency in the middle of the Atlantic.

The ship, which departs from Cardiff, stops off at the lonely island before continuing to Cape Town (prices start at pounds 2,704). Each year it also makes several round trips between Cape Town and St Helena, with rates kicking in at pounds 1,905.

The brochure warns that "if you are looking for bright lights, lavish entertainment, new ports of call every day, look elsewhere". But even if you decide not to jump on board, a ticket might make the ideal gift for your boss.

Celebrity Cruises: for brochure, tel 0990 902901; RMS St Helena: tel 01326 211466.