This was published 6 years ago
Silver Muse makes its maiden appearance in Australia
Viking Star. Viking has launched three new Central and South American cruises.Credit: White Rain
AUSTRALIAN DEBUT
Silversea's newest vessel Silver Muse, launched last April, makes its maiden appearance in Australia and New Zealand at the end of this year. The flagship departs Bali on December 21, 2018, on its inaugural voyage into Australia, sailing into Darwin before continuing along the east coast and calling at Cairns, Townsville, the Whitsunday Islands and Brisbane, before arriving in Sydney on January 6, 2019. Silver Muse then sets sail for New Zealand, with maiden calls at Port Chalmers, Akaroa, Picton, Napier and Gisborne, before arriving in Auckland on January 19, 2019.
Phone 1300 306 872. See silversea.com
ICE BOUND
AdventureSmith Explorations has a new, expanded range of small-ship voyages to the Arctic. Arctic for Explorers on Sea Spirit is a 15-day journey into Franz Josef Land, noted for its concentrations of polar bears in the Russian Arctic National Park, with five departures between mid-June and mid-September 2018. Meanwhile, the 10-day Greenland's Northern Lights itinerary on Ocean Nova sails out of Reykjavik on four September 2018 departures. Other cruises include a 12-day Home of Vikings & Icebergs journey between Kangerlussuaq and Reykjavik, and an eight-day Scoresby Sund Aurora Borealis cruise, which crosses the Arctic Circle in September 2018.
See adventuresmithexplorations.com
HOLA LATIN AMERICA
Viking has launched three new Central and South American cruises. The 22-day Cuba, Panama & the Pacific itinerary in December 2018 visits Miami, Santiago de Cuba and Cienfuegos, the Costa Rican wilderness, Panama and Guatemala, before finishing with Cabo San Lucas and Los Angeles. An 18-day South America & the Chilean Fjords cruise from late 2019 sails around the tip of South American between Ushuaia and Santiago, while a 22-day Southern Atlantic Crossing (also from late 2019) visits Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Rio de Janeiro and Recife before crossing the Atlantic to Dakar, Casablanca, Granada and Barcelona.
Phone 138 747. See vikingcruises.com.au
CARIBBEAN CRUISING
Celebrity Cruises has announced its 2019-20 sailings in the Caribbean, with six of its ships visiting 25 destinations in 19 countries. Among them, new ship Celebrity Edge offers seven-night Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean itineraries, while Celebrity Infinity continues to sail four- and five-night cruises from Fort Lauderdale in Florida, with alternating visits to Key West and Cozumel, or Key West and Nassau. Meanwhile, Celebrity Reflection tempts with 10- and 11-night Ultimate Caribbean sailings, visiting a wide range of destinations such as Antigua, Barbados, St Lucia, Aruba, Curacao, Costa Rica, Panama and Mexico.
Phone 1800 754 500. See celebritycruises.com.au
BREAKING THE ICE
Luxury polar expedition company Ponant has announced it has ordered the cruise world's first electric hybrid icebreaker, propelled by liquefied natural gas (LNG). The innovative 135-cabin vessel is Clean Ship certified and environmentally friendly and will have the ability to sail through ice floes more than 2.5 metres thick. It will take passengers to never-cruised polar destinations, such as the true geographic North Pole, the Weddell Sea, Ross Sea and Peter I Island. The new ship, which is under construction in Norway and will carry two helicopters, will be delivered in 2021.
Phone 1300 737 178. See ponant.com
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