Hot Trips - Cool Ports

Sun Herald

Sunday March 9, 2008

By Maggy Oehlbeck

Amazing Asia

Asia is always in demand, partly because of its relative proximity to Australia, but also for the breadth of its hugely diverse landscapes and cultures - whether it is Thailand's bustling Bangkok, with its gilded temples, the alluring beaches of Phuket or the haunting beauty of Vietnam's Halong Bay. All stimulate the senses and tantalise the tastebuds.

Chief executive of Carnival Australia Ann Sherry says Asia is proving popular,

especially P&O Cruises' voyage to China and Japan. The deployment of two ships in the region has contributed to its popularity and passenger numbers have swelled.

But other cruise lines are also circling, as new and amazing Asian ports are added to cruise itineraries.

And what with the countdown to the Beijing Olympics having already begun - this could open up an even mightier floodgate of demand.

Our own backyard

Cruises close to Australia are always popular - people love the idea of an overseas holiday where they don't have to fly. But the destinations on our doorstep are also some of the most idyllic, unspoilt locations in the world.

A perennial favourite is Vanuatu's Mystery Island. The expansion of the local cruise market, with the deployment of Sun Princess and Dawn Princess, means exotic new destinations will come on stream in 2009.

These will offer new horizons for many cruisers and include: Tahiti; the far-flung islands of New Caledonia's Loyalty Group; Vanuatu's Pentecost Island - the birthplace of land diving (naghol), which is possibly the inspiration for bungy jumping - and seldom-tapped Papua New Guinea.

Mediterranean masterpieces

THE learned Dr Samuel Johnson once said, "the grand object of travelling is to see the shores of the Mediterranean". For many, it is the lure of ancient civilizations, such as Ephesus in Turkey, Pompeii in Italy or Leptis Magna in Libya that capture the imagination.

The dress circle that is the arc of the Spanish, French and Italian rivieras never disappoints. Nor do the glamorous lifestyles. The cities and villages that line the coast are often best viewed from the deck of a ship. Many ships are able to berth right in town. Still, you wouldn't want to miss going ashore. A new hot spot destination is Croatia with its heartachingly lovely coastline and gorgeous cities such as picture-perfect Dubrovnik and spectacular Split. Cruises to these ports often begin in Venice, then move on to Istanbul before entering the Black Sea on the way to intriguing ports such as Sevastapol in the Ukraine, Nesebur in Bulgaria, Sochi in Russia and Trabzon in Turkey.

Icy cold

While Antarctica is on many Australians' to-do list, the season is short and often unpredictable. To the north, meanwhile, Alaska's "cool" appeal continues - the season here is longer and the ships larger. The two main cruise routes are the Inside Passage, and the Gulf of Alaska. Most rate these destinations with their vast tracts of wilderness, majestic mountains and the indigenous wildlife - moose, bears, bald-eagles, orcas, otters and more, as the eco-experience of a lifetime. But seasoned cruisers are seeking other cold-climate destinations. Greenland - the largest island in the world, with icebergs the size of cathedrals and towns with quaint names like Nuuk and Qaqortoc - is proving popular. But above all, being at the top of the world, the high Arctic awaits. Accessible via Norway's island of Spitsbergen, which is part of the Svalbard archipelago, this is polar bear territory. Call it the Al Gore factor but cruisers are clamouring to see these magnificent beasts before (or in case) they vanish. Cruise passengers are also curious to experience the long white nights in the land of the midnight sun, and with any luck the aurora borealis.

South american sizzle

There's nothing better than starting off your South American conquest with a transit of the Panama Canal. This has become a must-do for many. Passing through a complex network of locks and lakes, ships rise 25 metres above sea level at Gatun Lake and are then lowered back to sea level at the other end. On either side, the verdant jungle of Central America prickles with the curious eyes and cries of watchful wildlife. The canal is 80 kilometres long and takes about 10 hours to transit (only mid-size and small ships may pass). What better way to gain access to South America than by ship? It is a painless means of moving around this vast continent.

Chief executive of Carnival Australia Ann Sherry says: "South America has a real energy that's very appealing and a cruise is a great way to explore the region. A lot of our brands offer holidays there. It also features increasingly on our world cruise programs."

The Carnival Splendor will also operate the line's first-ever South America cruises between January and March 2009 with an itinerary which includes glamorous hot spot cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, as well as exciting ports of call in Uruguay, Ecuador, Chile and Peru.

Baltics are big

The Baltics have become one of the fastest-growing cruise regions in the world. After everyone's done the Mediterranean they are eager for other options, and with 25 destinations, the Baltic certainly delivers. In addition to show stoppers such as St Petersburg with its glittering domes and art collections, elegant Stockholm, captivating Copenhagen, and funky Helsinki, new ports are being added. Some of these are ravishingly beautiful Riga in Latvia - famous for its amazingly intact Art Nouveau architecture; enchanting Tallinn in Estonia; newcomer Klaipeda in Lithuania and the cities of Germany, such as Warnemunde - the access port for shore excursions to brilliant, buzzy Berlin.

Circle the globe

Still can't make up your mind? One option is to lock a cruise component into a longer vacation. Statistics show that the most popular length of cruise for Australians is between eight and 14 days. For the time-poor who are desperate for a "breath of sea air" - even if they never step ashore - five- to seven-day cruises are fabulous refreshers.

Want the lot? Then nothing short of a circumnavigation of the globe will do. Princess Cruises will do the first-ever global circumnavigation from Australia when Dawn Princess departs Sydney on July, 2009. It will be an amazing 104-night odyssey. Among the many ports of call, a particular highlight for many Australians will be the visit to Anzac Cove in Gallipoli.

© 2008 Sun Herald

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