DEPARTURES TRAVEL SAIL AWAY 38 The view of Mount Fuji from Shimizu, Japan, one of nine ports on Regent’s Ancient Shrines & Bright Skylines itinerary Going Deep Cultural immersion is on deck in these single-country sailings. PART OF THE JOY of cruising lies in the thrill of falling asleep in one country and magically waking up the next morning in another. But as border regulations and quarantine mandates continue to fluctuate, countryintensive cruises – those offering itineraries that remain largely within the borders of a single nation – are becoming an especially compelling (and worry-free) alternative. Azamara offers dozens of singlecountry itineraries, from Australia to Italy. One of its newest, the 12-night South Africa-Intensive Voyage aboard Azamara Pursuit, takes up to 702 guests from city to country to savannah, starting in Cape Town. In the Cape Winelands, sip local hermitages and syrahs; in Durban, visit a traditional Zulu homestead; and at Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, spot Big Five game and the largest white rhino population on earth (azamara.com). When Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Explorer makes its way to Asia this autumn, the 750-guest vessel will embark on an immersive 12-night Ancient Shrines & Bright Skylines journey through Japan. The itinerary will sail round-trip from Tokyo to nine ports, including Osaka, Okinawa and Shimizu (for visits to nearby Mount Fuji), as well as less frequented destinations such as the lush island of Oshima, known for its rare flora and fauna and pristine forests (rssc.com). Rather than sail the Med this summer, Silversea Cruises’ Silver Whisper will spend July and August in northern Europe, where the 194-suite ship will make two adventurous Icelandic expeditions. On the ten-day cruises from Reykjavík, passengers can join excursions like seal-watching tours, whitewater rafting and volcano hikes while sailing from port to port past remote glaciers and sparkling fjords (silversea.com). Closer to home, Evrima, the first ship to debut in the Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, will set sail in October on a 12-night Canadian voyage from Quebec to Nova Scotia. The longawaited vessel – set to launch this April with 149 suites, seven restaurants and a Ritz-Carlton Spa – will visit Acadian fishing villages, Indigenous Innu communities and remote islands inhabited by puffins and moose. – DH Safe Sailing AFTER SHIPS everywhere came to a sudden halt last March, it became evident that cruising in the era of Covid- 19 would require some big changes. The industry used its time off to rethink, well, everything, and as routes start back up, travellers can expect to find plenty of new practices and technology to keep them sailing in shipshape. One of the first lines back in business, Paul Gauguin Cruises (pgcruises.com) resumed routes in French Polynesia last summer, testing the waters on new protocols such as pre-embarkation tests, mid-cruise self-tests and amenity kits that include face masks, hand sanitiser and disinfecting wipes. Taking things a step further, Lindblad Expeditions (expeditions.com) has enacted a “travel-bubble” method, quarantining guests at a hotel while they await the results of pre-cruise tests, then flying all passengers to the ship on a chartered plane. Other big names in cruising have turned to technology to reassure travellers. Uniworld (uniworld.com) partnered with CleanCoat A/S, the maker of a nontoxic antimicrobial solution that purifies air and renders surfaces self-disinfecting. Norwegian Cruise Line (ncl.com) added to all of its ships medical-grade H13 HEPA filters that can capture nanoparticles even smaller than those of the coronavirus. For its new Scarlet Lady, Virgin Voyages (virginvoyages. com) invested in an airpurification system that pumps fresh air into all cabins and public areas and uses ionisers that kill 99.9 per cent of viruses. The ship also has an app that lets guests book all their experiences to the minute, reducing crowds in restaurants and while boarding and disembarking. – FG
MICHEL VERDURE. OPPOSITE: THOMAS FORBES/GETTY IMAGES Wave of the Future What’s on the horizon for cruising? Brand-new routes and far-flung destinations packed into adventurous itineraries. by Donna Heiderstadt AFTER A ROUGH 2020, the future of cruising is once again looking bright, with extraordinary new ships and exciting 2022 and 2023 expeditions worth booking (way) in advance. Case in point: a flurry of upcoming around-the-world cruises – just the thing to recover from months of unfulfilled wanderlust. When Oceania Cruises announced its Around the World in 180 Days itinerary aboard the 342-cabin Insignia last year, the journey nearly sold out within a matter of days (oceaniacruises. com). Sailing from Los Angeles to 91 ports and 44 countries, the incredible adventure will include stops in Myanmar, Madagascar and Namibia. Cunard has, among others, two world itineraries commencing in January – a 108-night circumnavigation from Southampton, England, on board the Queen Victoria and a 118- day journey on the Queen Mary 2 from New York that visits 27 ports (cunard.com). Holland America Line’s Zaandam will also set sail on its Grand World Voyage next year, spanning 128 days in 27 countries (hollandamerica.com). And come 2023, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will be back on the aroundthe-world circuit with Beyond the Horizon, a 143-night expedition aboard the Seven Seas Mariner that will include a number of first-time experiences, including a leopard safari in Mozambique and three nights in the Galápagos (rssc.com). North America has an opportunity to flaunt its charms, too, thanks to a pair of new Viking expedition ships set to debut on American waterways in 2022. The first, the 378-guest Viking Octantis, will explore Antarctica in January before repositioning to the The pool deck on Oceania Cruises’ Insignia, which will embark on a 180-day around-the-world cruise in 2022 Great Lakes, where it will crisscross between Canada and the US to explore Boreal forests, marshlands and legendary sites like Niagara Falls. Later that year, the Viking Mississippi will launch on its eponymous river with eight- and 15-day cruises between New Orleans, St Louis and St Paul (vikingrivercruises.com). Upping the ante for epic expedition cruising, meanwhile, will be Viking Polaris – a Polar Class 6 ship set to visit the Arctic and Antarctica when it premieres in late 2022 – and Scenic Eclipse II, the second Discovery-class luxury expedition yacht from Scenic (scenic.com). The latter, like its predecessor, will be equipped for journeys to both polar regions and will feature 114 suites (each with its own private veranda), nine restaurants, two helicopters and a submarine. DEPARTURES 39 PLEASE CHECK THE LATEST GOVERNMENT ADVICE BEFORE BOOKING TRAVEL OR DEPARTING ON ANY TRIP
