Vincent Simone is taking his new show to sea before it plays anywhere else.
The former Strictly Come Dancing professional and Michelle Tsiakkas, who joined the show in 2022, will premiere it on Saga’s Spirit of Discovery. The venue is the 14-night Best of the Canaries cruise from Portsmouth on 6 December.
Their dance partners, Victoria Martin and Simone Arena, complete the line-up.
Saga’s cruises are for the over-50s, and Spirit of Discovery is built for them: a small ship, every cabin with a balcony, and no children on board.
A ballroom history, with the Strictly stories left in
Saga says the show is called Eras, and that it traces Latin and ballroom dance through the decades.
Between routines, the pair will talk about their time on Strictly. The evening ends with a festive finale in the Playhouse, the ship’s theatre, which seats a little over 400.
Off stage, Tsiakkas is teaching salsa and Simone is running a festive foxtrot workshop.
It isn’t the only Strictly booking at sea this year. Fred. Olsen built its first dance cruise around Dame Arlene Phillips and Ian Waite.
Gardening, chocolate and supernovae
The rest of the guest list is classic Saga. TV gardener David Domoney, from Love Your Garden and ITV’s This Morning, is giving talks on how gardens and nature affect health and happiness.
Astronomer Tom Boles, a former president of the British Astronomical Association, is lecturing on the Northern Lights, black holes and the life of stars. Saga says he has discovered more supernovae than any other individual.
Chocolatier Mark Tilling runs tastings and a festive chocolate bar workshop. Geologist Isaac Kenyon covers the volcanic islands you’ll be calling at.
Six sea days and an overnight in Madeira
After three sea days out of Portsmouth, the ship spends a night in Funchal, Madeira. La Palma, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Lanzarote follow on consecutive days.
Lisbon comes after one more sea day. The ship is back in Portsmouth on the morning of 20 December, five days before Christmas.
That makes six sea days, and you cross the Bay of Biscay twice in December. There’s plenty of time for a foxtrot workshop, but it’s worth knowing if you’re a poor sailor.
What it costs, and what that buys
Saga’s own page lists the cruise from £3,499 per person, which works out at about £250 a night. Every cabin on the ship has a balcony.
That price includes travel insurance. Take off £87pp if you don’t need it.
The fare also covers what most lines charge extra for: drinks, tips, Wi-Fi, the speciality restaurants and an included excursion in every port. You also get a chauffeur from home to the ship. It’s private if you live within 75 miles of the port and shared beyond that.
The catch is in how Saga discounts. The cheapest cabins in each grade sell first and the saving shrinks as they go, so the “from” price is a moving target.
The bottom line
A Strictly premiere is a nice novelty. The bigger draw is a fortnight of Canaries sun with almost everything already in the fare, and you’re home in time for Christmas.
If you were already weighing up a December Canaries sailing, the dancing is a bonus. If price matters, book early, because Saga’s early cabins are the cheap ones.
