The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
From Cuba to the Cape: hot places to cruise in 2017
This year promises to be an exciting one for lovers of exotic ocean and river journeys. But where to start? Jane Archer steers your course
Cuba
Until last year British cruisers had the monopoly on cruising in Cuba. That changed following President Barack Obama’s visit to Cuba in March and American cruise lines wasted no time in deploying their ships to the destination. This means plenty more choice of ships and itineraries in 2017. Among those building Havana into sailings are luxury lines Regent Seven Seas and Azamara Club Cruises. The port will be the final stop on Azamara Quest’s 13-day Hemingway Hideaways cruise from Miami to Key West, Tampa, New Orleans and Cozumel in Mexico. On one of three tour options in the city passengers will see where Hemingway lived, fished, dined and sipped his favourite cocktails (from £3,129 per person departing on March 21; azamaraclubcruises.co.uk).
Regent has added Havana to two Caribbean voyages aboard Seven Seas Mariner in April (from £3,309 per person all-inclusive; rssc.com). Oceania, another luxury line, will inaugurate its calls in Cuba with one 14-day and two 10-day Caribbean cruises from Miami aboard Marina in March. Two of the voyages will stay overnight.
Viking Ocean’s newest ship, Viking Sun, will begin her maiden season sailing voyages to Cuba and the Caribbean when she launches later this year and Norwegian Cruise Line is offering overnight stays in Havana aboard Norwegian Sky when she sails on five, four-night cruises from Miami in May. Sky is the largest vessel sailing to Cuba; for something more intimate consider a week-long roundthe-island voyage with Celestyal Cruises embarking in either Havana or Montego Bay (Jamaica). Its 1,200passenger ship Celestyal Crystal also visits Cienfuegos to explore World Heritage sites, rainforest and waterfalls, the colonial city of Santiago de Cuba and Punta Francés on the Isle of Youth, for beaches and snorkelling (from €1,837/£1,592 per person; yourcubacruise.com).
Bolshevik centenary
Tempted by Russia? This is the year to make it happen. In November 1917 the Battleship Aurora – still one of the key attractions in St Petersburg – fired a shot signalling the start of the revolution that ushered in 80 years of communist rule. Cruises along the rivers, canals and lakes that link Moscow and St Petersburg take in most of the sights and make light work of tours and visas (most ships carry English-speaking guides).
Scenic (scenic.co.uk), Viking River Cruises (vikingcruises.co.uk) and Uniworld (uniworld.com) have itineraries that include nights aboard in both cities at the start and end of the voyage. Cruisers will visit historic towns, monasteries and churches and gain a good insight into Russian culture. Titan Travel’s (titantravel. co.uk) 13-day Imperial Treasures of Russia cruises bookends a six-night cruise with three hotel nights in both Moscow and St Petersburg and costs from £2,549 per person departing in September.
River cruisers need a visa for Russia (ru.vfsglobal.co.uk; from £88.40). To avoid the visa fee consider a Baltic cruise with Crystal Cruises (crystalcruises.co.uk), Seabourn (seabourn.com) or Regent Seven Seas Cruises (rssc.com) – all passengers can go ashore visa-free on complementary excursions. Regent’s free excursions include a revolutionary tour, while a day trip to Moscow by high-speed train costs from £205 per person. A 10-night cruise from Copenhagen to Stockholm costs from £6,419 per person departing August 21 2017, including flights.
Make a date with Alaska
This year marks 150 years since the US acquired the territory. Purchased by President Andrew Johnson from the Russian empire on March 30 1867 for the sum of $7.2million, it became the 49th state of the Union in 1959.
It is too icy for cruise ships in March, but once the season starts in May, Holland America Line – which will be celebrating 70 years of cruising in Alaska – will have seven ships in the region including two of its largest vessels, Nieuw Amsterdam and Eurodam. Seven-night itineraries sailing from Vancouver or Seattle variously visit Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan, but always include scenic cruising close to giant glaciers. Those who want to see more can pair the cruise with land tours that visit Anchorage, Denali National Park and the Yukon. Most will include a rail option, travelling on trains with a glass-domed viewing carriage.
Princess Cruises will have six ships in Alaska this year and offers an extensive cruise-tour programme including touring on its own train. Small luxury line Seabourn is returning to Alaska in 2017 for the first time in 15 years (Seabourn Sojourn holds 450 passengers).
An 11-night holiday combining a one-week cruise with a night in each of Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks costs from £1,077 per person departing May 18 (hollandamerica.com).
Direct to the Big Easy
Paddlewheel cruises on the Lower Mississippi between New Orleans and Memphis are extremely popular. From March UK cruisers can take advantage of direct flights (ba.com) between London Heathrow and New Orleans to pick up one of the many round-trip sailings from the city. Further north is Memphis, home to the Civil Rights Museum, the Rock and Soul Museum and Elvis’s former home, Gracelands. For this option you can cruise north and fly back to New Orleans (1.5 hours) for the direct flight home.
The 436-passenger American Queen (aqsc.com) is the world’s largest paddlewheel vessel. Her sister ship, American Duchess, launches this summer (166 passengers) and is selling out fast. A nine-day cruise departing June 4 from New Orleans to Memphis costs from $2,999 (£2,475) per person (lightbluetravel.co.uk).
French America Line, a new company, sails its 150-passenger boat Louisiane between New Orleans and Memphis in spring and autumn, and on the Upper Mississippi in summer. A six-night Splendours of the South cruise round-trip from New Orleans costs from $2,599 per person departing on March 31 (frenchamericaline.com). Fly with British Airways from £595 per person return (ba.com).
Relive the Games in Brazil
Those inspired to visit Brazil following last summer’s Olympic Games will find no shortage of opportunities to cruise there this year. Silversea’s Silver Muse, launching in April, is visiting seven ports in the country on a 19-day voyage from Buenos Aires to Bridgetown in the autumn. The itinerary includes three days in Rio de Janeiro and visits Santos, Salvador de Bahia and Natal and offers tours that delve into the cuisine, music and culture of Brazil. (From £7,450 per person departing on November 17; silversea.com).
Celebrity Cruises’ still has room on a 14-night voyage round-trip from Buenos Aires that spends three days in Rio for the Carnival. From £1,059 per person departing on February 19 (grandstand seats for the Samba Parade from £599 per person; celebritycruises. co.uk). Feeling adventurous? Viking Ocean Cruises (vikingcruises.co.uk) has a 22-day voyage round-trip from San Juan that takes passengers 1,000 miles up the Amazon for an overnight stay in Manaus and offers tours to the Brazilian rainforest (from £5,640 per person departing on December 16. Or wait a month and join Seabourn’s (seabourn.com) 19-day Atlantic Isles cruise on Seabourn Quest from Brazil to Cape Town. It spends a night in Rio, calls at Parati in Brazil and then spends five days sailing to the remote Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha. From £6,028 per person, departing January 23, 2018.
O Canada!
Another big anniversary in North America this year marks 150 years since the Constitution Act of July 1 1867, which created the Dominion of Canada. The day is celebrated each year with fireworks, parades and festivals. This year more than 40 tall ships will sail along the St Lawrence River.
One Ocean Expeditions’ (oneoceanexpeditions.com) 11-day Fins and Fiddles voyage round-trip from Louisbourg in Nova Scotia visits Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, where the Constitution Act was signed, and promises whalewatching, kayaking and a call at Saint Pierre et Miquelon, which remain part of France – from $4,195 per person;