TRAVEL ALL ABOARD TRAVEL ALL ABOARD DEPARTURES 34 THE NEXT WAVE Venturing Beyond These next-gen expedition cruises are made for pioneering spirits, with icy adventures, island encounters and more THE ANTITHESIS OF CRUISING clichés, expedition cruises are on trend. To meet this surge in demand, sassy new ships are offering unprecedented levels of comfort on journeys to the furthest corners of Earth. Heralded as the largest and most spacious purpose-built Polar Class ship, accommodation on Crystal’s Crystal Endeavor (crystalcruises.com) will include two Crystal penthouse suites, eight penthouse suites and 90 deluxe suites, all with floor-to-ceiling windows or private verandas as well as private butler service. With its experiential quotient writ large, Seabourn (seabourn. com) is building two innovative, ultra-luxe ships, the first of which is expected in June 2021, the second a year later. Slated to sail in the Arctic and Antarctica, the 264-guest ships will have two submarines as well as kayaks and 24 Zodiac inflatable RIBs. Also setting a course for cooler climes, Hapag Lloyd’s Hanseatic Inspiration and Hanseatic Nature (hl-cruises.com) launching this year are to be joined by a third new-build, Hanseatic Spirit set to debut in 2021. At other times of the year, the natural splendours of the Amazon and South Seas will feature on the ships’ route map. Epitomising the pioneering spirit, Hurtigruten (hurtigruten.com) ships have been navigating Norway’s western coastline since 1893, but recently the company set its compass towards polar regions. Due to launch this year are two batterypowered hybrid expedition ships named Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen after the two most influential Norwegian polar pioneers. Staking its claim as the world’s first Discovery Yacht, Scenic’s Scenic Eclipse (scenic.co.uk) is now scheduled to enter service in August 2019 . In contrast, Silversea’s Silver Cloud (silversea.com) has enjoyed a highly successful season cruising the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, so much so that her scion, Silver Wind, is set to appear in November 2020, undertaking a series of Polar cruises which will offer guests the chance to enjoy close encounters with penguins, seals, rare bird species and whales in their natural habitat. Natural selection is what makes the ecological timewarp of the Galápagos archipelago so captivating; making her inception in May, Celebrity’s Celebrity Flora TERRA INCOGNITA Off the Chart The Crystal Endeavor navigates icy terrain (celebritycruises.com) has been meticulously designed to explore this isolated natural haven with unabashed extravagance. Hailed as a leader in sustainable tourism in the Galápagos Islands since 1990, Ecoventura (ecoventura.com) launched its 20-passenger MV Origin in 2016. Such are the exemplary standards on board this boutique craft that it became the first expedition yacht in the Galápagos to become a member of Relais & Châteaux. In March, the identical MV Theory will sail in tandem with her sister ship on carefully curated seven-night itineraries exploring this sequestered sanctuary of biodiversity. NEW TURBOCHARGED itineraries offer a host of destinations that broaden the horizon. With its billowing sails, Star Clipper (starclippers.com) is 110 metres of sheer poetry. In April 2020 this barquentine will set a course for the Cambodian ports of Koh Rong, a wildlife paradise with dense forests, and Sihanoukville, a coastal city with endless powder-soft beaches. Equally sensual destinations are on the chart for Crystal’s bijou, all-suite Crystal Esprit (crystalcruises.com), which will set the compass towards Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, the Holy Land, Arabian Gulf and the Seychelles for the 2019 /20 winter season. Equally ambitious is Azamara Club Cruises’ almanac of Japanese sailings (azamaraclubcruises.com) aboard the recently remastered Azamara Pursuit which delve deep into the destination. Two 15-night sailings in April 2021 will visit a litany of ports across the country – including Tokyo, Aomori, Hakodate and Kobe. If ethnology floats your boat, Ponant (ponant.com) has seven “Maya Treasure of the Yucatán” departures aboard Le Champlain between November 2019 and January 2020. Sailing round-trip from Puerto Morelos in Cancún, these cruises reveal the secrets of pre-Columbian civilisations during visits to Uxmal, Palenque and Chichen Itza. For unparalleled off-the-chart bragging rights, two voyages from Silversea (silversea.com) in August 2019 navigate the west coast of Greenland. Silver Cloud will sail as far north as Ilulissat – known as the birthplace of icebergs due to the Jakobshavn Isbræ Glacier calving massive tabular and smaller floating works of icy art sculpted by nature. It presents a boreal tableau of indescribable magic. © CRYSTAL CRUISES
THIS IS THE SUITE LIFE 2018 BEST CRUISE LINE INTERNATIONAL AFTA National Travel Industry Awards 2017 BEST CRUISE LINE FOR FAMILIES Cruise Critic Australia Editors’ Picks Awards 2017 BEST CRUISE LINE FOR CABINS Cruise Critic Australia Editors’ Picks Awards 2018 BEST CRUISE LINE DOMESTIC AFTA National Travel Industry Awards A Royal Caribbean ® Cruise is like no other holiday experience in the world. We’ve redefined the way you stay with a Royal Genie* who tends to your every need, crafting personalised VIP experiences to your exact taste, making sure you have everything you want. And we’ve redefined the way you play. From enjoying first-at-sea innovations like skydiving in the middle of the ocean to discovering worldclass entertainment to rival Broadway. From savouring gastronomic delights to simply relaxing by the pool and enjoying the blissful sea breeze. The experiences are as endless as the memories will be. RoyalCaribbean.com.au | Call 1800 754 500 *Royal Genie is available for Star Class Suite guests on selected ships.
