World Wide Cruise Destinations

Australia

A land of contrasts

The days of £10-a-head assisted transportation to Australia may be long behind us but Oz is still a wizard place for British travellers to visit.

And together with its neighbour, New Zealand, and the exotic islands of the South Pacific, it is growing in importance as a cruise destination.

It's not difficult to see the attraction; travel around this region and you can be transported from vibrant, cosmopolitan modern cities to the wild loneliness of the Australian Outback, travelling back in time from the 21st Century to the Stone Age.

Outback Adventure

Darwin is the gateway to a great adventure in the Outback, offering easy access to Kakadu National Park, famed for its wilderness and ancient aboriginal rock art.

From Darwin it's a short sailing to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef, a 1,250 mile long underwater Eden alive with exotic plants, fish and more than 400 varieties of coral.

Ply the mighty Murray River, stretching from the Snowy Mountains in New South Wales to the Southern Ocean near Adelaide, on an old paddlesteamer and recreate the elegance of a bygone era of river travel. The Murray River is home to more than 350 species of bird and its scenery is some of the most ancient in the world.

In Queenland's capital, Brisbane, you'll find the exotic wildlife above ground, in the shape of kangaroos, wallabies and a vast array of flora and fauna.

If wild nightlife is more your scene, you'll find your heart's desire in Sydney, home to the world-famous Opera House and glorious Sydney Harbour, where you can take a boat trip to a waterside restaurant and enjoy fresh-caught crab and other local delicacies.

Elegant Melbourne is Australia's cultural capital, and the place to take in a show, visit art galleries, dine in style or participate in world-class retail therapy.

And on some cruises you can cross the Tasman Sea to discover the beautiful island of Tasmania, a nature lovers delight with its craggy mountains, alpine meadows, vast lakes and varied wildlife, which includes rare species like the Tasmanian Devil.

Alaska

Cruising In Alaska

To make the most of your holiday why not take a cruise, where the journey itself is part and parcel of the whole experience.

A cruise offers a luxurious holiday in adventurous places. Often cruise ships travel to areas of the world that are otherwise difficult to get to, such as Alaska.

Alaska attracts cruise passengers, from May to October, to see its vast and unspoilt landscape of mountains, forests, glaciers and fjords. Its spectacular scenery and wildlife are the main attractions of the area which covers more than 580 thousand miles.

Alaska Adventure

There are two basic Alaska itineraries:

The classic “Inside Passage” cruise begins and ends in Vancouver. It is a round-trip, one-week cruise, named because it lies within a long chain of coastal islands which act as a buffer from the open waters of the North Pacific.

An “Inside Passage” cruise usually includes visiting tidewater glaciers, such as those at the head of narrow, cliff-sided Tracy Arm, or those found in the many inlets of Glacier Bay.

The “Glacier Route” itinerary includes the Gulf of Alaska in a one-way route between Vancouver and Anchorage.

These straight-line cruises are referred to as the “Glacier Route” because they include some of Alaska's most impressive tidewater glaciers, such as Hubbard Glacier in Yakutat Bay and Columbia Glacier in College Fyord, Prince William Sound.

Exciting Sights

Alaska offers one of the widest ranges of shore excursions of any cruising area and it is one of the main reasons that people will choose to take an Alaskan cruise.

Most passengers take an Alaskan cruise to enjoy its relatively unexplored wilderness. Trips to glaciers, fjords and mountain lakes are a must.

Other shore excursions include floatplanes & helicopter flights seeing over the glacier-filled valleys and rugged mountains, flying low enough for passengers to see mountain goats and other wildlife such as roaming bears.

Passengers can also take rafting, boating and kayaking excursions.

See More

To make the most of an Alaskan cruise more and more passengers are opting to extend it with an overland stay.

Alaska has an extensive programme of land tours, which can include plying the Yukon River on board a paddleboat or taking a private railcar to Denali National Park to view North America's highest peak - Mt McKinley.

Another overland tour, out of Vancouver, is a coach tour or rail journey to the Canadian Rockies, where the Banff and Jasper National Parks are famous for their alpine display.

When and How

In summer the climate is mild and moist, and it is possible to enjoy twenty-one hours of sunshine in a single day, and the temperature can rise to 28 degrees.

Alaskan cruise itineraries are fly-cruises, flying from an airport in the UK to Vancouver, although a few do start in San Francisco and others from Alaska’s own ports of Seward and Anchorage.

Cruising The Baltic

City Culture

Baltic cruises tend to attract discriminating people with an interest in history and culture.

The itineraries for Baltic cruises include the great cities of Northern Europe, and the majority of them will include the historic St Petersburg, and cruising is a hassle-free way of tour Russia's most beautiful city.

Baltic cities like Oslo in Norway and Denmark's Copenhagen are fascinating to visit but hotel and restaurant prices can be high.

Visit them on a cruise ship and you're in control; try the local cuisine ashore, or return to your ‘floating hotel' for lunch - it's your call.

And if you join a cruise ship, you get to enjoy health and beauty facilities, great evening entertainment and attentive service as you travel.

What to Pack

Summer temperatures in the Baltic can be high enough to put the likes of Rome to shame, but on tours of the coastal regions you should always be prepared for the possibility of rain. A sturdy umbrella is an essential travelling companion for Baltic and Norwegian cruising, though chances are you'll only need it as insurance.

By day, light summer clothing will be fine, though it's always worth packing a slightly warmer jacket to combat the occasional sea breeze - and your ship's air conditioning.


While ships will not impose particularly stringent dress codes you may feel more comfortable if you pack at least a couple of formal outfits (for Captain's Welcome and Farewell cocktail nights) and a few reasonably smart outfits for evening wear - after all, dressing for dinner is part of what makes cruising so special.

Caribbean Cruising

Magical Caribbean

Cruising holidays are a wonderfully relaxing way to see several different countries without repacking your suitcases and charging around lots of airports.

That’s particularly true of the Caribbean where a cruise lets you experience the wealth of cultures and countries from the comfort of your ship.

There are 7,000 islands in the Caribbean Sea, lying between the southern tip of the eastern United States, and the north coast of South America.

The area stretches for more than 2,500 miles, so cruising is the perfect way to experience as much of this part of the world as possible.

First time visitors to the Caribbean are often fascinated by the differences between the islands. There was a thriving Indian civilisation in the Caribbean before the arrival of European explorers who fought hard for each country, the newcomers have all left their mark.

The islands of Guadeloupe, Martinique, St Barthelemy and St Martin are all Departments D’Outremer of France.

There are the Dutch Antilles islands, the US Virgin islands, the Spanish legacy in Cuba and

Puerto Rica and British influences in islands such as Barbados, Jamaica and St Lucia.

This diversity also means there is a wide range of languages spoken in the Caribbean, English on many islands, Spanish in Puerto Rico, French in Guadeloupe and Martinique and Dutch in Curaçao. There is also a colourful dialect or patois, which shows influences from several European languages.

Caribbean Diversity

The Caribbean has vast differences in its geography. Some countries, such as St Lucia, have dramatic extinct volcanoes.

Barbados has an area affectionately known as Scotland. Antigua has 365 beaches - one for every day of the year.

St Barthelemy is so tiny that as light aeroplanes approach to land they appear to touch the tops of cars on a nearby hill.

Cruises can last anything from three days for a short holiday between Florida and the Bahamas through to holidays lasting a month which explore the whole area.

A Western Caribbean cruise might include Cozumel or Playa del Carmen in Mexico, the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.

An Eastern Caribbean cruise might include Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands (St Thomas and St Croix), St Martin, Dominica, Barbados, St Kitts and Martinique.

A Southern Caribbean cruise might leave Puerto Rico for the Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, Grenada, Barbados, Antigua, St Lucia, Martinique, Venezuela or Aruba.

The Panama Canal can also be combined with a Caribbean cruise. This fifty mile stretch of canal is a breathtaking series of locks which compensate for the height difference between the Caribbean and the Pacific. You can choose to take a one way or “line journey” from Fort Lauderdale, Miami or Puerto Rico through to Acapulco or Los Angeles. Or you can take a cruise that travels half way down the canal before returning.

Caribbean Sunshine

The Caribbean enjoys one of the best climates in the world with year-round sunshine and warm temperatures. It is a tropical climate so the weather can be unpredictable from June to November.

Cruising The Far East

Eastern Cruising

Travel to the Orient is now more affordable than ever before.

So if you've dreamed of exploring the pagodas, gardens and temples of the East, there'll never be a better time to give it a whirl - nor a better way to explore the region than by cruise ship

Many parts of the Orient remain largely undiscovered - Vietnam is just opening up to tourism, while the tiny islands which surround Langkawi in Malaysia are real Robinson Crusoe territory.

A cruise of the Far East is an unforgettable kaleidoscope of incense-filled temples, verdant forests, soft beaches, vibrant markets and sophisticated cities.
And you can bring plenty of that Eastern spice home with you - in the shape of fine antiques, Chinese jade, elegant jewellery and gorgeous silks, as well as fake designer goods - great presents for fashion conscious teenagers.

Cruising literally takes the sweat out of touring the Far East. In the humid Oriental climate, it's bliss to end a sticky day's shopping and sightseeing enjoying a sundowner-with-a-view out on deck as your floating hotel gently steams toward her next destination - and you prepare for a slap-up dinner.

Less adventurous diners can rest assured that there will be plenty of good quality Western dishes on the menu for them to enjoy, while those who like to get a taste of the destinations they're visiting will find local specialities included in the ship's cuisine.

When to Go

The Far East is traditionally a winter sun destination, but cruises are available all year round.

Fly/cruises which include hotel stays are cheaper in the summer months because hotel prices fall during the off season. Broadly speaking, this lasts from May until September, when humidity is at its highest and rain most likely. Conditions vary from country to country; Singapore - base port of many Far East cruises - has a fair amount of rainfall year-round but is clammiest in May and September, while Thailand's monsoon season stretches from May to October and Vietnam is hot and almost completely dry from October to April

Mediterranean Cruising

Mediterranean Delights

The Mediterranean stretches more than 2,200 miles from the 22 mile wide straits of Gibraltar to the Black Sea in the east and the Suez canal in the south east.

It offers a seductive mix of cultures, geography and history all in a beautiful climate and has been called the “cradle of civilisation”.

The Greeks, the Romans and the Egyptians all built their empires around the Mediterranean and have left behind some of the world’s most including the Pyramids, the Acropolis and the Coliseum.

Some of the greatest art collections in the world are housed in Italy while another ancient centre of art and learning, Istanbul, bridges the gap which divides Europe and Asia. The area is full of diverse cultures and contrasts, from the sophistication of the Cote d’Azur to the hustle and bustle of Egyptian street markets.

Cruising in the Mediterranean can include the area from Gibraltar to the Middle East, North Africa, Red Sea, Black Sea and some eastern European ports.

A Western Mediterranean cruise leaving from the UK will typically last around 12 days with calls at Atlantic ports like Cadiz in Spain and Lisbon in Portugal on the way there and back.
Ports of call that might be visited on a Mediterranean cruise are:

How to get There

Most Mediterranean itineraries include a short flight from the UK to Genoa, Palma or Athens - thereby avoiding the Bay of Biscay and offering instant sunshine. Alternatively, passengers may take a coach, a train or drive to the Mediterranean port. Others may opt for a cruise sailing from and returning to the UK.

Cruise and Stay

Many people, particularly first time cruisers choose to combine a week afloat with a week ashore. The most common cruise and stay areas are Majorca, Cyprus and the French Riviera.

Another alternative way of combining land and sea is to take a short cruise during your land-based holiday. Cruises of one, two and three nights are available from Cyprus.

Cruising the Norweigan Coast and Fjords

Famous Fjords

Norway, the Land of the Midnight Sun, with 24-hour daylight during the summer - is a magnet for those who revel in natural beauty and unspoiled landscapes. Cruising is the only way to experience this scenic beauty at its best. Along the West coast, deep Fjords knife into steep mountain ranges with the stillness only broken by waterfalls. In older villages wooden houses spill down towards docks where Viking long ships and later, whaling vessels, were once moored.

Scenic Coasts

Unlike many cruise voyages you will rarely be out of sight of land. The constantly changing backdrop of the cruise is provided by one of the world’s most dramatic coastlines, from the temperate climes of Bergen in the south, to the glacier-covered Svalbard Islands, on the edge of the Arctic. These ships tend to be smaller, providing a more intimate ambience, and could even be local working ships transporting goods and local people along the coast. The North Cape, barely 1,000 miles from the North Pole is featured in many coastal cruise itineraries. The landscape is a blend of the flat and sheer cliffs rising 300 metres out of the Arctic Ocean.

North America Cruising

New England and the Canadian Maritimes

Boston, is a main base port for these cruises, also merits a longer stay if you can manage it.One of America's oldest cities, and dubbed `the Cradle of Liberty' for its part in the American War of Independence, Boston's Freedom Trail invites you to uncover the story of the country's struggle for liberty.

From New York or Boston, an Eastern Seaboard cruise will take you towards Canada via the ports of New England.
Not surprisingly, the majority of East Coast cruises take place between late September and early November, when the Fall (autumn) scenery for which this region is famous is at its most magnificent.
As the summer fades and crisper weather arrives, the trees blaze crimson, yellow and gold, creating one of the most dazzling spectacles on earth.

The Colonial East Coast

For warmer weather, choose an East Coast cruise that heads south rather than north from New York and visits the elegant southern cities of Philadelphia, Charleston in North Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia. Philadelphia is another of America's great historic cities and home to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Liberty Bell. This buzzing city is an ethnic melting pot where you can eat Italian, Asian or Eastern European-style (though most people settle for a delicious Philly cheese and steak sandwich).

South American Cruising

Journey to the Southernmost Tip

South America is the hot new cruise destination of the 21st Century. When you look at what it has to offer, it's not hard to see why. A journey to the southernmost tip of the world will show you glaciers and icebergs, penguins and sea lions, the legacies of ancient civilisations and the vibrant cities of modern day Latin America. You can even fly over the vast wilderness of the White Continent, Antarctica - and relax over a decent cup of tea in the Falkland Islands, a little slice of Britain marooned in the South Atlantic.

For sheer variety of landscape, climate and experiences, South America is hard to beat. A cruise in this region offers enough cultural interest to match the Mediterranean, sunshine to rival the Caribbean, tranquil fjords as picturesque as Norway's and fabulous scenery and wildlife you'd normally associate with Alaska.
Best of all, you get to try one of the great maritime experiences - a sailing around the legendary Cape Horn, in the wake of the intrepid sailors who tackled the stormy route on far less comfortable ships before the opening of the Panama Canal.

Cruising the South Pacific & Hawaii

South Pacific

Many Australia and New Zealand cruises go on to explore the islands of the South Pacific, famed for their lush vegetation, stunning beauty and friendly inhabitants.
Visit Fiji and witness its famous fire-walking rituals; go back in time with a call at Samoa, the heartland of Polynesia, where civilisation dates from 1000 BC.
Swim in exquisite turquoise lagoons and explore the flower-dense valleys of Bora Bora; take in the volcanic peaks and beautiful bays of Moorea, and stock up on coral at Papeete, the largest city in Tahiti. A tour of these fantasy islands makes a perfect end to a cruise - and if you're travelling all the way Down Under, you really should make the most of it.

Hawaii

Head for America's West Coast and you can combine a tour of California with a cruise to the glorious islands of Hawaii. These are the islands for lovers of sugar-white beaches and dramatic volcanic scenery, mystical places where you can freewheel down the side of a volcano on a bike, discover crystal-clear waterfalls in lush rainforests, try your hand at surfing or drive through vast plantations of sugar cane and macadamia nuts.

What to Pack

Lots of swimwear, light cotton clothing, suncream and an umbrella.