THOSE LITTLE EXTRAS

The new, exciting perks making cruises more adventurous

Underwater viewing

The latest thing for some expedition ships is ‘underwater lounges’: eye-shaped viewing windows to help you while away your time on board by glaring into the unfathomable depths – and even feeling them on ‘body listening sofas’. And for times when nothing swims by, digital screens project live video footage capturing underwater scenes from elsewhere on the ship, such as dolphins playing in the waves.

Choose your experts

It isn’t enough to just go somewhere. For those long hours at sea, cruises employ a host of ‘experts’ to give lectures and talks on everything from whale-watching and stargazing to improving your photography skills. When trying to decide between routes, bear this in mind if you want to do more than just relax.

Explore the depths

Some luxury cruises now carry submersibles. Dives are rarely included in the package and don’t come cheap, but the chance to plummet some 300m into the ocean without need of a PADI certificate is to be embraced. Together with all-terrain vehicles and helicopters (useful for polar escapes), these big-ticket items can take you away from the crowds.

Just us

The number of ‘only us’ cruises is on the rise. While some ships will visit regular spots and throw in a unique extra, such as docking at a private island, it’s those that specialise in places you otherwise simply can’t reach that catch the eye. From the Spirit of Enderby, which sails to Russia’s polar-bear paradise of Wrangel or New Zealand’s sub-tropical Kermadec Islands (only every couple of years), to the Pandaw riverboat that glides the upper reaches of the Mekong, speciality trips abound.

Get active

The European river cruise is the definition of laid-back, but they’re starting to get more active. Most stash bikes at their various stops and have hiking opportunities, but the first entirely ‘active’ cruise ( jogging tours, hiking, cycling, canoeing) on the Danube was set up last year, with the Rhine to soon follow.