Innholdsfortegnelse for Autumn 2022 i Cruise & Travel

NORTHERN LIGHTS GUARANTEE Havila Voyages, the new Norwegian-owned cruise line, has unveiled a Northern Lights Promise offering a free cruise to guests who do not see the aurora borealis during the peak viewing season. Passengers on its 12-day round-trip from Bergen to Kirkenes who don’t see the lights will be eligible for a six or seven-night cruise the following winter, on voyages departing between October 1 and March 31. Those booking the journey will also receive onboard credit worth around £420 per cabin, to redeem on drinks or excursions (havilavoyages.com). ECLIPSE LOOKS TO THE EAST Scenic is heading to Japan next year with discovery yacht Scenic Eclipse on an extended programme that includes three new sailings and a chance to experience a Shinto ceremony. Among the new ports of call…

DISNEY WISH Disney Cruise Line’s fifth fun-packed ship has been designed with multigenerational families in mind, finds Joanna Booth Only some of the places you’ll travel to on Disney Wish are detailed on the cruise itinerary. Though you will be sailing in the Bahamas, you’ll be transported to Arendelle Castle with the cast of Frozen, to the Marvel multiverse with superheroes including Spiderman, Captain Marvel and Black Panther, and even to a galaxy far, far away in immersive Star Wars-themed venues. Disney Wish is the most fully realised ship from Disney Cruise Line yet, with every aspect inspired by one of the iconic stories the brand has brought to the big screen – from the thrilling, Mickey-themed AquaMouse water coaster that tumbles and turns around the top deck right down…

WE REACH THE WEST COAST OF THE ISLAND AND ARE ASSAILED BY A BLIZZARD OF BIRDS The first wave is an acrid smell of fishy guano, the second a cacophonous wall of squawking, like windscreen wipers on full throttle in a rainstorm, and the final wave is the Atlantic’s feisty swell delivering our Zodiac dinghy crunching onto a gravelly beach where I can scarcely believe my eyes. Penguins. Several hundred thousand of them. Some bounding out of the ocean with bellyfuls of fish, but mostly huddled throngs of black and white bodies with a splash of gold, the trademark of elegant king penguins. Amid this melee are creches of chicks, fluffed up with brown feathery coats, and squeaking at altogether higher frequencies to their parents, many of whom will be…

ART CRUISES 1 Hone your skills in the studio FRED OLSEN CRUISE LINES This summer, The Olsen Art Studio was introduced on Fred Olsen’s newest ships, Borealis and Bolette. Classes go hand in hand with new Signature Experiences – in particular Itinerary Insights and Scenic Discoveries – that are available on every cruise. These are used as the basis for tutorials in the new studios, such as painting the Northern Lights in watercolour in Norway and an embroidery class in Funchal, Madeira, which is renowned for its needlework. An 11-night In Search of the Northern Lights sailing, round-trip from Liverpool on Borealis, costs from £1,499 per person departing November 13, 2022 (fredolsencruises.com). 2 Create lasting impressions in France AMAWATERWAYS You’ll feel like you’re stepping into a painting at Monet’s garden…

As we sweep into Portoferraio, Elba’s striking capital, guarded by such imposing fortresses that Admiral Lord Nelson branded this the safest harbour in the world, I can’t help thinking that I’d rather like to be exiled here. Around the horseshoe-shaped bay sit rows of handsome pastel-hued merchant houses, lined up like soldiers standing to attention alongside hulking stone walls built to defend the city by its Italian founders, the all-powerful Medici family of Florence. But this pocket-sized Mediterranean isle, just off the coast of Tuscany, is arguably most famous as the place where Napoleon Bonaparte was banished in disgrace in 1814. His exile lasted just 10 months after the military mastermind gave his British overseers the slip, escaping on a tall ship to a hero’s welcome in Paris, where he…

My husband and I are going on a Northern Lights cruise in Norway in January, but he is worried about what we’ll do if it’s cloudy and we don’t see the lights. How often does that happen, and what can we do if we’re the unlucky ones? Matthew Valentine, head of UK sales, Havila Voyages While we can’t second-guess Mother Nature, January is one of the key months to see the Northern Lights. Not only that, but the sun goes through an 11-year cycle, with the strongest occurrences appearing the closer we get to the solar maximum. As we are just a couple of years away, we’re expecting great displays over the next few winters. Being on a ship, away from light pollution on land, means you’re more likely to…

Famous for its riverside parks, seafood and beautiful architecture, Boston has a fabulously diverse appeal, and is at its most colourful come Fall. You don’t have to be a sports fan to enjoy a tour of the Red Sox’s Fenway Park, America’s oldest Major League baseball stadium, and several Boston restaurants come with a side order of history, too. If you want delicious comfort food, head to Union Oyster House, which opened in 1826. Don’t miss the chance to chuck tea bales into the harbour at the brilliant Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, which has one of only two surviving tea chests retrieved from Boston’s waters. The city’s prettiest neighbourhood is Beacon Hill, which borders Boston Common and its neighbouring Boston Public Garden (pictured), a park filled with ridiculously…

When we set out, the Naerøyfjord was as smooth as a mirror. Though we were novice kayakers, my friend and paddle partner Will and I seemed to glide effortlessly across the water, with enough time between each leisurely stroke to gaze up at the rocky peaks that rose almost vertically on either side of us. This fjord, a branch of Norway’s famous Sognefjord, is considered the wildest and most beautiful stretch of all. At just 250m wide at its narrowest point, and surrounded by peaks that rise up to 1,400m, we were cocooned between sky and water in a bubble of dreamy tranquility. After paddling peacefully for around three miles, we stopped on a deserted stretch of grass across the fjord from the tiny village of Bakka, which provided a…

COMPETITION Virgin Voyages has shaken up the cruise scene since it took to the high seas with Scarlet Lady and, earlier this year, second ship Valiant Lady, thanks to its mix of first-class dining, festival-inspired entertainment and a fun, fitness-focused atmosphere. To get ready for the launch of ships three and four – Resilient Lady in May 2023 and Brilliant Lady after that – the Branson-owned brand is giving you a chance to sample that stylish Virgin vibe with your choice of holiday. You’ll get a Sea Terrace cabin for two on any cruise up to seven nights, so you can choose from sun-kissed sailings in the Caribbean this winter – including a day at The Beach Club in Bimini – or a short-haul hop to Europe in the spring.…

MAIN RIVER Snaking between vineyard-clad mountains, we sailed past half-timbered villages and medieval castles. And yet we weren’t on the Rhine, nor the Danube, but the waterway linking the two – the River Main. This 325-mile-long tributary of the Rhine was only connected to the Danube via canal in 1992, though the first attempt to join the rivers dates back to Charlemagne, king of the Francs. And to sail up the Main is to immerse yourself in the history and culture of the German region of Franconia in an experience to rival that of its two better-known cousins. We started in Frankfurt where our ship, Tui Isla – the third in Tui’s burgeoning river cruise fleet, which began sailing in April – was moored just 10 minutes’ walk from the…

One of Poland’s oldest cities, Gdansk is rich with seafaring history – the medieval buildings lining the stretch of the Motlawa river that streaks through its centre are a welcome reminder of its heritage – and a popular port of call on Baltic itineraries. Keep an eye out for the medieval crane; this riverside wooden structure, built in the 1300s and wedged between the ancient twin towers of a city gate, was once used to load cargo onto passing ships. Gdansk has a lot of fantastic museums, including the Museum of Amber, where you can marvel at thousands of chunks of honey-hued resin, many of which have prehistoric insects trapped inside, and the Museum of the Second World War, which provides a brutally honest insight into life in Poland during…

Rules relaxed Cruise lines including Royal Caribbean, Cunard and P&O Cruises have simplified Covid-19 testing and vaccination rules. Holland America Line, Seabourn, Windstar Cruises, Uniworld and Azamara are also among the lines to relax protocols. The changes vary depending on cruise length and the line in question, with restrictions remaining on longer or complex itineraries and for certain countries including Greece, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “While certain elements have relaxed, our commitment to protect the wellbeing of guests, crew and the communities we visit remains an ongoing and vital consideration.” This information was accurate as Cruise International went to press, but check the latest rules with your cruise line before you travel. FUN IN THE SUN High-factor sun cream is a must when…

This winter is going to be a fabulous time to take a Caribbean cruise. Covid protocols have been lifted in many islands, testing and vaccination requirements have been eased on many ships and there is an exciting choice of itineraries exploring this balmy region – including some that sail there from the UK. How do you decide where to go? A key part of these island-hopping adventures are the ports of call where you’ll have the best part of a day to taste the distinctive culture of each destination, visiting top-class sights and yes, relaxing on a palm-lined beach with a hit-the-spot rum punch. From engrossing World Heritage sites to soul-soothing sands, here’s our guide to the best places to take your sun hat on a tropical cruise you won’t…

A firm favourite on the BBC’s shipping forecast, Stornoway is the capital of Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, an ancient chain of islands home to magical white-sand beaches, awe-inspiring landscapes, remarkable wildlife, fresh seafood and an unrivalled peace and serenity. Located on the east coast of Lewis, the most northerly of all the Western Isles, Stornoway began as a Viking settlement and is now a thriving port of call. While many cruise lines feature the islands’ largest town on their itineraries, the much-anticipated new Deep Water Terminal – currently under construction – is expected to be a game changer for cruise visitors because larger ships will no longer need to tender passengers in. I first fell in love with Stornoway, and subsequently the Outer Hebrides, on a ship’s excursion. Although it’s a…