Ship ahoy
Evergreen Tours has announced it will construct a fifth Emerald "Star Ship", Emerald Belle, which will join the rest of its European river fleet in 2016. It will be built on the same configuration as Evergreen's current four current ships, whose most unique feature is perhaps the heated swimming pool with retractable glass roof which transforms into an evening cinema. The ship, which carries 182 passengers, will also have two restaurants, fitness area, massage room and hairdresser. The company's European river-cruising brochure for 2016 is out now.
Phone 1300 383 747. See evergreentours.com.au.
Ice bound
Australian soft-adventure company Active Travel has launched its most extensive program ever for Antarctica, in partnership with polar specialist One Ocean Expeditions, for the October 2015 to March 2016 season. Three new 11- to 15-day Antarctic and sub-Antarctic air-cruise packages include flight sectors between Chile and the Falklands and South Shetlands to reduce time at sea and the overall length of the tour, reduce the chance of cross-passage sea sickness, and allow for more exploration time on land. Active is also rolling out its most extensive range of add-on packages in South America.
Phone 1300 783 188. See activetravel.com.au.
Italian idyll
SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream I makes a rare visit this August to two picturesque Italian ports not normally visited by cruise ships, since they lack large-scale port facilities. Crotone in Calabria on the Ionian Sea supplies the classic Italian lifestyle of restaurants, bars and beaches and is surrounded by archaeological sites. And Monopoli in nearby Puglia on the Adriatic welcomes visitors with cobblestoned alleyways, grottoes and a cannon-topped castle, now a cultural centre. The seven-day itinerary between Civitavecchia (Rome) and Dubrovnik also takes in Sorrento, Positano, Taormina and Kotor in Montenegro.
Phone 02 9958 4444. See seadream.com.
Good as new
If you like the smell and feel of a recently renovated ship (and who doesn't), it could be a good time to sail off to Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Baja California or Costa Rica and Panama with Lindblad Expeditions. It has just completed a full interior renovation of its two 62-guest ships National Geographic Sea Lion and National Geographic Sea Bird. The extensive renovation to guest cabins, the lounge and bar, dining room, public areas and spa has left little untouched; even the carpets and framed photos on the walls have been changed.
Phone 1300 361 012. See expeditions.com.
Indian offer
Travelmarvel is offering guests who book its 20-day "Colours of India" land journey and Ganges river cruise free return flights with Singapore Airlines, including air taxes of up to $850 per person. The land journey includes stays in Delhi, Agra and Jaipur before flying to Patna for a two-week cruise on the Lower Ganges to Kolkata aboard the newly built RV Rajmahal. The trip culminates in a stay at the five-star Oberoi Grand in Kolkata. The offer is valid for all five Travelmarvel departures in 2016, subject to conditions and availability.
Phone 1300 196 420. See travelmarvel.com.au.
