Cruising with Jane McDonald: The destinations from the show

As Susan Calman takes the reigns on Channel 5’s popular ‘Cruising with…’ series, we’re taking a look back at the impressive destinations Jane McDonald was lucky enough to visit during her time at the helm of Cruising with Jane McDonald.

In episode 4, Jane journeyed to Alaska aboard Holland America Line’s ship Nieuw Amsterdam. While visiting America’s largest state, she took a helicopter trip up to an ice field for a dog-sledging adventure and witnessed the majesty of the Margery glacier, a 21-mile stretch of ice belonging to the Glacier Bay National Park.

Jane embarked on a Cuban fiesta in series 2, starting and ending her adventure in Havana. Travelling on board Celestyal Crystal, she visited Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba and Montego Bay. “Cuba was like being in the film La La Land,” Jane said. “Everywhere we went people were singing and there were bands on every street corner.”

In the Christmas special of series 3, Jane sailed along the Rhine River on Uniworld’s boutique river cruise ship, S.S. Antoinette. She visited some of the most dazzling Christmas markets Europe has to offer. Back on board, Jane made festive decorations and wowed her shipmates with her signature Christmas dish.

For this two-part episode, Jane started her journey in Valparaíso before heading south along the Chilean coast on Silver Muse and concluding her trip in Argentina and Uruguay. At the Laguna San Rafael, Jane took part in the customary tradition of drinking whisky on ice directly from the glacier.

In a three-part episode, Jane explored the West Coast of Australia. She started her trip in the surfing paradise that is Queensland’s Gold Coast before heading to Sydney and later Brisbane and Perth. She enjoyed several land tours along the way and concluded her time on Sun Princess with a delectable dinner at the Chef’s Table.

In series 6, Jane embarked Emerald Radiance on a cruise from Porto in Portugal to Salamanca in Spain and back again before heading off for a stay in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. The itinerary, Secrets of the Douro, is one of Emerald Cruises’ most popular, allowing guests to experience the true Douro.

In the Christmas special of series 7, Jane made the iconic voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes on a 7-day Classic Voyage North itinerary aboard Hurtigruten’s MS Polarlys. We saw her dine with Vikings, go snowmobiling, catch King Crabs and trek to the most northerly part of mainland Europe, the North Cape.