She the Dame of the high seas and Jane McDonald is returning to our screens tonight for a seventh season of ocean-bound escapades and high jinks. The first episode of this season’s Cruising with Jane McDonald sees the sailing songstress head to the Caribbean. We’ll be cruising vicariously through her until we can do the real thing; in the meantime, here are five of our favourite ever episodes (and how to recreate them…)
This Christmas special episode saw Jane embark MS Polarlys for the iconic voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes, high in the Arctic circle. An adventure in every sense of the word, Jane’s Hurtigruten journey saw her dwarfed by epic fjord seascapes, dine with Vikings, catch humungous king crab and hike to the North Cape, the farthest reaches of mainland Europe.
Click here to go there with Hurtigruten
It was the all-time most popular episode of Cruising with Jane McDonald, charting her time on Holland America Line’s Noordam. The two-parter saw Jane start out her escape Down Under with a 14-night cruise from Sydney, where she scooped a backstage pass to the iconic Sydney Opera House (could there be a residency in the works, we wonder?)
Episode one saw her visit the likes of Tasmania and Hobart, before a second instalment inspired millions to put New Zealand on their bucket list, with Jane journeying to Wellington, taking a helicopter tour high above Auckland and returning to Sydney to climb the famous Harbour Bridge before home time.
Click here to go there with Holland America Line:
Viking Ocean ships are renowned for Scandinavian styling, so it’s little surprise that Viking Sky seemed so at home in the effortlessly sophisticated surroundings of the Baltics. Cruising with Jane McDonald fans will remember this as the episode that Abba made, with the foursome becoming the inspiration for Jane’s closing performance and her museum stop in Stockholm. Tallinn, St Petersburg and Helsinki also starred in her memorable amble across the Baltic Sea.
Click here to go there with Viking Cruises:
Season three, episode three and Jane was headed for Asia, sailing the Mekong from Vietnam to Cambodia. Arguably a contender for our single most favourite episode of Cruising with Jane McDonald ever, this taste of such unique and exciting cultures saw the AmaDara transport Jane between Ho Chi Minh and its frenetic night markets, to the mesmerising monuments of Ankor Wat and its scatter of ancient temples.
Click here to go there with AmaWaterways:
California dreaming was the order of the day for the inaugural episode of season three. Jane embarked Ruby Princess in Los Angeles and spent her time onboard rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty in former Dallas star, Linda Gray. In what must have been sticky scenes, she found herself coated head-to-toe in chocolate for a signature massage from the famously chocoholic-friendly cruise line, as well as attending her first wedding at sea. Now that is the kind of wedding singer we’re talking about!
Click here to go there with Princess Cruises:
Cruising with Jane McDonald returns tonight, Sunday 9th May, at 9pm on Channel 5. Will you be tuning in?
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Yep, we will be watching (well, taping, for later) Enjoy janes down to earth appeal - personally, I don’t like her signings! but that’s just me. Very much looking forward to the details( if shown) of the MedallionClass™ accessories We are booked on Regal Princess in September 21, so this will be good groundwork. Plus, most of The Caribbean islands, we are fortunate enough to have visited, so another look will be good.
Good Morning Phil,
Yes, we agree with you. It's lovely to watch, and get that personal, down-to-earth experience. I hope you enjoyed the programme, and are more so looking forward to your cruise in September.