Cruise News – Summer 2021

 

Paul Gauguin Cruises Announces 2022 Voyages

Paul Gauguin Cruises operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, announces its new 2022 schedule featuring Tahiti, French Polynesia, Fiji, and South Pacific itineraries.

The Gauguin will be showcasing its most sought-after itineraries in 2022: the 7-night Tahiti & the Society Islands, 10-night Society Islands & Tuamotus, 11-night Cook Islands & Society Islands, and 14-night Marquesas, Tuamotus & Society Islands.

www.pgcruises.com

 

Holland America Line Celebrates 75 Years In Alaska In 2022

In 2022 Holland America Line is celebrating 75 years of Alaska exploration — longer than any other cruise line — and bookings are now open for its award-winning cruises and Land+Sea Journeys. Throughout the decades, the premium brand has cultivated its knowledge to create perfectly crafted Alaska adventures that offer travelers preferred access, exclusive overland transportation and immersive onboard experiences — which is why Holland America Line can say “We Are Alaska.”

From April through October 2022, guests can embark on Holland America Line’s cruises to Alaska aboard: Eurodam, Koningsdam, Nieuw Amsterdam, Noordam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam. For explorers who want to travel farther into the Great Land, 16 different Land+Sea Journeys combine a three-, four- or seven-day Alaska cruise with an inland exploration of Denali National Park.

www.hollandamerica.com

 

Seabourn Previews Exclusive Special Events on 145-Day Itinerary of “2022 World Cruise: Extraordinary Horizons”

Seabourn is offering a sneak peek of special events throughout the upcoming 145-day “2022 World Cruise: Extraordinary Horizons,” aboard Seabourn Sojourn. The lineup, available exclusively to guests who book the full voyage, offers tours, performances and dinners at destinations including a battleship in historic Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; a sculpture museum and garden in Keelung (Taipei), Taiwan; and the moonlit beaches of the Maldives.

Scheduled to depart Los Angeles on January 11, 2022 and arrive in Athens, Greece on June 6, 2022, the unforgettable journey around the globe will see guests cross two oceans, visit 72 ports, and explore 28 countries, with 20 overnight stays along the way.

www.seabourn.com

 

Aqua Expeditions Set to Relaunch Amazon Voyages with the Brand New Aqua Nera

Aqua Expeditions’ new custom-built 20-suite river vessel, Aqua Nera, will make her maiden voyage on the Peruvian Amazon on June 12, 2021, it was recently announced by Aqua Expeditions’ founder and CEO, Francesco Galli Zugaro.

The Aqua Nera will begin a series of 3, 4 and 7-night expeditions from its home port of Iquitos. Built in Vietnam by award-winning Noor Design, the Aqua Nera was transported around the world in the fall of 2020 from Ho Chi Minh City to Belem, Brazil; she then sailed the full length of the Amazon River to Iquitos, an epic 12,350-mile journey.

“Sailing alongside sister ship, Aria Amazon, Aqua Nera will grace the mystical Peruvian Amazon River with unparalleled contemporary luxury, a bold design aesthetic, and an engaging program of daily excursions focusing on wildlife and local culture,” says Galli Zugaro. “With a smaller ship capacity of 32 guests, Aria Amazon is perfectly suited for private charters, and family gatherings and reunions in ultimate privacy and comfort,” Galli Zugaro continued.

With the introduction of the Aqua Nera, the company strengthens its commitment to sustainability in the region, prioritizing the selection of recyclable innovative materials and integrating large solar panels into its design.

www.aquaexpeditions.com

 

Viking Announces Launch of New Expedition Voyages

Purpose-Built Ships Will Bring Guests to the Far Reaches of the Earth and the Heart of North America Beginning in 2022

Viking has recently announced the expansion of its destination-focused travel experiences with the launch of new expedition voyages. Viking Expeditions will begin sailing in January 2022 with its first vessel, Viking Octantis, embarking on voyages to Antarctica and North America’s Great Lakes. A second expedition vessel, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022, sailing to Antarctica and the Arctic. Viking’s arrival to the Great Lakes will bring the newest and most modern vessels ever to explore this region of North America and will mark a major commitment to local tourism and economic development for the states of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin, as well as the Canadian province of Ontario.

Viking Expedition Ships

The new Polar Class 6 Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris will host 378 guests in 189 staterooms. Designed by the same experienced nautical architects and engineers that designed Viking ocean ships, the ships are optimally sized and built for expeditions – small enough to navigate remote polar regions and the St. Lawrence River, while large enough to provide superior handling and stability in the roughest seas. The ships will feature public spaces that are familiar to Viking’s ocean cruise guests but that have been reimagined for expeditions, as well as new public spaces created specifically for expeditions. Straight bows, longer hulls and state-of-the-art fin stabilizers will allow the ships to glide over the waves for the calmest possible journey; ice-strengthened Polar Class 6 hulls will provide the safest way to explore; and U-tank stabilizers will significantly decrease rolling by up to 50 percent when the ships are stationary. Viking’s expedition ships will feature modern Scandinavian design with elegant touches, intimate spaces and attention to detail.

www.viking.com

 

Viking Announces New Nile River Ship for 2022

Addition of New Nile River Ship Builds on Viking’s Commitment to Egypt

Viking® has recently announced an expansion of its Egypt fleet with Viking Aton, a new state-of-the-art river vessel. Inspired by the design of the award-winning Viking Longships® and built specifically to navigate the Nile River, Viking Aton is currently under construction and is scheduled to debut in September 2022. Sailing on Viking’s popular Pharaohs & Pyramids itinerary, the new vessel will join Viking’s existing Egypt river fleet, which includes its identical sister ship Viking Osiris and Viking’s first owned and operated ship on the Nile, Viking Ra®.

Viking Aton
Hosting 82 guests in 41 staterooms, Viking Aton will be a state-of-the-art ship with the clean, elegant Scandinavian design for which Viking is known. Viking Aton’s features include all outside staterooms with river views; spacious suites with two full-size rooms and verandas; a pool and sun deck with 360-degree views; Viking Lounge with floor-to-ceiling glass doors; and Viking’s revolutionary Aquavit Terrace ideal for al fresco dining and indoor/outdoor viewing along the Nile River. Viking Aton will join the company’s other ships on the Nile, Viking Osiris, which is set to launch in 2021, and Viking Ra, which launched in 2018. Viking is the first and only Western company to build, own and operate ships on the Nile.

Pharaohs & Pyramids
During the 12-day, Pharaohs & Pyramids cruise-tour itinerary, guests begin with a three-night stay at a first-class hotel in Cairo then fly to Luxor, where they visit the Temples of Luxor and Karnak before boarding a Viking river ship for an eight-day round-trip cruise on the Nile River.

www.viking.com

 

Viking Announces New Mediterranean Voyages for Summer 2021

Three Ships Will Now Homeport in Malta Starting in July

Viking® has recently announced that it will expand its presence in the Mediterranean this summer, adding a third ship to sail roundtrip voyages from the Maltese capital city of Valletta—a cultural UNESCO World Heritage Site. Offered as part of Viking’s Welcome Back collection, Viking Star® will now join sister ships Viking Venus® and Viking Sea® and will sail a new 11-day itinerary, Malta & the Western Mediterranean.

With the addition of this new voyage, vaccinated guests now have three new options for experiencing the Mediterranean between July and early October 2021. Guests on the Malta & the Western Mediterranean itinerary will overnight in Valletta and then sail to Sicily, Italy and Spain, calling in Messina, Naples (Pompeii), Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Genoa and Barcelona, before returning to Valletta. Those on the Malta & Adriatic Jewels itinerary will overnight in Valletta and then sail to Montenegro and Croatia, calling in Kotor, Dubrovnik, Split, Zadar and Šibenik, before returning to the Maltese archipelago, with a stop on Gozo Island and finally back to Valletta. And guests on the Malta & Greek Isles Discovery itinerary will also overnight in Valletta and then sail to Greece, calling in Kalamata, Athens, Santorini, Rhodes and Souda Bay, before returning to Valletta.

www.viking.com