Adventure on sea
Our love of cruising appears to know no bounds. This year 21 new ships are due to launch, and around two million of us will take a cruise. But it’s not just pottering in the Med that’s attracting us – we’re looking for new adventures heading off the beaten track.
We’ve teamed up with experts at Cruise Critic, the world’s largest online cruise community, where travellers share their experiences and have written 350,000 cruise reviews, to list 2019’s highlights:
MSC Bellissima will launch in March. The 167,600 gross tonnage, 4,500-berth ship will have the same features as sister MSC Meraviglia. There’ll be the acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil At Sea, and a promenade reminiscent of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas. It also has partnerships with celebrity chefs, 12 restaurants, a kids’ club, a sports club and a “ship within a ship” complex: The Yacht Club.
On the small ship front, Saga will launch Spirit of Discovery, at 55,900 tonnes. One hundred of the 540 cabins will be given over to solo travellers. Dining will be a single-sitting affair too across all restaurants, including a free Asian restaurant. There’s a library, indoor and outdoor pools, treatment rooms and a beauty salon.
For expedition cruising, the standout is river veteran Scenic. It is hitting the luxury expedition market in a big way with its all-suite super yacht, Scenic Eclipse. The ship offers a fleet of Zodiacs, two helicopters and a submarine. Cabins start at 344 square feet. But the most exciting feature might be the itineraries, which include the deep Arctic and Antarctica, thanks to the vessel’s ice-class rating.
April sees bumper cars collide on the Royal Caribbean International’s new ship, Spectrum of the Seas (tonnage 167,800 with 4,180 berths).
You can also test your vertigo on a skydiving simulator and with North Star, a pod that goes up and over the ship for 360-degree views.
Inside cabins will feel different too with “virtual balconies” – floor-to-ceiling LCD screens linked to a camera on the outside of the ship. It will sail the Spice Route, Dubai, Muscat, Singapore, and Asian routes such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Nha Trang.
Oceanwide Expeditions also has new ship, Hondius – the world’s first Polar Class 6 ice-strengthened vessel – launching in the summer.
It will have seven suites with balconies, eight cabins with French balconies and inside, outside, porthole and quadruple rooms, sleeping 174 across 82 cabins.
Aurora Expeditions’ Greg Mortimer launches in May. The 341-foot ice-class 1A ship will be built to the latest polar code spec and feature a platform for kayakers and divers, a sea-level Zodiac loading platform, plus a mud room.
The 120-berth Coral Adventurer will be the fourth expedition ship in Coral Expeditions’ fleet. Launching in April, it is designed for ocean voyages to remote areas.
It has two Xplorer tenders on hydraulic platforms for easy access without steps, all outside-facing cabins, and spaces such as a lecture lounge, dining room, observation lounge, gym and indoor and outdoor bars.
Ponant is launching its third of six expedition ships, the 10,000 gross tonnage, 184-berth Le Bougainville in May. It has two restaurants, a theatre, an aft marina for Zodiac launching, and easy access to kayaking and Scenic Eclipse will have two helicopters paddle boarding, and a pool with counter-current swimming.
It also has the Blue Eye – a multi-sensory underwater lounge. Passengers can see life beneath the surface via screens projecting the live images captured by underwater cameras. Sound is piped in and felt through vibrating sofas.
Nature lovers can flock to the Galapagos islands on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Flora, launching in May. The 100-passenger all-suite vessel will be luxurious and designed to get into small bays.
If traditional sailing is your thing, Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Jupiter launches in February, as will Star Clippers’ Flying Clipper. This five-masted, square-rigged vessel has three pools, including one that funnels sunlight through the ship’s atrium into the dining room below, and a dive-training pool.
Those who love to mix with a crowd will love Costa Cruises’ 6,600-passenger, 180,000 gross tonnage ship Costa Smeralda. It will use LNG fuel to generate 100 per cent of its power.
In November, Sky Princess, gross tonnage 143,700, 3,560 berth, will be the fourth Royal class ship. She’ll have a threedeck Piazza atrium, movies under the stars and 80% of the cabins have balconies. The Enclave will be Princess’ largest thermal spa suite.