The cruise companies want to get off their collective feet and sail again.
And there will be no shortage of options during 2022, whether it’s watching the Fifa World Cup in Qatar, kayaking among icebergs or enjoying the thrills and spills on board the latest megaships, with their roller coasters, super-slides and aquaparks.
It’s also access all areas on classic cruises with passengers ready to splash out on innovative land programmes to join safaris and visit world-class wineries. It’s never been easier to find the right option.
HIGHLY ADVENTURE
IN MAGELLAN’S FOOTSTEPS
On Swan Hellenic’s 15-day Japan & Micronesia Discovery Tour, discover Pacific Ocean paradises like Guam. Pictured is Guam’s Tanguisson Beach
Sail on new ship Minerva from historic Otaru, on Hokkaido, Japan’s northern island, to the subtropical island of Chichijima before exploring Pacific Ocean idylls such as Guam, first discovered 500 years ago by Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan.
Get it now 15-day Japan and Micronesia Discovery departs on September 10, from £8,214 pp (swanhellenic.com, 020 7846 0271).
CIRCUMNAVIGATE ICELAND
Hurtigruten Expeditions’ new 15-day tour calls at the Icelandic island of Heimaey, pictured above
Hurtigruten Expeditions continue to create new itineraries such as MS Fridtjof Nansen’s circumnavigation of Iceland with calls including Heimaey, where puffins nest.
Get it now 15 days from £4,720 pp departing from Liverpool on May 10 (hurtigruten.co.uk, 0203 9933 121).
ICEBERGS IN ANTARCTICA
Kayak among icebergs on Seabourn Venture’s Antarctica cruise.
Get it now 11 nights departing from Ushuaia, Argentina, on November 24 from £9,899 pp (seabourn.com, 0344 338 8615).
Great Lakes Expedition
Viking this year launches its first expedition ship, Viking Octantis, for island hops across North America’s Great Lakes and Canada from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay.
Get it now Eight days from £5,995 pp on May to September departures (vikingcruises.co.uk, 0800 458 6900).
ANIMAL KINGDOM
POLAR BEAR JOURNAL
Five guests will get the chance to visit Wrangel Island, pictured, on Heritage Adventurer’s Ultimate High Arctic Expedition
On a first-come, first-served basis, five guests can stay ten nights at Wrangel Island. This island is home to 500 Polar Bears. The stay during Heritage Adventurer’s Ultimate High Arctic Expedition features exploring in a six-wheel Tundra vehicle.
Get it now 28 days from £25,940 pp departing from Nome, Alaska, on July 24 (heritage-expeditions.com).
LIONS and ELEPHANTS
Add a five-night tour of the Greater Kruger National Park Safari & Winelands from Azamara Journey’s South Africa Intensive Holiday. See lions. Leopards. Rhinos, Elephants. and Buffaloes. Also, visit the wine country.
Get it now 14 nights, departing from Cape Town, from £2,749 pp, land tour £4,582 pp (azamara.co.uk, 0344 493 4016).
SEA OTTERS & BEARS
Pacific Rim of Fire is made up of the Aleutian Islands. The new vessel MV Sylvia Earle visits them in search of brown bears and sea otters, Steller sea lions and sea otters.
Get it now 17-night Anchorage to Tokyo cruise via Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula departs June 22 with fares from £9,770 pp (auroraexpeditions.co.uk, 0808 189 2005).
CAMERAS READY
Cruise Svalbard’s coast and fjords where polar bears prowl the pack ice during Ultramarine’s Spitsbergen Photography: In Search of Polar Bears fly-cruise.
Get it now 12-night cruise plus hotel stays in Oslo from £9,695 pp departing June 10 (mundyadventures.com, 020 7399 7630).
SMALL-SHIP TRIPS
FUN IN THE RED SEA
Riot of Colour: A snorkeller on a Coral Reef in the Red Sea. The eight-day The Best of the Red Sea cruise with Emerald Waterways departs on March 11 (file photo)
Snorkel, go paddleboarding and try kayaking from superyacht Emerald Azzurra’s marina during the 100-guest ship’s inaugural sailing The Best of the Red Sea.
Get it now Eight-day cruise from Aqaba, Jordan, departs on March 11 from £4,020 pp (emeraldwaterways.co.uk, 0808 301 3352).
COCKTAILS FOR CROATIA
The 40-guest Salve Di Mare Summer Sets Cruise offers top-deck partying. Dive into Croatia’s crystal waters from the swimming platform and laze on the sun decks between calls to Stari Grad, Hvar, Mljet, Dubrovnik, Korcula and Makarska.
Get it now Seven nights from £1,549 pp departing from Split on July 2 (sail-croatia.com, 024 525 7534).
GALAPAGOS GETAWAY
Flamingos on the Galapagos Islands. Aqua Expeditions takes you to these isles for a seven-night cruise
Superyacht Aqua Mare set sail from Miami on May 6, with 16 crew and up to 16 passengers. The four-deck vessel is home to two rib tenders that make twice-daily excursions.
Get it now Seven nights from £6,908 pp (aquaexpeditions.com).
FAMILY TREATMENTS
HIGH SEA THRILLS
Soar high above the sea on BOLT, an all-electric roller coaster thrill ride that loops over Mardi Gras’ top deck. More excitement comes on Carnival Cruises’ 50th birthday Sailabration cruise with calls to Mahogany Bay, Honduras, and Costa Maya, Cozumel.
Get it now A seven-night sailabration leaves Port Canaveral in Florida on March 5th. Cruise price from £1,029 pp (carnival.com, 0808 234 0680).
PLACE A SPLASH
Guests aboard Royal Caribbean’s 5,734-passenger Wonder of the Seas, pictured, can choose from 19 swimming pools
Choose from 19 pools and Ultimate Abyss, the tallest slide at sea, on Royal Caribbean’s 5,734-passenger Wonder Of The Seas, launching in March.
Get it now Four-night Okinawa fly-cruise from Shanghai to Japan departs on April 5 with prices from £1,219 pp (royalcaribbean.co.uk, 0344 493 4005).
CALL CANARIIES
Mission Control is P&O Cruises’ first multi-sensory escape room — an ‘underwater’ experience on fictional submarine Arvia II on new LNG-powered Arvia.
Get it now 14-night Canary Islands voyage departs on December 9 with fares from £1,449 pp (pocruises.com, 03453 555 111).
DREAMER OF DISNEY
The Disney Wish ship has a place for children to hang with Captain Mickey or Minnie, but it also features adult-only bars and lounges.
Get it now A four-night Bahamian cruise departing from Port Canaveral, Bahamas to Nassau (Bahamas), on July 11, when you call into Disney Castaway Cay. Cruise only from £3,294 pp (disneycruise.disney.go.com, 0800 171 2317).
Amazing slide
The Spiral is a slideslide that spans the 11 decks on the MSC World Europa cruise ship.
It’s going to be great fun sliding 11 decks from the top to the promenade on MSC World Europa’s Spiral to reach great restaurants and the Masters Of The Sea pub which brews and serves craft beer.
Get it now On December 24, a seven-night Dubai cruise will depart. Fly-cruise from £1,749 pp or Christmas cruise for only £849.
FUN & GAMES
WORLD CUP CRAZY
Silver Spirit will be docked at Doha, Qatar for three days in the Fifa Qatar World Cup 202022. You can visit a match to see the futuristic Lausail Stadium which seats 80,000 people. It was created by Foster + Partners to look like a traditional sailboat.
Get it now 12-day Dubai to Mumbai sailing on December 8 from £4,800 pp (silversea.com, 0844 251 0837).
ATLANTIC HIT
This rendering shows the smart decor of Norwegian’s 3,215-passenger cruise ship Prima, which launches this summer
Take in the stunning sea views as Norwegian Prima’s 3,215 passenger launch this summer, with an infinity pool to each side.
Get it now 12-day Southampton to New York sailing via Reykjavik, Iceland, on September 23 from £2,824 pp (ncl.com, 0333 2412319).
LIVE MUSIK
The Take Five lounge offers live jazz for guests of the Discovery Princess 3,660-guest ship. The ship’s Sky Suites have 270-degree panoramic views from 1,000 sq ft balconies.
Get it now Seven-day Mexican Riviera maiden voyage from Los Angeles departs on March 27 with cruise fare from £699 pp (princess.com, 0344 338 8663).
GET HEALTHY
Wellness is a priority on Celebrity Beyond with experiences and products from Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow, the brand’s well-being adviser. The ship’s 30 restaurants include Le Voyage, Michelin-starred chef Daniel Boulud’s debut restaurant at sea.
Get it now Ten-night Western European maiden voyage from Southampton on April 27 from £1,344 pp (celebritycruises.com, 0344 4932043).
By Lesley Bellew