FIRST NEWS ABOUT CRUISES - 2013
New Cruise Destinations and Cruise Areas
January 01 - 2013 :
Now that the new year of 2013 has finally arrived, the world of cruises is even more exciting and varied than before.
One of the new things happening in the world of cruising include more cruises transmitting the Northwest Passage. The trend in popularity for this area of the world for cruises really began in 1984 with Lindblad Expeditions’ Lindblad Explorer, and more recently with Hamburg-based Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. New cruises on offer in this area include Compagnie du Ponant, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Aurora Expeditions and One Ocean Expeditions.
The very far south is also becoming increasingly popular with Seabourn now joining Holland America Line in offering itineraries featuring Antarctica complete with experienced Antarctic expedition staff, scientists and naturalists presenting extra information.
Not quite so far north or south, but also far from being a traditional choice, Australia has become an increasingly popular new cruise destination area for large ship cruises. Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas has now introduced the mega ship, the Voyager of the Seas to this area, Celebrity Cruises features the Celebrity Solstice, Holland America offers the Oosterdam, and Carnival Cruises’ Carnival Spirit, is now permanently based in Sydney and has become the first Carnival ship to be based away from the United States.
Other exciting, and until now, comparatively rare cruise destinations include the newly added Guadeloupe and Martinique to itineraries with MSC Cruises, a host of new cruise destinations with Disney Cruise Line, and more Mediterranean cruises in the cooler months with cruise lines that used only to visit these places in the summer.
Even the cruises to destinations like Alaska that were becoming “old hat” are enjoying a new popularity as some of the major cruise lines like Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines are adding newer ships to the route and as the Alaska destinations now attract smaller ships from the likes of Innersea Discoveries and American Cruise Line.
Very different to Alaska, in more ways than one, even the rapidly expanded Dubai Port Rashid is attracting more cruise ships from the likes of Regent Seven Seas and Costa Cruises expanding their already innovative itineraries to or from the Red Sea, to ports in the Persian Gulf, and to India and Asia.
In short there is much more on offer now, manny new destinations, lots of destinations in unusual months and on different sizes of ships.
One can no longer say - “Oh, I’ve done that!” Destinations you may know about are now being explored in different ways and new places altogether are becoming more accessible to more people.
As the new year begins it is clear that the world of cruises and cruising is alive and well!
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