Innholdsfortegnelse for February/March 2023 i Cruise & Travel

WELCOME TO A NEW-LOOK CRUISE INTERNATIONAL, where we’re getting a head-start on this year’s holiday planning with a host of new features designed to inspire your next escape. Thank you to the many thousands who kindly answered our reader survey last autumn, where we asked what you love about the magazine and which topics you’d like to see more of. We combed through every single one of your comments, and now we’re delighted to share the results! The pages that follow are even more packed with stories from your favourite cruise destinations including France, Spain, the Netherlands and Norwegian fjords, and even as far afield as the US, Caribbean and Australia. Plus there’s expert advice to help you book the best deals, the latest travel news from around the world,…

VARIETY CRUISES TAKES TO TAHITI Small-ship line Variety Cruises has kicked off its debut season in Tahiti with a series of eight and 11-day sailings on the two-masted motorsailer Panorama II, which holds just 49 guests. Moor up at tiny ports of call where huge forested peaks overlook pristine white sands, with remote spots like Makatea, Taha’a, Moorea and Raiatea on the agenda, from €1,890 (varietycruises.com). RIVERSIDE REVIVES FORMER CRYSTAL SHIPS Riverside Luxury Cruises, the new line that launched late last year, has expanded its fleet with four more ships sailing on Europe’s rivers from this April. They are all former Crystal Cruises river vessels, acquired when the line collapsed last year (although the brand name and ocean ships live on under the new ownership of the A&K Travel Group).…

Are we nearly there yet…?” asks my 73-year-old mother, during our hike up Pulpit Rock. We pass a couple of girls on their way down, so she asks them the same question. “Not far now – it’s worth it,” they cry cheerfully. Half an hour later, we are inclined to agree as we gaze over surrounding fjords and peaks. Pulpit Rock is an almost rectangular cliff, jutting out 604 metres over Lysefjord. Standing at the top is dizzying – it’s a bright, blowy day and I’m not brave enough to go to the edge. A group of teenagers have no such fears, sitting with legs dangling over the side. Our adventure began earlier that day, departing Stavanger on a cruise into Lysefjord. We chugged along, first in open water, scattered…

1 GRECIAN DREAMS Splash in and out of translucent Aegean waters from the deck of Variety Cruises’ Galileo on an idyllic week-long sailing around the Cyclades. With just 24 cabins, it has the feel of a private yacht rather than a large cruiser and can tuck into secluded bays bigger ships can’t reach. You’ll have an on-deck barbecue off the perfect beaches of uninhabited Poliegos, spend a day at unspoilt Folegandros, explore the pretty fishing ports of Paros and see the ancient ruins at Delos. All but one night is spent in port, giving you the chance to enjoy evenings ashore in vibrant Mykonos and sleek Santorini. The eight-day Jewels of the Cyclades on Galileo sailing round-trip from Athens on June 2 starts from £2,205 on a half-board basis (varietycruises.com).…

FITNESS X-PERIENCE Don’t let your fitness regime fall away on holiday. Keep it going or start a fresh activity thanks to Princess Cruises’ new partnership with Xponential Fitness. From February 20, guests upgrading to Princess Plus (£50 per day, including drinks, tips, Wi-Fi and other extras) get two classes per cruise, while those on Princess Premier (£65) have unlimited access. And if you find an activity you enjoy, you can continue back on land with a discounted XPass subscription (princess.com). Style on board Sharpen up your style this spring with our tips on must-pack items for your next cruise adventure RINGANA FRESH TRAVEL SET Keep your skincare fresh with these travel-sized toiletries for face and body, small enough to go in hand luggage (€66.90, ringana.com). FLORIS NEROLI VOYAGE EAU DE…

As we started the day below ground level in the cavernous halls of Istanbul’s new cruise terminal, little did I know it would end several storeys high, overlooking the brightly lit minarets of the old city reflected in the glassy waters of the Golden Horn. Onward really does mean upward in this endlessly exuberant city, it seems. Dubbed ‘the world’s first underground cruise terminal’, the new Galataport development – an effort to revitalise the Karakoy waterfront – marks a serious upgrade for Istanbul’s cruise credentials. It has moved the tedious business of passport control and baggage handling into a vast underground chamber, modelled on the city’s ancient cisterns, and it was mere minutes before we emerged at ground level ready to explore. The Galataport area is home to the new…

The Romans certainly knew a plum location when they saw one, and two millennia after they founded Lugdunum in 43BC, the southern French city of Lyon still packs a picturesque punch. With steep hills overlooking the confluence of two major rivers, the site ticked every box for a Roman town planner, and today Lyon is a favourite with river cruisers and city break fans alike. Lugdunum gradually expanded into Lyon, spreading onto the peninsula (Presqu’île) between the Saône, which winds south from Burgundy and the Vosges, and the Rhône as it meanders in from the Alps and Lake Geneva. Every age brought its own architectural style as workers and wealthy created what is now France’s second city, and in 1998 Lyon was awarded World Heritage Site status by Unesco in…

Every South Australian will tell you Adelaide is just a big country town, and it’s not hard to see why. The state’s coastal capital has seen a significant glow-up in the past five years with the arrival of flashy skyscrapers and a glitzy five-star hotel, Eos by SkyCity. But charming Victorian architecture is everywhere, and the city remains compact and immensely walkable. For the latter, you can thank Colonel William Light, South Australia’s first Surveyor-General. In 1837, against the backdrop of industrial revolution and rapid urbanisation in the UK, Light adopted a then-radical new theory for town planning: give the average person access to nature and you’ll have a healthier and happier workforce. So Adelaide became the first city in the world with planned public parks. Today, the city centre…

REVIEWS With a smart, dark racing-green hull and streamlined contours, Seabourn Venture looks like it means business. As the first purpose-built expedition ship from luxury line Seabourn, its long-awaited debut came last July when it slipped into service without fanfare following shipyard delays. Costing around $225 million, this 264-passenger ship is the first of the six-star line’s two new expeditionary vessels, with virtually identical Seabourn Pursuit due to follow in September. ESSENTIALS Balancing style and substance, Seabourn Venture marries the sleek interiors of designer Adam Tihany – who was behind the swish look of sister ships Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation – with a line-up of expeditionary hardware. Chief among these are two custom-built submarines, costing a cool $4 million each, which can carry up to six guests to depths…

FINE DINING ON EXPLORA New luxury line Explora Journeys has developed signature dishes to debut on its first ship, Explora I, when it departs from Southampton on its maiden voyage on July 17. The ship will feature six restaurants among 18 food and beverage venues, plus curated wine and cocktail menus. Highlights include grilled octopus and Taggiasca olives at the Med Yacht Club (above), Wagyu beef tataki at Japanese restaurant Sakura and grilled 30-day-aged prime rib at Marble & Co Grill, which is best accompanied by the sommelier’s recommendation from its well-stocked wine cellar (explorajourneys.com). 2.3 MILLION Visitors have passed through Bordeaux's Cite du Vin – a museum celebrating the heritage of wine – since it opened in 2016 DUTCH COURAGE Holland America Line has created an exclusive gin label…

POSTCARDS If I’m honest, I was looking for a restroom when I stumbled into the foyer, but what I found has to be one of the most unusual hotels in the world – proof that the small Dutch city of Hoorn is full of surprises. Aptly called Heavens, the hotel is built within the structure of the Grote Kerk (Grand Church) and has 43 rooms, many looking out to the original stained-glass windows. Downstairs, in what was the nave, you can look up from the bar and restaurant (The Saint – another apt name) to the church’s carefully preserved timber ceiling. Anyone visiting Hoorn in the 16th and 17th centuries – the Dutch Golden Age – would have found a prosperous port town trading with the rest of the world.…

MISSISSIPPI How unlucky can one place be? Poor Cape Girardeau, a town in the US state of Missouri, was just getting over a great fire that, in 1916, destroyed much of the downtown when it was hit by a big freeze, leaving residents not only shivering in sub-zero temperatures, but without drinking water. And just when they thought nothing else could go wrong, along came the big flood of 1927, which is still the worst in US history. The Cape, as it’s known locally, is a million miles from the bright lights of New York, Miami and Los Angeles, but this is the real America I’ve come in search of on a cruise into the US heartlands. It’s a fascinating world of flyover cities, towns and villages that most of…

PASCAL FISCHER, HELICOPTER PILOT, SCENIC We can fly most places in the world including Europe – except Svalbard, which is a no-fly, no-dive zone. The helicopters are available for charter so if somebody wants to have the aircraft to themselves, we can also take them up on a private flight. We don’t go and see animals, for that you go into the Zodiacs. But with the helicopter, you discover the third dimension of Antarctica – you can go further and see more than on the ship. On a regular day with both of Scenic Eclipse I’s helicopters in use, we can fly 96 guests. You see glaciers, mountains and everything looks totally different from above. We have had days where there are bright blue skies and 80-mile visibility – it’s…

I like the sense of adventure that comes with a cruise and the joy of not knowing exactly where you are. It’s exciting to be away from the daily routine, and I appreciate the first-class service and comfort from the hospitality team and all the staff. My advice would be to take time to prepare before the cruise, then relax when you get on board. However, don’t miss out on the activities the cruise ship has to offer and mixing with people you have never met. I once got stuck in a cruise ship lift for four hours with two ladies who were over 80 years old. By the time we got out, we knew everything about each other. If I could, I would go around the world with my…