Dive into immersive cruising
With a Mediterranean cruise you can go to bed in Italy and wake up in France, Malta or Croatia. If you prefer to explore the Baltic, you could take in St Petersburg, Helsinki, Tallinn and Stockholm all in a week.
But if there is a downside to countryhopping, it is that you do not always have enough time to experience the culture and cuisine of each nation before moving on. As lovers of river cruises will already know, learning more about one country’s history and trying its regional specialities can enrich your holiday.
You could discover the heart of France, for example, by sailing along the Rhone or Seine at a leisurely pace, or perhaps get to know Portugal by spending a week on the Douro.
Ocean cruise lines are now following suit, offering ‘immersive’ itineraries – concentrating on one country to satisfy our desire to explore in depth.
The Norwegian fjords have long been a favourite destination for travellers, and this year Fred Olsen (fredolsencruises.com) timed its Scenic Norway And Celebrations cruise to be in historic Stavanger on Norway Day on May 17.
Fred Olsen also offers an Icelandic Explorer, sailing for 11 nights from Newcastle (flights from Dublin to Newcastle from €23) on August 28 aboard Balmoral.
After cruising past the notorious Eyjafjallajokull volcano – which was responsible for the ash cloud in 2010 – the first call is Reykjavik. Balmoral heads all the way around the island, so you will get close to geysers and waterfalls, visit interesting towns and spot wildlife. Fares start at €1,377pp.
Wallacetravelgroup.ie will be organising cruises to Iceland direct from Dublin in 2018, phone, 01-8347888, and cruiseparadise.ie also offers a range of cruise holidays to various destinations.
With just 19 cabins, MV Dalmatia is small enough to nip into harbours that big ships cannot reach. On a one-week Croatia Island Explorer with Saga (saga. co.uk, you will visit beautiful Krk, Rab, Losinj and Cres – fares start at €1,077pp, including flights.
Further afield, Princess Cruises (princess.com) is devoting the 2,700-passenger Diamond Princess to Japan-only voyages in 2018.
This year an eight-night Circle Hokkaido cruise sails around the vast north island from Tokyo on July 13, from €2,199pp. Next year, the seven-night Japan Explorer cruise, departing Tokyo on August 15, 2018, will take in the spectacular floating firework display in the southern city of Kumano, a 300year-old summer tradition.
Fares start at €1,125pp. All cruises have performances of Japanese music, dance and storytelling, origami classes, Japanese bath and local cuisine.
Cuba has started to appear on the Caribbean itineraries of big American cruise lines but few ships get beyond Havana.
In contrast, the four-masted clipper Star Flyer (starclippers. co.uk) sails all around Cuba’s coastline on 9-11 night cruises, departing in December 2017 and January 2018. Fares cost from €1958pp.
And Celestyal Crystal (yourcubacruise.com) sails on one-week cruises from Havana all year round, with the promise of Cuban music, cocktails and cuisine on board. The Holiday Place (holidayplace.co.uk) offers a 10-day package, plus a threenight hotel stay in Havana, from €2,411pp.
Luxury all-inclusive Seven Seas Mariner (rssc.com) will circumnavigate Australia on a 36-night round-trip from Sydney, starting on December 15, 2018.
Fares start at €27,399pp but this includes flights, pre- or post-cruise land tours, drinks, excursions in every port, tips and unlimited wi-fi.