BLACKBOOK ON THE WATER
BLACKBOOK ON THE WATER helicopters and a submarine, offering guests unparalleled access to some of nature’s most beautiful and leastvisited destinations. The noble challenger is Crystal Endeavor (crystalexpeditioncruises.com), which is being billed as the largest and most spacious purpose-built Polar Class ship offering discovery-rich voyages across the globe. At the confluence of cuttingedge design and neoteric technology, this megayacht, which debuts in 2020, will also have helicopters and a submarine. Whichever is the champion, these two giants will blow long-held cruising clichés out of the water. The elegant living room of a deluxe suite on Crystal Endeavor Le Lapérouse at sea To the Edges of the Beaten Map Cruising is trending towards discursive rambles of discovery, but indulgent comforts on board are equally important – and the combination finds exquisite balance on Le Lapérouse (en.ponant.com). The ship, rightly lauded for her boutique attributes, is headed next year for the preternatural beauty of Australia’s rugged and unspoiled Kimberley, which will be the drawcard for dedicated trailblazers. Setting a course for cooler climes, Hanseatic inspiration (hl-cruises.com) makes her entrée in October 2019. With the highest ice-class rating enabling explorations deep into polar waters, a unique feature of this paragon will be the new deck track at the bow – a prime location for wildlife sightings. At other times of the year the natural splendours of the Amazon and South Seas will feature on its cruising roster. Natural selection is what makes the ecological time-warp of the Galápagos archipelago so enchanting and Celebrity Flora (celebritycruises.com), making her inception next May, has been meticulously designed to explore this isolated sanctuary of biodiversity. From top: Hanseatic is an old hand at exploring areas such as Greenland; Celebrity Flora passengers will have easy access to azure waters PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: © CRYSTAL CRUISES, © HAPAG LLOYD CRUISES, © CELEBRITY CRUISES, PHILIP PLISSON 32 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: © THE WORLD (2), © EMERALD WATERWAYS, © MEKONG KINGDOMS, © AMA WATERWAYS AmaMagna‘s colourful accommodation A River Runs Through It If expedition cruising is burgeoning, down on the river a clutch of recherché ships are looming. A lodestar will be AmaMagna (amawaterways.com), launching in July. The largest on European rivers, this revolutionary vessel will set a new paradigm in effortless exploration of the storied Danube. Set to take a bow in April, meanwhile, SS Bon Voyage (uniworld. com) will endorse the credo that decadence and cruising have great rapport. Following its drydock transformation, during which the style quotient will be enriched, sightseeing on the Gironde, Garonne and Dordogne rivers will have a renewed lustre. Farther east, offering a fusion of Asian grace and warmhearted hospitality, Emerald Harmony (emeraldwaterways.com) will chart the Mekong through Vietnam and Cambodia. Also in 2019, the bijou Bohème (mekongkingdoms.com) will cruise from the ancient Laos capital of Luang Prabang to the ineffable Golden Triangle, where mistshrouded mountains, lush jungles and fabled cities are among the most captivating riverside spectacles in Southeast Asia. From top: The World in motion; comfort on board HOME AT SEA Very quietly in August, The World became one of the very few passenger ships to break the 82nd parallel, almost kissing the North Pole. The resident-owned ship, with 165 apartments and 16 years under her belt, remains a delightfully unique achievement, merging genuine exploration – next year’s itinerary includes the Northwest Passage, while last year the ship set the record for the most southerly sailing – with the extravagances of a superyacht and the exuberance of a small community curious to explore. Old ships can lose a bit of their grace, but when I stepped aboard The World in Trondheim, as the ship pottered down the coast of Norway in late August, her age was impossible to discern. Every hard surface gleamed like a Gilded Age ocean liner – there is a team of 280 staff continuously at work – and as I later learned the ship spends a month in dry dock every third year for major refits (in May 2019 it’s the spa, gym, deli and one of the five restaurants). Apartments are individually designed by the owners and many are absolutely stunning: two- or three-bedroom expanses of up to 389sq m with their own kitchens and sea-facing balconies. The restaurants collect ingredients from every port, so seasonal and local dishes are always an option, and the wine list goes well beyond any reasonable expectation. At Trondheim, a Nobel Laureate spoke about his research to about 50 residents, though so frequent are onboard expert lecturers that there may have been more people attending a resident’s birthday party that evening. The World’s chairman, Trevor Rowe, said that he’s spent most of the last five years on the ship’s continuous journey, going back home to Australia from time to time each year. “And I’ve only sat by the pool once – just once,” he tells me. “That’s how much there is to do, both on board and at each stop.” It’s an enviable life and one available to a select few at the moment, as a handful of apartments are now for sale. aboardtheworld.com BRIAN NOONE From left: Bohème and Emerald Harmony will add glamour to Asian rivers CONTACT CENTURION SERVICE FOR BOOKINGS CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 33
