This was published 7 years ago
The Shipping News: Cunard's special event cruising
Cunard's Queen Mary 2 in New York harbour.
Festive spirit
Cunard is keeping up with the trend for special-event cruising with several new cruises. In September 2017, a transatlantic voyage from Southampton on Queen Mary 2 stops at Le Havre for the city's 500th anniversary. Opera lovers can join three special Queen Victoria Mediterranean cruises in July and August 2017 that coincide with the Arena di Verona Opera Festival, and two cruises in December on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria take in Christmas markets in Bruges, Amsterdam and Cherbourg. Finally, a cruise to Kiel in June 2017 on Queen Elizabeth coincides with Kiel Week, the world's largest annual sailing event.
Phone 13 24 41. See cunard.com
Ship ahoy
Lindblad Expeditions is building new ship National Geographic Quest in Seattle, which launches on 26 June 2017 with a 12-night "Treasures of the Inside Passage" itinerary through Alaska and British Columbia. From December 2017 it will reposition to Central America. The new vessel features 50 cabins, 22 of which have balconies, and eight of which can be configured into four adjoining cabins for families. The sun deck features an outdoor bar and grill; there's also a restaurant and lounge with bar. Quest will carry sea kayaks, paddleboards, a landing craft and snorkelling gear for all guests.
Phone 1300 361 012. See expeditions.com
Kimberley coasting
APT is expanding its Kimberley coast cruises in 2017 by offering the largest ever range of cruises to Australia's northwest in three cruise styles: luxury, expedition and boutique. Caledonian Sky will sail for a third season on the popular 11-day "Kimberley Coast" cruise, while Coral Discoverer supplies intimate, boutique style on a 72-passenger vessel. The company is adding a third ship choice, Ponant's 230-passenger L'Austral, which will operate on three departures between Broome and Darwin with an accompanying expedition team to take passengers ashore by Zodiac for excursions.
Phone 1300 196 420. See aptouring.com.au
Inspired by the muse
Silversea's new ship Silver Muse is set to sail out in April 2017 from Monte Carlo, and will spend the spring and summer wandering the Mediterranean before making a transatlantic crossing to visit Canada, the USA and Caribbean. The new ship will then transit the Panama Canal in October 2017 and spend the subsequent weeks in South America. In all, Silver Muse's inaugural season will see the ship visit 130 ports, 34 countries and 52 UNESCO World Heritage sites, ranging from Greek temples to Caribbean fortresses.
Phone 1300 306 872. See silversea.com
New scenes
Scenic has launched its 2017 European river-cruising program with plenty to entice, including the redesign of three Space-Ships (Scenic Diamond in Bordeaux and Scenic Emerald and Scenic Sapphire in Provence) that has opened up public space and reduced passenger numbers to 155, as well as the launch of an on-board cooking school offering tailored cooking classes. The company also has six new combination cruises, such a 19-day "Eastern European Endeavour" from Prague to Bucharest and a 27-day "European Sojourn" that takes in both the Rhine-Main-Danube rivers and Rhone in France. There are also numerous new shore excursion options.
Phone 13 81 28. See scenic.com.au
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