UK cruise show gathers gurus and giveaways

Embark on cruise adventures - Amazon River treks, voyages to the Antarctic Circle, wine tasting in Argentina - at the first-ever Cruise Show in London. Held on Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22 at London's ExCeL, the show, organised by the Daily Telegraph, will feature a whole host of other activities, from win-a-cruise contests to panels of cruise experts who will discuss topics ranging from family cruises to expedition adventures.

The Cruise Show is the next best thing to actually being onboard – and aims to offer a colourful, casual and fun way for travellers, whether virgin cruisers or veterans, to learn about cruising. "The Cruise Show is a real chance for people to ask questions without pressure," says Chris Erasmus, an event organiser.

The show will consist of three different features:

The Sky Travel Cruise Theatre will host the aforementioned expert panel sessions that also include "new to cruise Q&A", "cruising destinations," "casual style cruising" and "great value luxury voyages". Special speakers on hand will feature Saga Magazine's Emma Soames, who will chat about best books to pack for cruises, and "Wish You Were Here" presenter Judith Chalmers, a well-travelled cruise veteran. Cruise Critic editor in chief Carolyn Spencer Brown will be joining established travel writers such as the Telegraph's Jane Archer and Sky Travel's Steve Read.

In the Expedition Cruise Theatre, all manner of really offbeat, adventure-oriented trips will be spotlighted. Among them include "cruising around the Galapagos Islands," "Amazon Adventure," "South of Patagonia," and "The Northern Lights". Among special guest speakers will be BBC broadcaster Paul Rose who will discuss his travel to Antarctica.

Want to snag a special offer on a future trip? Most major cruise lines – and many smaller, more adventure-oriented companies – will be on hand to answer questions, offer trinkets, and provide brochures and other info.

Among those that will be part of the Cruise Show include ACE Study Tours, AMA Waterways, Celebrity Cruises, Azamara, Compagnie du Ponant, Cruceros Australis, Crystal, Cunard, Discover the World, easyCruise, Fred. Olsen, G.A.P. Adventures, Hapag-Lloyd, Hebridean, Holland America Line, Hurtigruten, Indian Ocean Cruises, Island Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Ocean Village, Oceania, P&O, and Page & Moy.

Also participating are Peregrine Adventures, Peter Deilmann, Polar Star, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, SAGA, Seabourn, Silversea, Star Clippers, Transocean and Viking River.

Prize-winning opportunities are offered by Fred Olsen, which is giving away a cruise on Balmoral and Saga's Spirit of Adventure, an expedition line.

Tickets to the cruise show – which enable attendees to participate in all events – are £8 per person in advance and £12 at the door. As a media sponsor, however, Cruise Critic is offering a special 2-for-1 discount for tickets purchased in advance; when booking, please mention 'Cruise Critic'. For more information on the Cruise Show, log on to Cruisingshow.co.uk.