My partner and I would like to cruise towards Rio de Janeiro, getting there in time for the 2007 Carnival. Can you recommend a cruise company for us to try? Morna Petrano, Aberdeen

Here are three good options, but you can find more at the recently re-launched website of the Passenger Shipping Association, www.discover-cruises.co.uk

Crystal Cruises (020 7287 9040, www.crystalcruises.com) offers the chance of joining its 2007 World Cruise in Buenos Aires on February 14. The Crystal Serenity then arrives in Rio at 8am on February 18, just when the party is in full swing. You remain in port until 5pm the next day, when the ship and its 1,080 passengers sail off for a further 12-nights cruise, visiting St Helena and Walvis Bay, before reaching Cape Town on March 2. Prices start at £6,060pp, including return flights from London, all meals, and transfers

SeaDream Yacht Club (0800 783 1373, www.seadreamyachtclub.com) has a super-luxurious boutique vessel called SeaDream I. It has just 55 cabins, 95 crew, and private yacht-style goodies, like jet skis and speedboat tenders, as well as large vessel facilities, like a spa and casino. The 12-night cruise starts in Buenos Aires on February 12, and calls at Punta Del Este in Uruguay, Porto Belo and Bahia Ilha Grande in Brazil, and then Rio. The cruise costs from £5,575pp, including flights from London, a stateroom cabin, all meals and mealtime drinks, and onboard gratuities. And for £575pp, you can soak up the Carnival atmosphere from front row box seats. You fly back into London on February 22.

A cheaper alternative is MSC Cruises (0870 850 4883, www.msccruises.co.uk), which has a 7-night Carnival cruise, departing Rio on the MSC Armonia on February 16. The ship carries over 2,000 passengers, and calls into Santos, Buzios, and Salvador, then back to Rio. Prices start at £1,499 pp, and include return flights, port and airport taxes, and all on board meals (from £1,898pp for a suite with a balcony).

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