For 17 years P&O’s Pride of Bilbao cruiseferry, servicing the Portsmouth to Bilbao route, has been ever-present, however, from September 2010, P&O are withdrawing their popular mini cruise.

Although providing tens of thousands of passengers each year with low-cost cabins and extensive onboard entertainment, P&O have been making a loss in recent years and they have been unable to renew their lease on the cruiseferry. The Pride of Bilbao was only extensively refurbished in 2002 and the onboard amenities include a swimming pool, fitness area, discounted shopping, restaurants, bars, discos, cabarets and, whale and dolphin spotting platforms.

One Tour Operator who is running a full programme of departures until the end of September is Gold Crest Holidays. Their four day Spain Mini Cruise is priced from £119 per person and they include three nights onboard the Pride of Bilbao and transfers to the Portsmouth Continental Ferry Terminal from the North, Midlands and London.

Malcolm Grout, Operations Manager at Gold Crest Holidays says, “we are disappointed that we are having to terminate our hugely popular mini cruise but at least we have seen a surge in recent bookings.”

Gold Crest Holidays are an ABTA-bonded tour operator with over twenty years experience providing short breaks throughout Europe and the UK. They also offer a range of city breaks, themed events and Disneyland Paris breaks. Customers can find more information or make bookings at www.gold-crest.com