This was published 6 years ago
Popular state-of-the-art expedition ship National Geographic Orion returns to the southern hemisphere
National Geographic Orion offers expert tours of the South Pacific.
NEWS
Orion returns
After an absence of five years, the popular state-of-the-art expedition ship National Geographic Orion is returning to the southern hemisphere. Between March and October 2018, Orion will sail five itineraries to some of the remotest outposts of French Polynesia on cruises of eight, 15 and 18 days. Lindblad Expeditions' Lesa Bain, who was in Sydney recently, said, "Lindblad Expeditions' connections and extensive research on the South Pacific region will enable us to show guests the cultural landscape, historic archaeological landmarks and incredible reef systems that can't be seen anywhere else in the world." The first cruise is from Easter Island to Tahiti, departing on March 27; Orion will follow the course taken by early Polynesian navigators, calling at the Pitcairn Islands and the Tuamotu Archipelago. You can save $1200 on bookings made by December 31. See adventureworld.com.au
Oceania's 2019 cruises
Looking for less-visited ports on your next Mediterranean cruise? Oceania Cruises' 2019 voyages include enticing ports such as Ajaccio in Corsica, Crotone in Italy and Castellon, a 13th-century hideaway on Spain's Costa Azahar; eight new itineraries focus on Italy or Spain or the Iberian Peninsula and French wine country and include overnight stays in Venice, Lisbon, and Bordeaux. Oceania's four 684-passenger and two 1250-ships are set to sail 104 itineraries in 2019, 80 of them new, including 40 Mediterranean voyages, 18 new Baltic, Scandinavia and Northern Europe journeys, five new Alaska sailings, six new Canada and New England voyages and 10 new Caribbean cruises. Bookings for the 2019 Europe and the Americas Collection are now open; download the brochure at oceaniacruises.com
Australia's longest-established expedition cruise operator, Coral Expeditions, is launching a new ship in April 2019. The 120-passenger Coral Adventurer will be the fourth and biggest vessel in the specialised fleet and the company's group general manager Mark Fifield and head of sales distribution Elizabeth Webb were in Sydney last week to give us an update.
"We've been planning Coral Adventurer for the past two years and it's being built by Vard, a Norwegian subsidiary of Fincantieri, in its Vietnamese yard," Fifield said. "Our other ships were built in Australia and Coral Adventurer's interiors are being designed by a Brisbane company – we want to retain the North Queensland feel and culture of our existing vessels, so there's a strong emphasis on natural timbers, indoor-outdoor spaces and big windows in the dining areas. It will also have a guest observation lounge in the bridge, which is one of Coral Expeditions' trademark features."
Another trademark feature is the hydraulic tender platform – Coral Adventurer will have two 60-passenger Xplorer excursion boats that passengers can board within minutes from the back deck. Xplorer boats are covered by a canopy for sun protection and fitted with toilets to make cruising to remote inlets, beaches and islands as easy as possible. The ship's six Zodiacs are also launched from the hydraulic platform.
Coral Adventurer's first cruise, 17 nights from Singapore to Darwin, is one of a series of voyages that trace the routes taken by Dutch explorer Abel Tasman in the 17th century. Highlights include disembarking onto the volcanic island of Anak Krakatau in Indonesia's Sumba Straits, calling at Komodo Island and snorkelling at Pulau Alor's secluded coral gardens. The ship will then sail two 11-night cruises from Darwin into the Gulf of Carpentaria, New Guinea and the Spice Islands and the Kimberley coast.
In June 2019, Coral Adventurer will join Coral Expeditions I and Coral Discoverer in the Kimberley, where Coral Expeditions has been sailing for 24 years. Cruises to Papua New Guinea, the Great Barrier Reef and Tasmania are extremely popular and later this month the company is operating its first art-themed expedition to Cape York and Arnhem Land, led by renowned Torres Strait artist Brian Robinson. A bush-tucker themed cruise in the region departs in March 2018 with Bush Tukka Guide author Samantha Martin and ethno-botanist Professor Gerry Turpin on board.
Meanwhile, Coral Discoverer is taking 72 sailing fans from Sydney to Hobart in December, to follow the famous yacht race. The ship will be in a prime position for viewing Hobart's New Year's Eve fireworks before embarking on its Tasmanian cruising season – exciting times for Australia's "pioneering cruise line".
THE PORT Dubai, UAE
WHO GOES THERE Celebrity, Costa, Crystal, Cunard, HAL, MSC Cruises, Oceania, P&O UK, Ponant, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Royal Caribbean, Seabourn, Silversea.
WHY WE LOVE IT Dubai is the entry port for cruises around the Arabian Peninsula that call at Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman as well as a being a futuristic city destination in itself.
TAKE A TOUR OR GO IT ALONE? Ships dock at the super-modern terminal in Mina Rashid. There are shuttle services to some of the shopping malls, taxis are freely available (but can be expensive, due to the distances between attractions) and Big Bus Tours operates reasonably priced hop-on, hop-off tours to all the major landmarks. First-time visitors would be best to take a ship-organised excursion. If time permits, get out of town to ride spectacular sand dunes on a 4WD, visit a camel farm, or see the sun setting over dinner at a desert camp. Shopaholics are spoiled for choice – Dubai Mall is the biggest in the world and there are about 96 more, of varying sizes and extravagance across the city. A visit to the Gold Souk in Deira, the historic district, is a must-do even if you don't load up on bling; while in the neighbourhood, take an abra cruise on Dubai Creek. Serious jewellery aficionados should check out the amazing Gold and Diamond Park on Sheikh Zayed Road.
MUST SEE Level 148, the highest outdoor observation deck of Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world; Ski Dubai, an indoor ski slope in Mall of the Emirates; Dubai Museum and Spice Markets in Deira.
MUST EAT All the world's cuisines are represented in Dubai; for traditional Middle Eastern fare, try Na3Na3 at Jumeirah Beach Residence.
NEED TO KNOW It's extremely important to respect local customs – cover up when visiting mosques, do not indulge in public displays of affection and remember that drinking alcohol is allowed only in licensed hotels and restaurants.
ESSENTIALS visitdubai.com
CRUISEFACT
The 4140-passenger MSC Seaside is the last megaship to launch this year, on November 30 in Italy; it will be christened in Miami on December 21.
Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletter
Get exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.