12 greatest CRUISE ADVENTURES
There’s so much more to a holiday at sea than lounging on deck or indulging in the buffet. Excursions open up a world of adventure. To mark Cruise Month we head down the gangway...
1 ARUBA, CARIBBEAN Silversea’s See & Sea Island Tour, from €59pp Experience the island from above and below the sea. The trip starts on a semi-submersible which visits the wreck of the 440ft WWII German freighter Antilla, passing coral reefs and dancing shoals of fish. Back on dry land, the tour continues to the spectacularly sited California Lighthouse and the distinctive Casibari Rock Formations. GET ON BOARD Eight-day trip on Silver Wind leaves from Bridgetown on January 17, calling at Bequia, St George’s, Kralendijk, Oranjestad, Cartagena and Colon. From €3,600pp all-inclusive with butler service in every suite. Flights not included. silversea.com
2 ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA MSC’S Best of St Petersburg, €169pp Cameras at the ready to capture one of the world’s most photogenic cities. Guests will see the Empress Catherine I’s lavish summer palace in Pushkin, then head back to St Petersburg to visit St Isaac’s Cathedral, relax with a typical Russian lunch, explore the truly astounding art of the world-class Hermitage Museum and round off the day with time for souvenir shopping (a Russian doll, perhaps?).
GET ON BOARD A 14-night round trip on MSC Preziosa leaving on May 26 from Kiel to Hellesylt, Geiranger, Bergen, Flam, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn and St Petersburg. From €1,473pp. Flights not included. msccruises.co.uk
3 ALASKA, USA Holland America Line’s Five Glacier Seaplane Exploration, €184pp Seeing the grandeur of glaciers from the air is a bucketlist ticker and this flightseeing trip from the capital, Juneau, takes in five of the mighty icefields. A seaplane trip into the wilderness is the quintessential Alaskan experience. It takes off from the waterfront for the deep crevasses and azure blue meltwater pools of the Norris, Hole-in-the-wall, East and West Twin Glaciers plus the five-mile-wide Taku Glacier.
GET ON BOARD A seven-night round-trip Inside Passage itinerary on Nieuw Amsterdam sails on May 5 from Vancouver, visiting Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and Ketchikan. Fly/cruise price €2,187pp from Heathrow. hollandamerica.com
4 RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL Princess Cruises’ Carnival Samba Parade one-day pass (Grandstand) from €167pp Take your seat in the
Marvellous City’s Sambódromo to join 90,000 cheering spectators watching as samba schools compete for the opportunity to perform in the main Carnival. Floats, fireworks, music and outrageous costumes will dazzle you in a display of jaw-dropping
extravagance. GET ON BOARD Island Princess sails a 23-night cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires on January 24 via St Maarten, Martinique, St Vincent, Grenada, Trinidad, Devil’s Island, Fortaleza, Ilhabela, Rio de Janeiro (three days) and Montevideo. Prices from €2,565pp. Flights not included. princess.com/go
5 MOSSEL BAY, SOUTH AFRICA
Fred Olsen’s Nkonzo Conservation
from Mossel Bay, €127pp Experience wildlife conservation at a private organisation for ethical research and ecotourism. Nkonzo Bush Academy specialises in non-invasive research to decrease human-animal conflict. Learn about white rhinos and elusive caracal, bushbuck, genets and duikers, as well as vervet monkeys and chacma baboons. GET ON BOARD Boudicca’s 14-night South Africa fly-cruises leave from Cape Town on January 11 and 25, from €2,664pp. Includes flights from Gatwick or Manchester. fredolsencruises.com
6
STOCKHOLM ARCHIPELAGO,
SWEDEN Celebrity Cruises’ Ben Fogle’s RIB Adventure, from
€162pp Combine great beauty and high speed on a tour designed by the TV adventurer. The oh-so-pretty inner Stockholm archipelago consists of 24,000 islands, islets, skerries and rocks – blast through at up to 40 knots. GET ON BOARD Celebrity Silhouette sails a 14-night Scandinavia and Russia round trip from €1,473pp, from Southampton on June 23. Calls are Zeebrugge (for Bruges), Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg and Warnemunde (for Berlin). celebritycruises.co.uk
7 LISBON, PORTUGAL
Thomson Cruises’ Lisbon by
Eco Tuk Tuk, from €43pp Hop on an electric tuk-tuk for a tour around the City of Seven Hills. They are small enough to zip around the Portuguese capital’s tree-lined avenues and narrow backstreets and sights along the way include the gothic Jerónimos Monastery, the riverside Belém Tower and the hilltop São Jorge Castle. And make sure you try one of the fabled custard tarts! GET ON BOARD A sevennight all-inclusive Spirit of Iberia cruise on Thomson Celebration from €898pp. Leaves from Malaga on April 8 for Lisbon, Portimao, Cadiz, Casablanca and Gibraltar. Includes flights from Gatwick and transfers. thomson.co.uk/cruise
8
BAY OF ISLANDS, NEW
ZEALAND Royal Caribbean International’s Glow Worm Caves and Kauri Forest, from €69pp Take a
guided walking tour to enjoy the serenity of the North Island’s ancient Puketi Forest, with its majestic endangered kauri trees and, further south, explore caverns with unique stalactite and stalagmite formations which are lit by twinkling glow worms. GET ON
BOARD An 11-night New Zealand round trip on Radiance of the Seas starts at €1,679pp. Ship leaves from Sydney on March 18 and calls at Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Milford Sound, Dunedin, Akaroa, Auckland and Bay of Islands. Flights not included. royalcaribbean.co.uk 9
TENERIFE, CANARY
ISLANDS Saga Cruises’ Christmas in the Canaries – free Passengers will be in VIP seats among the audience of 30,000 at the Tenerife Symphony Orchestra’s annual open-air Classical Christmas Day Concert in the capital Tenerife Santa Cruz. A truly magical musical evening – one of the island’s highlights of the year – finishes with a fabulous fireworks display. GET ON BOARD An 18-night Christmas In The Canaries round trip over-50s cruise on Saga Pearl II leaves on December 17, 2018, from Portsmouth and calls at Cadiz, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz, La Palma, Funchal and Lisbon. Price from €3,780pp with wines at lunch and dinner and UK mainland travel service to and from the ports. saga.co.uk/cruises
10 ROME, ITALY P&O Cruises’ Vatican Behind The Scenes, from €124pp Pop into the Pope’s pad for a fascinating guided tour of the Vatican to visit areas not open to the public. Then you enjoy a panoramic drive to see the Eternal City’s other landmarks such as the Colosseum. GET ON BOARD A 14-night round trip from Southampton on Azura costs from €1,246pp and sails on April 13. Ports of call are Alicante, Barcelona, Toulon, La Spezia, Rome, 11Cartagena and Gibraltar. pocruises.com SANTORINI, GREECE Royal Caribbean’s Volcano Hiking and
Hot Springs Swim, €66pp You’ll need your trainers for a brisk hike on ash and lava on the active volcanic island of Nea Kameni (it’ll burn off a few of those cruise calories). The views of the caldera are terrific and you can smell sulphur in a crater and feel the heat from vents. Then enjoy a dip in Palea Kameni’s
thermal waters before taking the cable car up to clifftop Fira’s shops, restaurants and panoramic vistas. GET ON BOARD A sevennight Greece & Croatia round trip from Venice on Rhapsody of the Seas starts from €976pp on June 23. Calls are Dubrovnik, Kotor, Santorini and 12Katakolon. Flights extra. royalcaribbean.co.uk CASTAWAY CAY, BAHAMAS Disney Cruise Line’s Castaway Ray’s Stingray Adventure,
€44pp Guests at Disney’s private island can get up close and personal with southern stingrays. The fun starts with an info session covering their evolution and biology, then once in the shallows a marine specialist leads the group to touch the rays and, using specially designed feeding trays, feel them take food right from the palm of your hand. GET ON BOARD The Walt Disney Travel Company has a four-night Bahamas itinerary on Disney Dream from €1,328pp, departing from Port Canaveral, Florida, and calling at Nassau and Castaway Cay. Based on two adults and two children sharing, on January 29. Includes flights from Gatwick, a one night pre-cruise hotel stay. disneyholidays.co.uk