This was published 5 years ago
Ovation of the Seas to make first-ever overnight call to Noumea
Cruise giant Ovation of the Sea will makes its first overnight call to Noumea.
Going ashore to explore new places is part and parcel of a cruise but having just one day in port means you can't see or do everything. However, as travellers seek more in-depth, personal experiences, cruise lines and independent tour operators are offering an array of imaginative new options for shore tours.
Staying later in port or overnight is one trend that's taking off across mainstream and small-ship lines alike. Late departures and overnight stays allow time for a more relaxed day out – or time to get off the tourist trail – and the chance to check out the nightlife.
Royal Caribbean has announced a selection of evening shore excursions when Ovation of the Seas makes its first-ever overnight call to Noumea on November 17, 2018; this is a one-off and it will be interesting to see whether Royal will expand the program in the Pacific Islands. Lines that regularly stay late in or overnight port include Celebrity and Princess as well as luxury and small-ship lines such as Crystal, Oceania, Regent Seven Seas, Silversea, Azamara and Windstar.
Meeting local people in their homes or to take an insider's tour of a town or city is another booming trend. Susan Bonner, Royal Caribbean International's new vice president and managing director, says there's more of a focus on who you meet on your travels, rather than simply what you saw.
"At Azamara we create curated experiences that go not just a step, but a leap further – where guests don't just visit a vineyard to sample a wine in Slovenia, but also sit down to a lunch of homemade gnocchi with the family, to discuss the finer points of rural life in Slovenia," Bonner explains.
Extended mid-cruise tours regularly feature on several luxury lines' itineraries and are now being offered by less expensive Azamara, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. These allow you to hop off the ship in one port, spend a day and night at a destination off-itinerary, then rejoin the ship at a later port.
Royal Caribbean offers multi-day adventures on select cruises in New Zealand, Asia, the Caribbean and Israel. In New Zealand, for example, guests are whisked off on a private charter boat in Milford Sound to explore inland Fiordland, lakes and wineries, stay overnight and then reboard the ship at the next stop, usually Dunedin.
The range of tours available, either ship-organised or from independent operators, is expanding all the time; whether you fancy catching your own dinner in Alaska or exploring distant Roman ruins on a customised tour for two, almost everything is possible.
SHORE THING
THE PORT Cairns, Queensland
WHO GOES THERE Azamara, Crystal, Fred.Olsen, HAL, Hapag-Lloyd, Oceania, P&O, Ponant, Princess, RSSC, Seabourn, Silversea, Viking.
WHY WE LOVE IT The city of 150,000 residents, set on north-east Queensland's coast, enjoys a balmy tropical climate year-round. Cairns is the gateway to two of Australia's best-known natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree National Park; pretty Port Douglas is about an hour's drive north.
TAKE A TOUR OR GO IT ALONE? Ships dock at the cruise liner terminal, a few minutes' walk from the city centre, or at Yorkey's Knob, where passengers are tendered ashore and take a 15-minute shuttlebus ride to the city. If you're not taking a tour, you can stroll around the Esplanade and swim in its saltwater lagoon, check out Flecker Botanic Gardens and shop for Indigenous art and souvenirs. Popular tours, organised by ships or local operators, include half- and full-day snorkelling trips on the Great Barrier Reef; a combined Kuranda Scenic Railway, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Butterfly Sanctuary tour; and boat or helicopter trips to Green Island or Fitzroy Island. Adventure activities include white-water rafting, kayaking, mountain-biking, bungy-jumping, fishing and hot-air ballooning – see ragingthunder.com.au . Mossman Gorge Centre, an eco-tourism development about 1½ hours' drive north of Cairns
MUST SEE Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, about 20 minutes' drive from Cairns; Cairns Museum; UMI Arts Aboriginal and Torres Islander art centre; Birdworld and Koala Gardens, Kuranda; Mossman Gorge Centre, an eco-tourism development in the Daintree, about 1½ hours' drive north of Cairns.
MUST EAT You'll find everything from burgers and fish and chips to gourmet treats in Cairns. Specialties include Ochre Restaurant for gourmet bush cuisine; C'est Bon for French food; Waterbar & Grill for steaks; and Prawn Star, a prawn trawler turned floating restaurant that serves superb fresh seafood.
NEED TO KNOW Mosquitos are prevalent during the wet season (November to March), so pack mosquito repellent. Box jellyfish are also around at this time; check with lifeguards to see if the beach is netted before swimming.
ESSENTIALS See tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au
CRUISEFACT
Cunard's new 3000-passenger ship, due in 2022, will be the line's first new-build for 12 years – currently the youngest in the fleet is Queen Elizabeth.
NEWS
Tale Tellers join world cruise
Nine renowned authors will each join one segment of Silversea's world cruise onboard Silver Whisper to present talks and contribute to The Tale of Tales, an anthology of stories to be compiled for guests. The ''Tale Tellers" include Saroo Brierley, whose story became the best-selling movie Lion; award-winning travel writer and author Paul Theroux; famous US chef Jeremiah Tower; British expeditioner Tahir Shah; and philosopher Alain de Botton. Silver Whisper will undergo extensive refurbishments in December, before embarking on the 133-day voyage in San Francisco on January 6, 2019. The 382-passenger ship will call at 52 ports in 31 countries en route to London, where it will arrive on May 19, 2019. Guests can book each of the voyage's nine segments individually. See silversea.com
Polar Pioneer's final season
Australian expedition company Aurora Expeditions will say farewell to its trusty ship Polar Pioneer next year, while its new vessel, the Greg Mortimer, will sail its inaugural polar season in 2019-20. The 54-passenger Polar Pioneer is an ice-strengthened research vessel, built in Finland in 1982 and refurbished in 2000. Aurora's managing director Robert Halfpenny said the ship has been instrumental in pioneering small group expedition travel for thousands of like-minded expeditioners, but the company is "excited for our future and the launch of Greg Mortimer". The final season for Polar Pioneer is expected to sell out fast; for a limited time Aurora is offering savings of up to $3000 a person on Polar Pioneer's 2018-19 Antarctica or 2019 Arctic and Scotland departures. See auroraexpeditions.com.au
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