As third-country nationals, British passport-holders will be required to provide biometric details \u2013 facial and fingerprint scans \u2013 alongside their passport once every three years (or until their passport expires, whichever comes first).<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
![\"Virgin](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_269383590.jpg\")
Virgin Voyage\u2019s \u2018Valiant Lady\u2019 will sail from Portsmouth on a solar eclipse cruise in 2026 (Photo: photosvit\/Getty)<\/p>\n
So, if you are keen on a European city break but don\u2019t want the formality of joining a border control queue, an ex-UK cruise<\/a> could be the answer. Here are six to consider as EES is rolled out across Europe\u2026<\/p>\n Hamburg and Amsterdam festive break<\/p>\n Tick off two lively cities on a five-night Christmassy cruise<\/a> departing from London Tilbury on the Thames. Ambassador Cruise Line\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s friendship with postal worker Joseph Roulin and his family.<\/p>\n Departs London Tilbury 10-15 December, inside cabins from \u00a3389pp<\/a><\/p>\n Winter sun in the Canary Islands<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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 Coru\u00f1a in Galicia.<\/p>\n Departs Southampton 6-20 January 2026, interior cabins from \u00a31,499pp<\/a><\/p>\n Iberian wine cruise with Oz Clarke<\/p>\n 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. <\/p>\n Saga\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Departs Portsmouth 5-20 March 2026, standard balcony cabins from \u00a34,499pp<\/a><\/p>\n Norway\u2019s fjords<\/p>\n 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\u2019s crenellated coastline.<\/p>\n Ports of call include Skjolden \u2013 at the end of the world\u2019s longest and deepest fjord \u2013 as well as Nordfjord and the Briksdal Glacier, Andalsnes for the scenic Rauma Railway and the Art Nouveau beauty of Alesund.<\/p>\n Departs Newcastle 16-23 April 2026, inside cabins from \u00a31,149pp<\/a><\/p>\n Mediterranean highlights <\/p>\n P&O Cruises\u2019 Aurora glides off from Southampton next spring on a 19-night spectacular around some of the Mediterranean\u2019s 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\u2019s Dalmatian coast.<\/p>\n There are also stops on Corfu and the Peloponnese in Greece to see Olympia before calling into Gibraltar before home. <\/p>\n![\"Skjolden](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_269383169.jpg\")
Skjolden is at the end of Lustrafjorden, Norway\u2019s the longest and deepest fjord (Photo: chrisuk1\/Getty)<\/p>\n
![\"Visit](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI_269383232.jpg\")
Visit Olympia on a P&O Cruise to the eastern Mediterranean (Photo: Daniel Pradilla\/Getty)<\/p>\n