14 New Cruises for 2011

IF your mental image of a cruise conjures a party boat island-hopping in the Caribbean with little passenger interest in its ports of call, think again.Though the Caribbean remains the most trafficked destination for cruise ships, cruise lines are now piloting trips to more remote destinations both at home and abroad. They are also staying in port longer and designating theme cruises that are far from singles mingles. The following is an overview of some of 2011’s most interesting new sailings.

River Cruises

River-based cruise lines are forging inland pleasure routes that go well beyond the tried-and-true to waterways in Africa and Asia.

WEST AFRICA

The abundant wildlife found along the Gambia River, main artery of Gambia, is the focus of a new Rivers of West Africa trip from the Greece-based company Variety Cruises. The eight-day cruise departs from Dakar, Senegal, and travels down the Atlantic Coast to the Gambia River, where ports of call and excursions include trips to Kiang West National Park, which has more than 250 species of birds; the Bao Bolong Wetland Reserve, home to Nile crocodiles and West African manatees; River Gambia National Park, a refuge for hippos; and the Makasutu nature reserve, home to Guinea baboons and antelopes.

 Some excursions explore local culture as well. Passengers will be able to visit Joal Fadiouth, a Senegalese fishing village partly set on a shell-covered island, and the Gambia National Museum in Banjul, the capital. Fares start at $2,240 a person, double occupancy, aboard the 49-passenger yacht Pegasus, featuring both indoor and outdoor dining areas. Departures run weekly through March 4, and the itinerary will be repeated December through March 2012.


MEKONG RIVER

AmaWaterways launched its Mekong River cruises in the fall of 2009 with the 92-passenger La Marguerite. Responding to surging interest in Asia, this United States-based river specialist is expanding its offerings there, with a launch of the larger, 124-guest AmaLotus coming on Sept. 5. The onboard amenities include a new Vietnamese hot pot dining room and a spacious sun deck with a fitness room and swimming pool.

But it’s the stops that distinguish this trip. The ship will alternate seven-night upstream and downstream itineraries between Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In Cambodia the ship overnights in Phnom Penh after visits to rural pagodas and a Buddhist monastery. Vietnam highlights include a floating market, the town of Sa Dec where the author Marguerite Dumas once lived, and Xeo Quyt, a canal-ridden jungle that once served as a base for the Vietcong during the Vietnam War. Fares from $1,799 a person, double occupancy.

Themed Trips

Themed cruise departures appeal to travelers interested in art and photography, climate science and cartoons.

CLIMATE CHANGE CRUISE

Few regions are as illustrative of global warming as the Arctic, with its retreating glaciers. But those attracted to snowcapped landscapes and drifting icebergs, with an interest in the forces that create — or imperil — them, are the target of the eight-day Climate Pilgrimage offered by the Norway-based company Hurtigruten. The line has offered a scientifically oriented departure for the past two years; the July 21 iteration covers some new ground in the Svalbard Archipelago, the Norwegian island chain that stretches roughly halfway from mainland Norway to the North Pole. The ship will visit Ny Alesund, a field station for climatologists on Spitsbergen Island, the research-oriented University Center in Longyearbyen, also on Spitsbergen, and make its first call ever at Jan Mayen, an isolated Arctic island that is home to one of Norway’s radio and meteorological stations.

 Zodiacs shuttle between the 318-passenger Fram and the shore, offering opportunities to meet with scientists as well as to explore the remote Arctic region on foot. Natural attractions include glaciers, icebergs and possible sightings of walruses and polar bears during the long days of Arctic summer. Fares start at $3,763 a person, double occupancy.

IMPRESSIONISM CRUISE

Claude Monet’s home and gardens in Giverny has long been a popular stop on Seine River cruises in France. This November, Avalon Waterways aims to boost its appeal to art fans with an Impressionism-themed cruise. The eight-day trip, departing Oct. 31, starts with a visit to the Impressionist-rich Musée d’Orsay in Paris, followed by a walking tour of Montmartre, where many painters resided. From Paris, the 140-passenger Avalon Creativity cruises north on the Seine with an art historian who will lecture on the artistic movement, its innovators and its evolution beyond France.

In addition to stopping at Giverny, also home to the Musée des Impressionnismes, the ship stops at Rouen, whose cathedral was a frequent subject of Monet’s, and Le Havre, home to the Musée d’Art Moderne André Malraux, which houses an important collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. Prices start at $2,349 a person, double occupancy.

NICKELODEON CRUISE

All aboard, SpongeBob fans. Norwegian Cruise Line and Nickelodeon are linking up to offer two new network-themed family cruises this year. The first departs Feb. 20 for a seven-day tour of the Caribbean round trip from New York aboard the 2,376-passenger Norwegian Jewel, calling at Port Canaveral near Orlando, Nassau and the line’s private island. The second, aboard the 4,100-passenger Norwegian Epic, leaves July 24 round-trip from Barcelona for a seven-day tour of the Mediterranean, with excursions to Florence, Pisa, Rome, Naples and Majorca.

Both feature live game shows, breakfasts with network characters like Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob SquarePants, viewings and premieres of Nickelodeon series such as “iCarly,” and appearances by live actors starring in the shows. The Caribbean cruise starts at $949 a person, the European tour from $1,149 a person, both rates based on a family of four traveling.

CHINESE MEDICINE CRUISE

Rather than trumpeting abundant buffets, the London-based Sanctuary Retreats is offering new wellness- and Chinese medicine-focused launches on the Yangtze River. Operating between Chongqing and Yichang through the scenic Three Gorges region, the 124-passenger Sanctuary Yangzi Explorer will host on-board lectures on Chinese healing, treatments in acupuncture and cupping (a form of acupressure), a tea tasting, a healthy cooking demonstration and tai chi sessions on the outdoor deck.

 In addition viewing the gorge viewing and visiting the Three Gorges Dam, guests can debark for an excursion in a river longboat poled by traditional boatmen. Nine departures throughout June include either three-night downstream or four-night upstream cruises. Fares start at $1,200 a person, double occupancy.

PHOTOGRAPHY CRUISE

Shutterbugs have long found Alaska photogenic. To help them get better pictures, Lindblad Expeditions has designated its eight-day May 1 departure in the 49th state as a photography cruise, featuring photojournalists associated with National Geographic magazine including Linda Burback and the Pulitzer Prize winner Jay Dickman.

They and other experts will participate in wildlife watches and shore excursions along with guests, offering tips on nature photography as the ship cruises between Juneau and Sitka. Back on the 62-passenger National Geographic Sea Bird, experts will run photography presentations and workshops, and an instructor from B&H, a camera retailer, will offer still and video cameras for guest use. Among beauty spots on the itinerary: Glacier Bay National Park and excursions via Zodiac boat to watch for whales. Fares from $5,990 a person, double occupancy. (800) 397-3348; expeditions.com.

Adventure Frontiers

Several new departures explore remote regions from the Arctic to the tropics.

NORTHWEST PASSAGE

It took the explorer Roald Amundsen three years to navigate the Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean, a Norway-to-Yukon feat he accomplished in 1906. This summer the German line Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offers an abbreviated 19-day tour of the route from Greenland to Canada before doubling back to Iceland. The 184-passenger Hanseatic will not precisely retrace the complete route pioneered by Amundsen, but travelers will get a glimpse of it when they depart on Aug. 14 from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and head up the west coast to the iceberg-filled Disko Bay before crossing Baffin Bay to the Canadian Arctic.

 Highlights include visiting the wreck of the Maud, one of Amundsen’s Arctic ships, viewing polar bears in the Franklin Strait and beluga whales in Peel Sound. Rates start at $14,549 a person, double occupancy, including Zodiac excursions, gratuities and parkas given to each guest, who can also warm up in the ship’s heated seawater pool and sauna.

BORNEO

From its ocean reefs to its lush rain forests, Borneo will be the focus of new itineraries offered by the Australia-based company Orion Expedition Cruises. Among four 10-night itineraries, Secrets of Sabah, beginning Sept. 10, travels to the wild north of the island with snorkeling excursions in the coral-rich Sulu Sea; Zodiac expeditions in the Klias Wetlands to spot proboscis monkeys, long-tailed macaques and hornbills; and an overnight in a rain forest lodge near the Kinabatangan River, habitat of wild orangutans and pygmy elephants.

Sept. 30 and Dec. 29 trips, also 10 days, ply the south and west coasts of Borneo with visits to Camp Leakey, where staff members rehabilitate formerly captive orangutans in Tanjung Puting National Park. All trips take place aboard the 100-passenger Orion II, which joins the line in June and will feature two restaurants, a gym and massage services. Fares from $6,930 a person, double occupancy, including shore excursions.

American Launches

Two new boutique cruise lines will ply Alaska in their inaugural seasons this summer, both offering itineraries to off-the-beaten-path destinations, while Hawaii gets a new ship.

WILD ALASKA

InnerSea Discoveries launches in May with two 49-passenger ships, the Wilderness Discoverer and Wilderness Adventurer, exploring southeast Alaska with emphasis not on ports but on the wilds. Seven-night trips through September run between Ketchikan and Juneau, surveying channels larger ships can’t reach and offering guests the opportunity to hike in the Tongass National Forest, as well as kayak, paddle board and fish using gear stocked on the boats.

 Both itineraries include a stop in a native Tlingit village to learn about totem pole carving. Life onboard features comforts like a sauna, yoga classes, massage services and DVD players and iPod docks in the staterooms. In addition to its adventure orientation, this cruise line distinguishes itself with relatively affordable rates, from $1,795 a person, double occupancy.

CULTURAL ALASKA

The new Alaskan Dream Cruises emphasizes culture along with adventure in itineraries that cruise into Glacier Bay National Park with an on-board park ranger and a First Nations native guide. Other attractions include a performance by a tribal theater group in Icy Strait Point and kayak outings and sea otter and whale watches.

 Launching May 14, it is the first overnight cruise endeavor from Sitka-based Allen Marine Tours, which offers day trips to larger cruise ships on 28 boats stationed throughout Alaska. The line’s 78-passenger Admiralty Dream and 42-passenger Alaskan Dream will offer regularly scheduled seven-night departures in and out of Sitka (a third, 78-passenger ship is reserved for charters). The ships feature native Alaskan Tlingit artwork in the cabins, Sitka-made bath amenities and Alaskan-raised food when possible. Fares start at $1,895 a person, double occupancy, on the larger ship, including excursions.

HAWAII BY YACHT

Though Hawaii seems a natural for cruising, few lines operate regular departures from the islands. An exception is Norwegian’s Pride of America, departing weekly from Honolulu for interisland tours (from $999 a person). In October, it will be joined by American Safari Cruises, which will station the 36-passenger Safari Explorer in the islands into May 2012.

Eight-day tours will travel from Maui to the Big Island via Lanai and Molokai, with bike rides on Lanai, mule descents into the Kalaupapa Peninsula on Molokai, and night snorkeling among manta rays off the coast of Hawaii. Eleven-day trips follow the reverse course at a more leisurely pace, with a day set aside for whale and dolphin watching. The mega-yacht will carry surfboards, paddle boards and snorkeling gear for guest use en route. Fares from $4,995 a person, double occupancy, all inclusive.

Overnight Port Stays

Several cruise lines are enhancing their visits to vibrant capitals with overnight port calls, allowing passengers opportunities to enjoy dining and night life in port or see more than one attraction.

BALTIC CAPITALS

With nearly half of its port calls involving overnight or late evening departures, the two-ship line Azamara Club Cruises combines port-hopping with in-depth touring. Its July 28 11-day Scandinavia-Russia sailing from Stockholm to Copenhagen begins with two nights in the Swedish capital and ample time to explore Gamla Stan, the old town. Two days later the 694-passenger Azamara Journey, which provides a butler to each room and features a spa and piano bar on board, arrives at St. Petersburg, Russia, at 8 a.m. and doesn’t leave until two days later at 7 p.m.

Optional excursions include behind-the-scenes tours of the Hermitage museum and a classical ballet performance in St. Petersburg. The ship makes standard daylong stops at Helsinki and Tallinn, Estonia, but at Warnemunde, the port near Berlin, the ship doesn’t depart until 10 p.m. Rates start at $2,949 a person, double occupancy.

SOUTH AFRICA

In a variety of itineraries, Crystal Cruises offers overnight stays in Melbourne, Barcelona, Cannes, Istanbul, New York and other cities. During its March 29 19-day cruise from Mumbai, India, to Cape Town via the Maldives and Mauritius, the 1,070-passenger Crystal Serenity will spend the final two nights in Cape Town, offering passengers excursions to area attractions ranging from Stellenbosch winery tastings to cage diving among great white sharks.

Fares from $13,045 a person, double occupancy, including airfare from many American cities and a $500 shipboard credit, which can be spent at one of the ship’s three boutiques, the full-service spa, computer lab or optional shore excursions. Other double overnights take place in St. Petersburg, Montreal, Yangon and Stockholm on various departures.

Source = nytimes