While most ships were not sailing during lockdown, the cruise lines’ staffs were busy planning. The new itineraries that follow (our favorites, culled from a big field) are all, in one way or another, voyages of a lifetime. Most departures are in 2023—the time to book for next summer, and for 2024, is now. (See “The Top Cruise Advisors” for the specialists who can help you do that.)
Channel Lawrence of Arabia
Tourism is in its infancy in Saudi Arabia. While nearly every high-end hotel company has announced plans to build there, accommodations (and service) are still pretty basic, except in the cities. But if you’re curious about this complex country, a cruise that takes in some of its sights (including UNESCO World Heritage sites) is the best way to get there before everyone else does. Silversea Silver Cloud’s 12-day sailing follows the strikingly pristine, reef-rich east coast of the Red Sea north from Jidda, through the Suez Canal to Alexandria, Egypt, then on to Greece. Highlights along the way: Hegra, an ancient Nabataean city carved out of rock that is Saudi Arabia’s counterpart to Jordan’s Petra (although far less commercialized), and an overnight excursion to Al Ula, a desert region of dramatic sandstone arches and pillars and archaeological remains—ready Instagram fodder. Departs May 2023 from Jidda, ends in Athens.
Wander Amid Ice Floes
This 33-day expedition on the brand new Seabourn Pursuit (launching in 2023), from Iceland to the coastal towns of Greenland, Canada, and Alaska, delivers serious bragging rights as it includes 10 days in the Northwest Passage, the unpredictable 900-mile ice-strewn expanse across the top of Canada. First navigated by Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen in 1906, the passage has only recently been drawing expedition vessels—alas, because of the shrinking sea ice. The exact route will depend on ice conditions. You’ll approach frozen shores and icebergs and their inhabitants (polar bears, walruses, ringed seals) via Zodiac inflatables. There are also kayaking and hiking, visits to Inuit settlements, and, conditions permitting, diving into the mysterious blue twilight beneath the ice in the ship’s submarine. Departs August 2023 from Reykjavik, ends in Vancouver.
Sail From the Arctic to Spain
“Grand voyages” (longer than typical cruises, shorter than around-the-worlds) are a thing, fanned by a combination of WFH flexibility, pandemic savings, and pent-up travel demand. This new 78-day sailing on the Regent Seven Seas’ Navigator reaches the Arctic Circle via Canada, Greenland, and Iceland (think expanses of pack ice, volcanoes, and geysers). Then it traces the North Sea coast of Europe en route to Baltic capitals such as Stockholm, Helsinki, and Tallinn (and the celebratory feel of their long summer nights). Then it’s Norway and Scotland before heading south to Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, and Portugal (food, museums, Bordeaux winelands, beaches). Missing? St. Petersburg, of course. Departs June 2023 from New York, ends in Barcelona.
Meet the Asaro Mudmen in Papua New Guinea
You’ve probably never heard of Alotau, Tufi, Madang, Morobe, Tami, Lusancay, or Samarai. They’re all stops on Ponant’s expedition ship, Le Laperouse, on its 11-day sailing from Australia to Papua New Guinea, land of isolated tribes, deep fjords, white sandbars, and tropical forests. There’s military history in Alotau (a 1942 Japanese defeat) and extraordinary geology in Tufi, where sheer cliffs plunge 450 feet into glassy green water. The Tami and Lusancay islands are mere specks of green and white surrounded by teeming reefs. At Madang, where more than 170 languages are spoken, the “Asaro mudmen” perform with their bodies covered in clay as part of a cultural showcase. The ship itself is all minimalist chic, with a countercurrent pool and cuisine courtesy of Ducasse Conseil. Departs February 2023, roundtrip from Cairns.
Have a Mediterranean Blowout
The twin 112-passenger yachts of the SeaDream Yacht Club have a cult following thanks to their intuitive crew (the service is akin to a private charter’s), exceptional food, and sense of happy hedonism onboard. And now, in an 11-night sailing, they are combining stops in Greece; Sicily’s Aeolian islands; the Amalfi Coast; Cervo, Sardinia; and Bonifacio, Corsica. The small, recently refitted SeaDream II can squeeze in alongside the megayachts in picture-perfect ports like Hydra (the town an amphitheater around it) or Bonifacio (accessible via a white limestone channel riddled with sea caves). Tip: Reserve a night on the foredeck. The crew will convert the six-seat lounger into a bed under the stars and rope it off for privacy. Comes with champagne on ice—and you can always decide to go back to your cabin. Departs October 2023 from Athens, ends in Rome.
Double up Down Under
Australia and New Zealand were closed to visitors for two years, and this new 31-day voyage aboard the Viking Orion is your chance to see them both. With six stops in New Zealand, there’s time for vineyard tours and tastings, viewing craggy coastlines, and exploring Art Deco Napier and Victorian Dunedin. In Australia the ship will sail north from cool, artsy Tasmania to Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane, the Whitsunday Islands, and Darwin, with the white sands and turquoise waters of the Coral Sea along the way. The trip ends in Indonesia, with one day on Komodo, home of the 10-foot dragons, and one on Lombok, with its emerald-green rice paddies and brooding Mount Rinjani—you are in the Pacific Ring of Fire. Viking’s oceangoing ships are oases of Scandi-cool, just the thing after tropical days ashore. Departs February 2023 from Auckland, ends in Bali.
Take in Venice—and the Alps
It’s not just about what you see but how you put it together. Uniworld and its lavish SS La Venezia have partnered with the Golden Eagle Danube Express train for a 13-night journey that combines five days of cruising on the Venice Lagoon with a four-day train trip across the Alps (or the other way around—your choice). Venice, remember, has banned big ships from entering the city via the palazzo-lined Giudecca Canal, so yours will be one of only a few small vessels allowed to dock within walking distance of Piazza San Marco. Sailings around the lagoon include Murano, Burano, Torcello, and an overnight in the fishing port of Chioggia, jumping-off point for Bologna, Italy's culinary capital. The Alpine portion—you’ll sleep and eat on the swish train—takes you through Slovenia, the Brenner Pass, and the valleys of Austria and Switzerland, with stops at various cities, lakes, and castles. Departs throughout the summer from Milan, ends in Zurich.
Swim with Whale Sharks
The AquaExpeditions ship Aqua Blu, launched right before the pandemic, sails itineraries in Indonesia. The nation’s oversize aquatic life is the star of its seven-night trip from Bali to Komodo National Park. You can spot turtles and snorkel among manta rays, but the pièce de résistance is a chance (not guaranteed) to swim in remote Saleh Bay alongside the rare whale sharks, gentle giants 40 feet in length. Komodo, of course, is home of the eponymous dragons, which you may see crashing through the undergrowth or basking in a clearing. And the ship is a highlight in itself, a former survey vessel for the British navy that has been converted into a luxe yacht for a maximum of 30. Departs between May and September 2023 from Bali, ends on Flores (or vice versa).
T&C TIP: Regent Seven Seas’ new 10-day sailing on the Navigator gives you the South Pacific in the palm of your hand: diverse archipelagos and showstopper islands, including Tahiti, Moorea, Fakarava, Nuku Hiva, Rangiroa, Bora Bora, and Raiatea. Departs January 2024 from Papeete (roundtrip).
This story appears in the Summer 2022 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
Sue Bryant is an award-winning writer and editor specializing in travel, in particular cruising and experiential travel. She is cruise editor of London's The Times and The Sunday Times and also contributes to Cruise Critic, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Cruise Passenger, Travel Weekly, National Geographic Traveller and Insight Guides.
