With Europe’s Entry/Exit System (EES) rolling in from 12 October, setting sail from a UK port offers a way to see Europe without border formalities
From 12 October, travel to Europe will become more complicated. The 29 European countries using the Entry/Exit System (EES) will gradually introduce the new checks at their borders, which should be fully operational by 10 April 2026.
As third-country nationals, British passport-holders will be required to provide biometric details – facial and fingerprint scans – alongside their passport once every three years (or until their passport expires, whichever comes first).
While this could initially prove problematic at busy ports and airports as the scheme is rolled out, there is one way to avoid the hassle.
Passengers departing from and returning to a UK port on a European cruise will not be subject to EES checks when they disembark the ship for day trips on the continent. This is because EES replaces passport-stamping (ensuring visitors do not overstay the 90 days in every 180 rule), which does not take place during shore visits.
Virgin Voyage’s ‘Valiant Lady’ will sail from Portsmouth on a solar eclipse cruise in 2026 (Photo: photosvit/Getty)
So, if you are keen on a European city break but don’t want the formality of joining a border control queue, an ex-UK cruise could be the answer. Here are six to consider as EES is rolled out across Europe…
Hamburg and Amsterdam festive break
Tick off two lively cities on a five-night Christmassy cruise departing from London Tilbury on the Thames. Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition sets sail from Essex to visit the Christmas markets in Hamburg (the German port city hosts more than 10), then heads south to Ijmuiden in the Netherlands.
Here, passengers have a full day to follow the North Sea Canal into Amsterdam, where a new exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum showcases the artist’s friendship with postal worker Joseph Roulin and his family.
Departs London Tilbury 10-15 December, inside cabins from £389pp
Winter sun in the Canary Islands
The Fred Olsen story may have started in Norway as a shipping enterprise in the 19th century, but the Olsen family has also been in the Canary Islands for more than a century, first exporting fruit from its farm on La Gomera and later connecting the archipelago with its express ferry network.
Its two-week Canary Islands winter cruise departs on Balmoral from Southampton to visit La Gomera, as well as Tenerife, Lanzarote, Madeira, Matosinhos (for Porto) and La Coruña in Galicia.
Departs Southampton 6-20 January 2026, interior cabins from £1,499pp
Iberian wine cruise with Oz Clarke
Not only can passengers forget about border formalities on this wine-themed cruise, but there is also no worry about 100ml liquid restrictions if bringing samples home from the port houses of Vila Nova da Gaia or sherry bodegas in Andalucia.
Saga’s 16-day cruise on Spirit of Adventure departs from Portsmouth to visit Leixoes (for Porto), Lisbon, Malaga, Palma, Barcelona and Gibraltar, with Oz Clarke in residence to deliver two on-board talks on his wine expertise.
Departs Portsmouth 5-20 March 2026, standard balcony cabins from £4,499pp
Norway’s fjords
Skjolden is at the end of Lustrafjorden, Norway’s the longest and deepest fjord (Photo: chrisuk1/Getty)
Fred Olsen majors in Norwegian cruises and offers departures from several UK ports. Balmoral departs Newcastle next spring for a week exploring the Nordic nation’s crenellated coastline.
Ports of call include Skjolden – at the end of the world’s longest and deepest fjord – as well as Nordfjord and the Briksdal Glacier, Andalsnes for the scenic Rauma Railway and the Art Nouveau beauty of Alesund.
Departs Newcastle 16-23 April 2026, inside cabins from £1,149pp
Mediterranean highlights
P&O Cruises’ Aurora glides off from Southampton next spring on a 19-night spectacular around some of the Mediterranean’s finest ports. The adult-only cruise heads first for southern Spain before moving east to Cagliari in Sardinia, Catania in Sicily, and then up into the Adriatic for Croatia’s Dalmatian coast.
There are also stops on Corfu and the Peloponnese in Greece to see Olympia before calling into Gibraltar before home.
Departs Southampton 24 April-13 May 2026, inside cabin from £2,299pp
Visit Olympia on a P&O Cruise to the eastern Mediterranean (Photo: Daniel Pradilla/Getty)
Eclipse viewing off Iceland
Adults-only cruise line Virgin Voyages has a one-off cruise on Valiant Lady next summer to witness the total solar eclipse. Departing from Portsmouth, the 15-night voyage sails around the British Isles to call at Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool and Belfast before heading north.
She’ll sail into the North Atlantic to wait for the total solar eclipse on 12 August before docking on the north coast of Iceland for three days and then continuing south to Edinburgh and then back to Portsmouth. There will also be talks from on-board astronauts and astronomers along the way.
Departs Portsmouth 5-20 August 2026, inside cabins from £3,100pp