Cruise news

New York’s 30th anniversary Restaurant

Week is on now until

August 21, with 600 venues offering 60 distinct cuisines in all five Big Apple boroughs. Diners can

choose from two-course lunches and three-course dinners at $30, $45 or $60. nycgo.com/

restaurantweek

IN HELSINKI

The launch of a plush new expedition ship that can crack through polar ice came to a halt – by a pile of paperwork.

Swan Hellenic ship SH Vega was christened at the Helsinki shipyard where it was built but its departure was held up for 28 hours while the captain waited for key documents to arrive by email. Eventually the 152-passenger vessel set off on a two-night crossing to Copenhagen having got the go-ahead to be registered in Panama after an attempt to be flagged in the Bahamas failed due to a bank holiday.

Vega started off being registered in Malta but the Russian-owned firm buying it was hit by sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. The yard put Vega up for auction and Swan

Hellenic won. As well as chic Scandi interiors – each cabin has a fake fireplace – Vega has 12 Zodiac boats and carries a team of guides and lecturers.

Swan Hellenic was a proud British brand from the 1950s until 2017. Bought by industry veterans, led by Andrea Zito, formerly of Silversea, it can now concentrate on cutting a path through the Arctic and Antarctic rather than red tape. swanhellenic.com

Sandals

Resorts has launched its first off-site dining programme at its new Southern Caribbean

five-star Royal Curaçao resort. Guests can taste island cuisine,

meet local chefs and restaurateurs and explore the colourful, historic capital Willemstad. sandals.

co.uk