A Star Clipper ship under sail.
STAR ATTRACTIONS
Star Clippers has announced its 2018-19 itineraries, including a return to the Caribbean with seven-night cruises in the Grenadine, Windward, Treasure and Leeward islands, and Mediterranean cruises that visit the Adriatic, Balearics and the Greek Isles, with a maiden visit to Elafonisos. Closer to home, Star Clippers makes a return to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore and is sailing to Bali for the first time on Indonesian itineraries on board Star Clipper between May and October 2018. The company operates three of the world's largest and tallest sailing vessels.
Phone 1300 295 161. See starclippers.com
UnCruise's Wilderness Explorer off Alaska.
BLUE EYES
Ponant has announced a world first on its four ships under construction: a multisensory underwater lounge known as Blue Eye that will allow passengers to see and hear underwater without leaving the ship. The lounge will be within the hull beneath the water line and uses state-of-the-art technology to allow guests to observe, through two portholes, passing sea creatures. Digital screens will project images filmed by live underwater cameras, and hydrophones will pick up subaquatic sound. Le Laperouse will be the first of Ponant's four new ships to be equipped with Blue Eye.
Phone 1300 737 178. See ponant.com
TOTAL ECLIPSE
Scenic has rolled out more details of its forthcoming luxury cruise yacht Scenic Eclipse, launching mid-2018. The 228-guest ship offers private verandahs for every suite, 10 dining venues, butler service and a spa. Although the ship will concentrate on polar cruising, passengers can also make a journey from South America to the Canary Islands, and a voyage down the South American coast. It has also revealed an inaugural 14-day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to Miami departing on September 22, 2018, that visits Gibraltar and Nassau for a rum and food tasting tour.
Phone 13 81 28. See scenic.com.au
DREAM ON
SeaDream Yacht Club's luxury ship SeaDream I is departing on July 3, 2018, for a Mediterranean cruise from Dubrovnik to Nice that will take a languid 11 days rather than its usual seven days. The ship will spend its first night in Dubrovnik before sailing to Italian ports such as Taormina in Sicily, Positano, Capri, Sorrento and Poltu Quatu in Sardinia. It will also visit Calvi in Corsica and overnight in Saint-Tropez. The all-inclusive cruise covers drinks and gourmet meals as well as power and sail water sports and an on-board golfsimulator.
Phone 02 9958 4444. See seadream.com
SHIP AHOY
Small-ship company UnCruise Adventures has launched its 2018 cruises, which include a new adventure itinerary on America's Columbia and Snake rivers as well as new itineraries and an expanded selection of ships in Alaska. Among them, the 88-guest Legacy has been transformed into an adventure-equipped ship offering kayaking, paddle boarding, skiff excursions, hikes and white-water rafting. The ship heads to Alaska from April to mid-August, 2018, before sailing the Columbia and Snake rivers between August and November. Six other ships will sail 10 Alaskan cruise itineraries with 160 departures from home ports Seattle, Ketchikan, Juneau, Petersburg or Sitka.
See un-cruise.com
Sign up for the Traveller newsletter
The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.