20 TOP EXCURSIONS
Cruise companies are making their trips more exciting than ever — with imaginative and exclusive excursions to suit all tastes. By Sue Bryant
WHETHER it’s a glittering after-hours party hosted in the Gothic splendour of a medieval palace or a sunrise meditation at a Burmese temple, a cruise holiday can create the most unexpected opportunities. Gone are the uninspiring, snooze-inducing coach tours of yesteryear. Now, time spent in port is all about destination experiences, not just sightseeing, and cruise lines are opening the doors to learning, tasting, volunteering and gaining exclusive or out-of-hours access to off-limits or difficult-to-visit places, from gardens and galleries to military institutions. Many of the tours on offer would be unavailable to individuals, or simply too complex to arrange independently.
While some come at a price, these experiences needn’t cost the earth, and most cruise lines include them in the fare. Here’s our top 20 for the year ahead.
1 CATCH KING CRAB IN KETCHIKAN
Spend a day with a commercial fishing crew on board the Aleutian Ballad, the boat that was famously capsized by an 18m wave in the fearsome Bering Sea during the filming of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch series.
Nowadays, the crab-fishing vessel is based in the Alaskan port of Ketchikan, from where it sails among the forested islands of the Inside Passage. The catch of the day is likely to include the menacing-looking (but delicious) king crab, as well as giant octopus, sharks, starfish and eels, hauled up by crew from long lines, barrel pots and giant 320kg king-crab pots. Bald eagles swoop low for fish and you may spot whales, dolphins and otters. Almost as enjoyable are the crew stories, of perfect storms, near-death experiences and the hardships of a fisherman’s life.
Holland America Line offers a seven-night cruise, departing on April 30 2014. For more information, contact their SA agent, Cruise Masters, on 011 469 5580.
2 SCULPT A MASTERPIECE IN TALLINN
Filled with art galleries and studios, the medieval streets of Tallinn are home to a vibrant art scene. In this new tour from Celebrity Cruises, passengers inclined towards arts and crafts can spend a day in a sculptor’s atelier, creating their own statue from clay under the tutelage of one of Estonia’s top contemporary artists. A live model poses obligingly for would-be Rodins, though no experience is required. After the class, Estonian snacks and drinks are served in the gallery next door while artworks bake in the kiln, ready to be taken back to the ship.
ýCelebrity Cruises ( celebritycruises.co.uk) offers a 12-night Scandinavia and Russia cruise, round-trip from Amsterdam, departing on May 9 2014. Their SA agent is Cruises International. Phone 011 327 0327.
3 TAKE A ROOFTOP HIKE
There is something Potter-esque about the idea of being whisked to the top of Stockholm’s Old Parliament building. Rather than flying, participants take a lift to the attic steps leading up to the roof. From there, they
get a fresh perspective on the Swedish capital from 42m up, enjoying 360° views across the historic Gamla Stan to eight of the 14 islands on which the water-hemmed city was built. Reach out and almost touch the spire of Riddarholmen church, which was built by Franciscan monks and is the final resting place of Swedish monarchs.
P&O Cruises ( pocruises.com) offers a 14night Russia, Germany and Scandinavia cruise departing on June 29 2014. In SA, call White Star Cruise & Travel on 011 234 5811.
4FLY OVER THE BUNGLE BUNGLES
The unexplored Kimberley coast in northwestern Australia is a place of primeval forest, red cliffs, deep gorges and vertiginous waterfalls. The interior is so inaccessible that the curious Bungle Bungles, a range of firered hills shaped like domed beehives, were only “discovered” by European Australians in 1983, when an aerial television crew happened upon them. One of the highlights of Orion Expedition Cruises’ Kimberley voyage is a two-hour sightseeing flight over this extraordinary natural phenomenon, skimming over large expanses of cattle-ranching country en route to the Purnululu National Park, where vast plains give way to these bizarre wind-sculpted rock formations.
Orion Expeditions ( orionexpeditions.com) offers 10-night voyages between Darwin and Broome, with departures between April and June. In SA, contact Triton Cape Sea Travel on 021 443 9030.
5PADDLE A KAYAK IN THE ARCTIC
Embark on a gentle paddle by kayak through the pristine waters around Tromsø, Norway’s northernmost city, for a close-up glimpse of the seals and eagles that populate the uninhabited shoreline. This guided tour, past a starkly beautiful backdrop of mountains and sparsely wooded tundra, is a wonderful way to immerse yourself in nature and enjoy the sense of solitude. Keep your eyes peeled for intricate rock formations and colourful vegetation ranging from purple heathers to burnt-orange lichens and scarlet seaweeds.
Hurtigruten ( hurtigruten.co.uk) offers a 12day Classic Round Voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes, departing on June 6 2014. In SA, call Cruise Promotions on 011 463 1170 or visit
cruisepromotions.co.za.
6KICK UP YOUR HEELS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
On each of its voyages, Azamara Club Cruises takes over an unusual venue for a party ashore — what it calls an Azamazing Evening. For this one, it has secured exclusive use of the large flight deck of the Second World War aircraft carrier USS Yorktown (now a military museum) in Charleston, South Carolina, for a night of jazz, cocktails, canapés and dancing. With all 694 guests on board invited to the party, against a backdrop of the city’s skyline and harbour, the event should be nothing short of spectacular. Azamara Club Cruises ( azamaraclubcruises.co.uk) offers a 12-night Colonial South and Caribbean voyage, departing on December 8 2013. Call their SA agent, Cruises International, on 011 327 0327.
7REMEMBER THE ASIAN TSUNAMI
The Sumatran city of Banda Aceh has been slowly rebuilt since it was hit by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami. On a half-day trip, visitors can tour the tsunami museum. More memorable for its architecture than its exhibits, it is entered via two “walls of water” designed to echo the sound of the tsunami, and at the education centre visitors can learn about the disaster via photographs and video footage.
Elsewhere, more sobering evidence of the wave’s phenomenal power is laid bare by a 76m-long ship that was carried miles inland, and left in situ as a stark reminder
of the disaster.
Noble Caledonia ( noble-caledonia.co.uk) offers an 11-night Hidden Sumatra cruise, departing on February 1 2014. In SA, call Unique Destinations on 021 462 7032.
8SALUTE THE SUNRISE
If ever a destination lent itself to pursuits of a spiritual nature, it is the ancient, templestrewn plain of Bagan. The new luxury river cruiser Sanctuary Ananda will sail the Irrawaddy and Chindwin rivers in Burma (Myanmar) from December 2014 with a yoga and meditation teacher joining every voyage. Rising before dawn, passengers will, under the teacher’s guidance, climb one of the area’s striking 13th-century temples for a sunrise meditation as the first rays strike the ancient stone.
Sanctuary Retreats ( sanctuaryretreats.com) offers a seven-night round-trip Mandalay cruise, departing on March 21 2015. Call Sanctuary Retreats in SA on 011 438 4650.
9STEP INTO AN EDENIC GARDEN
Join a select group on a visit to the inspiring Botanical Ark, a private oasis in the tropical rainforest region of north Queensland. Travelling the world to collect samples of plants used by indigenous cultures for food, spices, shelter, medicine, cosmetics and dyes, conservationists Alan and Susan Carle have made it their mission to educate visitors about the vital link between humans and plants. An inspiring collection of more than 3 000 species, on display in the Carles’s back yard, has garnered numerous awards. By special arrangement, Crystal Cruises has gained access for a limited number of its passengers.
Crystal Cruises ( crystalcruises.co.uk) offers a 12-night Barrier Reef-to-Bali cruise departing on February 16 2014. In SA, call Cruises International on 011 327 0327.
10 DINE IN GOTHIC SPLENDOUR
See Avignon’s imposing Palais des Papes, the world’s largest Gothic palace and one of France’s most visited monuments, on a private, after-hours tour. Once the doors are closed to the public, cruise guests sit down to dinner and a classical music recital in one of the building’s lavish banqueting halls. Scenic Tours offers one of these exclusive events ashore on each of its European cruises, giving passengers privileged access to some exquisite castles and historic monuments. The ship overnights in Avignon, so there’s time to admire the floodlit walls, spires and towers after dinner and, on a balmy summer’s night, to wander through the streets before heading the short distance back to the Rhône river. Scenic Tours ( scenictours.co.uk) offers a 12-night Splendours of Southern France cruise departing between March and November 2014.
11 COME IN FROM THE COLD WAR
One of the most thrilling insights into the modern history of the Black Sea is open to the public in a setting straight from a Bond movie. During the Soviet era, what is now Balaklava’s Naval Museum served as a secret underground repair facility for nuclear submarines. Most of the population of Balaklava worked at the base at one time or other, but could not discuss it on pain of death.
Hidden from the outside world, the base lies deep inside a hillside flanking the town’s protected harbour, and is accessed by a network of secret canals running through an underground cave to a dank, dimly lit pen and dry dock capable of holding up to nine subs. The only thing missing is a submarine. Voyages to Antiquity ( voyagestoantiquity.com) offers a 13-night Black Sea voyage round-trip from Istanbul in July, August and October 2014. In SA, contact Triton Cape Sea Travel on 021 443 9030.
12 TASTE ARGENTINA
Once you have exhausted the gamut of city sights, head off with an expert chef to Buenos Aires’ San Telmo market, where local foodies forage for herbs and spices, fruit and vegetables, cheeses and strings of chorizo infused with paprika. Sample the local codfish fritters, then move on to the Havanna Café for a cookery class that will shatter the preconception that Argentine cuisine revolves around red meat. Master the art (and it is an art) of making traditional empanadas and spicy
chimichurri — a coriander-based sauce for grilled meats — before enjoying the fruits of your labour at lunch. On the way back to the ship, there’s a stop at the Volta icecream shop for a cup of the acclaimed dulce
de leche (think, gooey, caramelised milk).
Oceania Cruises ( oceaniacruises.com) offers a 20-night Rio-to-Valparaiso cruise departing on December 8 2013. In SA, contact Cruises International on
011 327 0327.
13 SWIM WITH SEA LIONS
Don wetsuit, mask and snorkel and plunge into a melee of excitable sea lions at Los Islotes, a desolate rock cluster in Mexico’s Sea of Cortés that serves as the mammals’ southernmost breeding ground. The ship anchors nearby and swimmers are taken to the rocks on small boats, accompanied by guides. Treat the sea lions as large, playful aquatic “puppies” and be prepared to be nipped, jostled and nudged as the juveniles show off, mock-charging underwater, seizing mouthfuls of fish, leaping like dolphins and even clambering on to the dive boat. Remember to bring a waterproof camera.
Mundy Adventures
( mundyadventures.co.uk) offers a 10-night Baja’s Whale Bounty cruise round-trip from San José del Cabo departing on March 28 2014.
14 TEACH ENGLISH IN CHINA
Since 2003, Viking River Cruises has sponsored a primary school in the city of Jingzhou on the banks of the wide Yangtze River.
The project has now expanded to three schools, bringing much-needed education to thousands of local children. Guests on Viking’s Yangtze cruises have an opportunity to visit one of the schools, where they can help the children with their English lessons and watch a performance of traditional song and dance, which, the teachers say, helps to instill confidence — it’s a brief insight into daily life in China. Viking River Cruises ( vikingrivercruises.co.uk) offers a 12-night Imperial Jewels of China cruise departing on February 27 2014. In SA, contact White Star Cruise & Travel on 011 324 5811.
15 BREEZE BY ON A HARLEY
Cruise the backroads of Grand Bahama island on a gleaming Harley-Davidson, stopping at scenic beaches and sleepy villages for an impression of island life far removed from the busy commercial area of Freeport. No experience is required; anybody with a motorcycle licence can drive a bike, with the less confident riding pillion. A local guide leads the expedition.
Carnival Cruise Line ( carnival.co.uk) offers a four-day round-trip Bahamas cruise departing from Port Canaveral, Florida, with weekly departures in 2014. In SA, contact Cruise Vacations on 011 514 0564.
16 SEE THE DARKER SIDE OF THE DEEP SOUTH
Cruises along the mighty Mississippi