COUGAR Cruise on Carnival Elation

You may not know what a cougar is now, but you will soon. Cougars are single women of a certain age who like younger men’s company. The exact definition of cougarship is difficult: is it women over forty and men under thirty or women over thirty-five and men under twenty-five? Who knows.

But like nudists, swingers and birdwatchers, cougars are having their own cruise. Carnival Elation will sail on 4th December from San Diego and visit Ensenada in Mexico. Elation is an older ship, but still classy, like the women who will be travelling on her – she was the first to be Debuting in March 1998, the Elation is the seventh of Carnival's eight Fantasy-class equipped with azipods, the state-of-the art propulsion system that greatly enhances the ship's manoeuvrability.

The three day cruise is bill as: three nights of festive pre-holiday fun - dinner, dancing and partying! On board will be Miss Cougar America 2009, and the whole event is being organised by the Singles Travel Company and the Society of Single Professionals, both American organisations. If you fancy the trip, you have to organise your own flights but the rates are fantastic, around £80 if you’re prepared to share (with another cougar if you’re female, or another young man if you’re male) but don’t include taxes, fees and port charges.