Porto at dusk

Viking River Cruises has announced a brand new route for 2013 – Portugal’s Duoro River – following customer demand.

Named River of Gold for the striking quality of its light, the Duoro winds its way through the heart of Portugal, through steeply terraced vineyards, rolling landscapes and pretty towns with castles, baroque mansions and historic monasteries, into Spain.

The itinerary will include stops at Porto, the medieval Spanish city of Salamanca and Lisbon, with excursions within the capital, including a tour of the 15th century Jerónimos Monastery.

Throughout the journey the ship will serve Portuguese cuisine as well as the region’s famous port and tawny wines.

Viking will operate the Viking Douro, which was built specifically for this route.

Spacious and supremely comfortable with panoramic views, large staterooms with French balconies and 360 degree views from the public areas, guests can sit back and relax as they immerse themselves in the glorious scenery.
Wendy Atkin-Smith, managing director of Viking River Cruises UK Limited said:

“The Douro is truly breathtaking and offers such a wide range of scenery as it meanders through incredible valleys, past ancient vineyards and into bustling Portuguese towns brimming with culture.”

• More details 0208 780 7995 or visit www.vikingrivercruises.co.uk

It’s almost impossible not to empathise with the smugness of  Roald Amundsen as you finally spot an iceberg on the horizon, after two days at sea in hazardous conditions. We’ve only gone and got to Antarctica. And while Amundsen’s self-satisfaction stemmed from beating Scott to be the first the South Pole, I can imagine what some of those first explorers: William Smith and Thaddeus von Bellingshausen and a gaggle of men on the hunt for seal fur, felt when they spotted the South Shetland islands. Shiver my timbers.

The iceberg, a dot of white against the sky, was like a catalyst for other worldliness. As soon as it appeared, the weather became moody – grey clouds lowered around us – suddenly there were birds everywhere, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up.  Black and white Cape pigeons darted past our porthole; huge, heavy looking skuas on a break from penguin hunting air-plodded past and tiny gentoo penguins speedily weaved up and over the waves.

As we got closer to the icebergs of half moon island, what would be our first landing, the ice masses became bluer, the rocks sheerer and sharper and the silence more enveloping.

In our small groups, we suited and booted  – I soon resembled a gortex-coated beached whale – and were taken to the landing boats. The rocky beach was crowded with hefty fur seals and chinstrap penguins that seemed to almost enjoy each other’s company.

Setting foot on the shore felt monumental in some way. Then, as I crouched down to take my first photo of penguin, I fell over a rock and subtly tried to get up without anyone noticing. The penguins, also inept at traversing the pebbly ground were charming, inquisitive, enjoyed projectile defecating in my direction and showed a brilliant lack of awareness, waddling right up to us.

Also ignoring us were the fur and Weddell seals harrumphing in the surf. Occasionally, when someone got too close, they’d bark like a dog, elevate the front part of their body and then appear to want to charge. Usually that’s just a threat, but I’m told that once a year a tourist gets bitten by one of these cute looking creatures.

I cornered MS Fram’s resident ornithologist Manuel, who gave me an interesting insight into the vicious sex lives of penguins – you can tell the females by the scratches on their back  – and educated me about scavenging sheathbills, by dangling a penguin corpse dangerously close to my head.

Rewinding to the ‘hazardous’ conditions of the Drake Passage,  there’s a school of thought that says YouTubing things like ‘Drake Passage Disasters’ before embarking on the so-called world’s roughest stretch of water is unwise.

The End of the World

So arriving in Ushuaia, not only was I stunned to see the world’s most southerly city, its glacier topped mountains and washed out, apocalyptic scenery, I was also imagining near death, being tossed around like the cruise ship from the video, was hardly surprising.

In the end, we had lovely weather. The sun shone and while the use of handrails was non negotiable, I soon dispatched of my acupressure bands and happily enjoyed the gentle bobbing of a boat on moderate swell.

On board there are around 200 passengers, of 15 nationalities, representing the Americas, Asia and Europe. There’s a swathe of breathable fabric and Nordic walking sticks and I’ve spotted the doppelgangers of both David Attenborough and Rupert Murdoch. No prizes who’d be more welcome on this voyage.

Read Emily’s Nile Cruise blog

Get Active

Cruising offers the perfect opportunity to try adventurous new pursuits. In Alaska, you can go zip-wiring, ride a seaplane or land by helicopter on a glacier for a two-hour trek. In Jamaica, there’s river rafting, bob sleigh rides and horse riding in the sea. In St John, Canada, there are speedboat rides through rapids that guarantee a thrilling (and very wet) experience. Norwegian Cruise Line offers horse riding over the lava fields of Iceland on its voyages to the Arctic Circle (from £89 per person), while new for 2012, Hurtigruten has sea kayaking along the coast of Norway from Tromso for £129 per person.

Princess Cruises’ passengers visiting Cozumel in Mexico can sign up to race a multi-million-dollar America’s Cup yacht. The three-hour excursion costs from £65 per person. Cruise with Holland America Line to Naples in Italy and you can climb to the upper crater of Mount Vesuvius, the volcano that erupted and destroyed Pompeii in 79AD, for £78 per person.

For something a little more familiar, put on your walking boots for a three-hour hike in the Flam Valley in Norway on an eight-night cruise of the Norwegian Fjords on MSC Cruises’ Opera in May and June 2012 from £65 per person (£46 for children).

Cultural Rewards

If you want to expand your knowledge, Swan Hellenic and Voyages to Antiquity have free excursions to classical sites in Sicily, Italy and Greece. On Crystal Cruises’ new 8.5-hour tour in Iceland, you will learn about the volcano that disrupted hundreds of thousands of travellers when it erupted in 2010.

‘From the Ashes: Life in the company of a volcano’ is available on Crystal Serenity’s transatlantic crossing in May 2012, priced at £112 per person for groups and £1,102 for a private tour.

If you’ve been to St Petersburg you’ll know all about the opulent palaces and churches you can visit; maybe you’ll also have taken a canal cruise. But how about seeing it from underground? Princess Cruises has a tour of the metro, built deep under the city from 1940 to 1955, and modelled on the style of the Paris Belle Epoque metro stations, that also includes a walking tour of key sights close to the Hermitage from £39 per person.

The most unusual tour has to be Crystal Cruises astronaut-for-a-day trip to the Cosmonaut Training Centre in Moscow. Dare to do this and you’ll experience G-Force during a simulated take off and landing, and weightlessness in a reduced gravity aircraft.

It’s an amazing trip, but with an equally amazing price of between £2,856 and £21,622 per person. That is clearly going to be out of most people’s budget, but the cost of ships’ excursions is often one of the biggest complaints among cruisers. You can save money by going ashore alone or pre-arranging excursions with local companies before you leave home.

New company Cruising Excursions (cruisingexcursions.com) has a huge selection of tours, with more being added all the time, from popular ports around the world, from Athens in Greece to Ålesund in Norway, and Sydney in Australia, to Scarborough in Tobago.

Some are city tours much like those offered by cruise lines, while others are a bit quirky – the Roman catacombs or river tubing in Jamaica anyone? – but most are considerably cheaper. A full-day tour of Rome visiting the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Coliseum and Vatican, for instance, costs from £44 per person – quite a saving on Norwegian’s £78.

Noble Caledonia is renowned for offering exciting and original shore excursions. A stand-out one for this year is a trip in early summer on board the 100-passenger Volga Dream from Moscow to St Petersburg, which includes a backstage visit to the Bolshoi Theatre, special entrances to the Hermitage and State Armory, and an out-of-hours visit to the Kremlin, Peterhof and Catherine’s Palace.

Epicurean delights

There are a huge range of shore excursions to appeal to lovers of food and wine.

Carnival Cruise Lines has a four-hour Wines of Tuscany tour from Livorno in Italy for those cruising on Carnival Breeze next summer, as well as a handson cooking class where you don’t just learn how prepare focaccia bread, pasta and a dessert, but get to eat it for lunch as well. Royal Caribbean International has wine tasting from Civitavecchia.

Oenophiles will love Celebrity Cruises’ new no-fly wine-themed cruises from Southampton in 2012, timed to coincide with the European grape harvest, with tours and tastings at wineries in France, Spain and Portugal.

The most indulgent is perhaps Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines’ inspired idea for chocoholics – a mouthwatering 4.5-hour “bean-to-bar” tour of a cocoa estate from Castries in St Lucia. You taste the beans, see how they are made into chocolate bars and then get to savour the final product at the end. It costs £120 per person.

Oceania Cruises’ new ship Riviera will feature a Bon Appétit Culinary Centre, which offers hands-on cooking classes with a changing curriculum. In select ports guests can accompany the chef to shore-side markets to purchase fresh, local ingredients, which they can later learn how to prepare in the on-board culinary centre.

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We are counting down to the Carnival Breeze Launch here with the latest news and an amazing competition to win a cruise!

During its first year at sea, Carnival Breeze photographers will snap more than 1.5 million digital images, guests will indulge in over 18,000 massages, stateroom stewards will create more than 663,000 of Carnival’s popular “towel animals” and 242,000 servings of Carnival’s signature dessert, the Chocolate Melting Cake, will be eaten.

The new ship will feature a Water Works aqua park with exhilarating water slides and other attractions; Sport Square, an open-air recreation complex with a ropes course, mini-golf, and outdoor fitness area; The Lanai, a wraparound promenade with whirlpools extending over the ship’s sides; and a 270-square-foot poolside LED screen displaying movies.

Dining highlights include Cucina del Capitano, a family-style Italian restaurant and Fahrenheit 555, an American-style steakhouse. For a relaxed atmosphere the RedFrog Pub, Carnival’s British-West-Indies-meets-Key-West-style bar (their description, not ours!) has Caribbean-inspired fare on offer.

Fact file Launch date 31 May 2012 Sister ships: Carnival Dream, Carnival Magic Registration: Panama Gross tonnage: 130,000 Length: 1,004 feet Beam: 122 feet Cruising speed: 20 knots Guest capacity (double occupancy): 3,690 Total staff: 1,386

All Carnival Cruise Lines ships

Carnival Breeze

Carnival Conquest

Carnival Destiny

Carnival Dream

Carnival Ecstasy

Carnival Elation

Carnival Fantasy

Carnival Fascination

Carnival Freedom

Carnival Glory

Carnival Imagination

Carnival Inspiration

Carnival Legend

Carnival Liberty

Carnival Magic

Carnival Miracle

Carnival Paradise

Carnival Pride

Carnival Sensation

Carnival Spirit

Carnival Splendor

Carnival Triumph

Carnival Valor

Carnival Victory

New Carnival Ship to Launch in May 2012

Musical Sailings

Elvis fans will be in seventh heaven at this cruise and- stay package offered by UK agency Adore Cruises in conjunction with Carnival Cruise Lines. Departing on 5 November, it comprises three nights in Memphis, three nights in New Orleans, and a one-week Caribbean sailing on Carnival Conquest.

Having run a successful “Sing Live” cruise last year with performances by stars from Channel 5’s Don’t Stop Believing show and professionally-run musical workshops for passengers, Holland America Line is planning another “Sing Live” sailing in 2012, visiting the Mediterranean. Dates to be confirmed.

Carnival Cruise Lines keeps the beat going for rock and pop fans with sailings featuring the likes of KISS and New Kids on the Block. It works with US agency Sixthman and one of the most recent sailings featured the Backstreet Boys. Future fixtures include four-night Caribbean sailings including a “Rock Boat XII” voyage on 1 March featuring various bands; a Kid Rock sailing on 26 April; and a cruise featuring American rockers 311 on 10 May.

Oceania Cruises aims to get guests into a musical mood with its Spring Music Fest Mediterranean sailing aboard Nautica. The 10-day sailing departing on 14 May, will focus on jazz with guest musicians performing at concerts and casual jam sessions. Plus, there will also be special dance sets with instructors.

Historic voyages

Join the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Queen Elizabeth II and marvel at the 1,000-vessel-strong flotilla on the Thames with Voyages of Discovery as part of a 10-night voyage around the British Isles on 26 May.

Sail to the spot where the famously “unsinkable” Titanic plunged to the icy depths of the North Atlantic on an eight-night sailing with Titanic Memorial Cruises aboard Azamara Journey to mark the centenary of the tragedy, departing New York on April 10.

Follow in the footsteps of the ill-fated Titanic, but stay closer to home on this Cruise & Maritime sailing to France, Ireland and around Britain, departing on April 10.

Hobby cruises

Reach for the stars on this astronomy-themed voyage with Hurtigruten that takes cruisers into the Arctic Circle to admire the night-time light show on a 10-night voyage on March 15.

Twinkled-toed passengers can jive, lindy hop and rock their way across the floor on a dance-themed 15-night Baltic sailing with Saga, departing on May 6.

Turn up the throttle for a series of motorcyclethemed cruises with Royal Caribbean International ranging from five nights to 11 nights and visiting Bermuda and/or the Caribbean.

Passengers can immerse themselves in stamping, scrapbooking and sewing on a special “Craft Cruise”  being organised by cruise agency Planet Cruise which has teamed up with TV channel Create and Craft. The four-night sailing to Amsterdam and Hamburg, aboard Cruise & Maritime’s Ocean Countess, departs on 4 May.

Daily yoga and meditation classes held in the cool of the morning and just before sunset are offered on this sailing with Star Clippers for its 21-night crossing from Barbados to Civitavecchia departing on 7 April.

Foodie cruises

Tuck into the tastes and traditions of continental Europe with Uniworld on a one-week river cruise to Cologne on April 1 that offers beer tasting, chocolate sampling and a food and wine pairing dinner.

Savour the flavour of a 20-night chocolate themed Caribbean cruise with Thomson Cruises, departing on April 15, when passengers can learn how to make and decorate mouth-watering creations under the eye of a professional chocolatier.

Passengers can perfect their pasta on MSC Cruises’ new food and wine cruises where the Italian cookery schools of La Prova del Cuoco hold sessions on sailings in March, April and May, while the Italian Sommelier Association hosts wine-tastings along with wine and food pairing sessions on two March voyages.

For passengers keen to lose weight MSC Cruises has unveiled a special diet-themed sailing with French diet specialist Dr Pierre Dukan, famous for the Dukan Diet Method, on its 11-night Mediterranean sailing on 30 January.

Head to the kitchens with celebrity chef Marco Pierre White aboard P&O Cruises’ Ventura for a 14-night Mediterranean sailing, departing on 1 April, when he will host cookery classes, book signings and a Q&A session with the cruise director.

Quirky cruises

Those wanting to go boating in the buff can take advantage of four naturist cruises to Croatia this year (2012). Such was the popularity of two such sailings last summer that the number of departures has been doubled. The eight-day voyages, offered by eWaterways, depart in June and August.

Fresh from hosting what it billed as the “biggest gay cruise in history” on Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas, US company Atlantis Events is planning a one-week gay cruise to the Caribbean on Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Summit on 17 March and a one-week gay cruise to the Baltic on Holland America Line’s Eurodam on 24 July.

Strum your way through the Caribbean on a five-day Royal Caribbean International beginner banjo cruise, departing on 8 March, and a six-day intermediate banjo cruise on 12 March.

Genealogy experts will help trace your family history on a 17-day genealogy cruise with Voyages of Discovery to India and Arabia, departing on 19 March.

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The 2,680-passenger Carnival Legend (pictured above) will offer the line’s first Norwegian fjords itinerary and its first extended programme from the UK, as well as cruises to the Baltic, Mediterranean and British Isles, beginning in spring 2013.

Carnival Legend’s schedule will encompass 12-day voyages to Norway/Western Europe, the British Isles and the Baltic departing from Dover, along with 12-day Mediterranean cruises departing from Venice, Barcelona and Dover.

In total, Carnival Legend will operate 17 European cruises between April 22 and Oct. 31, 2013, visiting 34 ports across 18 countries.

“We’re very excited about the Carnival Legend’s 2013 European Programme, particularly the wide array of voyages to the Baltic, Norway and British Isles, offered from Dover,” said Adolfo Perez, managing director, Carnival Cruise Lines – UK.

“These cruises visit a variety of interesting and beautiful ports and offer Brits a fun and convenient holiday option departing from the UK,” he added.

Prices for a Norway/Western Europe, British Isles Cruises Round-Trip from Dover start at £879pp.

• For more details visit www.carnival.com or call 0845 351 0556

Be A Cruise Reporter! – your chance to set sail of Carnival Breeze’s inaugural cruise on June 3 – and write about it for Cruise International.

This 12-night Mediterranean fly/cruise onboard the Carnival Breeze starts from just £1,179 per person (for a family of four) with reduced deposits from £266 per person.

This holiday departs from London on 21 July 2012, and includes scheduled flights between London and Barcelona and a 12-night cruise, full board basis per person based on an inside stateroom.

The cruise sails from Barcelona and destination highlights include Naples, Dubrovnik, Venice, Messina and Monte Carlo.

The brand new, 3690-passenger Carnival Breeze launches on 3 June in Barcelona.

Win a cruise on Carnival Breeze with a place on the inaugural cruise – and write for Cruise International.

For further information visit www.carnivalcruise.co.uk or telephone 0845 351 0556

2012 sees the 100th anniversary of Titanic's fateful voyage

The 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic is fast approaching and there are several memorial events taking place.

HMS Titanic crashed into an iceberg on the evening of April 14 1912 and sank the next day, taking 1,500 passengers and crew with it. A hundred years on, two Titanic memorial cruises have been scheduled to enable descendants of Titanic passengers, enthusiasts and cruise passengers to be at the site where the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage.

Bill Willard, who developed the remote-operated vehicle, or ROV, that was used during the 1998 Titanic expedition, has organised an anniversary cruise with Azamara Club Cruises. Their 684-passenger Azamara Journey will sail out of Boston on 10 April to the site where Titanic sank. Historians and descendants of passengers and crew will be on board and an expedition ship equipped with an ROV will meet the cruise ship at the sinking site, to dive to the wreck and relay live video images.

Miles Morgan Travel, a British travel agency, has chartered Fred. Olsen’s Balmoral to sail from Southampton on 8 April to New York, passing the site of the disaster on 15 April. The trip will allow passengers to pay their respects at a special memorial service, which will take place at the exact place and time the Titanic sank 100 years before.

The ship will carry 1,309 passengers – the same number that sailed on the fateful voyage – and follow the same route as the Titanic, leaving Southampton before docking at the Irish port of Cobh (formerly Queenstown), where the Titanic made its final call on 11 April 1912. Interestingly, despite being built in 1988 the Balmoral is unable to sail as fast as the Titanic and will have to leave Southampton earlier than the Titanic did so that it can reach the spot where she sank on the anniversary.

Miles Morgan, managing director of Miles Morgan Travel, says: “The whole voyage will be steeped in Titanic history. The food served will match the sumptuous menus on the original voyage; the entertainment will include music and dancing in the style featured in those glorious times and there will be a chance to hear first hand from historians who have studied the Titanic story.”

Titanic departing Southampton docks

The Titanic Memorial Cruise has proved very popular and tickets are now on a waiting-list-only basis. Alternatively though, there is a five-night mini cruise from Southampton on 3 April, calling at Liverpool, where the White Star line had its head office, and Belfast where the RMS Titanic was built.

Belfast is celebrating the 100th anniversary of Titanic’s voyage with a new waterfront development and exhibition about what was then the largest ocean liner ever built. Interest in the doomed ship has barely flagged over the years and Belfast is taking full advantage of the anniversary with a dazzling array of exhibits detailing the Titanic’s luxuries and the myths and legends surround its sinking. Visitors can even explore the wreck at her resting place on the floor of the North Atlantic. The exhibition (titanicbelfast.com) opens on 31 March.

Also to commemorate the anniversary, two permanent exhibits at the Southampton Sea City Museum about the Titanic story and the city’s role as a major port from which the Titanic set sail will open in April. Four out of five crew members aboard the ship hailed from Southampton, and the losses to the city were significant. For more information about the museum, visit seacity.co.uk

Read Emily Mansfield’s tribute, marking the 100th Anniversary of the Titanic’s sinking.

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At the flick of a wrist, you can gain access to the deck plans of your favourite ships, find the latest deals and much more besides. It’ll make planning your holiday almost as enjoyable as being there! Sound good? Here’s a video showing you the Cruise Finder app in action!

Cruise Finder

Cruise Finder is the one-stop shop cruise app for planning the perfect cruise. This award-winning app provides detailed cruise information on 20 different cruise lines, 220 ships including staterooms photos and deck plans, 25 destinations, and 12,000+ itineraries complete with route maps. What’s more, the app is absolutely free.

Free for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Cruise International App

The first thing any keen cruiser should download for their iPad is the Cruise International app! Whether cruising to the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, Alaska to Australia, we give you all the information you need to find the right cruise for you and the best cruise deals (but you know this already)!

Free for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Berlitz Cruise Ships 2012

There’s nothing like expert advice to give you piece of mind and you get that in abundance with the Berlitz Cruise Ships app. Cruise authority, Douglas Ward, offers over 275 in-depth reviews to ensure you make the right decisions on both land and sea.

£6.99 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Cruise Card Control

As seen in the New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald, LA Times, Msnbc news, Porthole Magazine and Budget Travel Magazine; Cruise Card Control is an app dedicated to saving you money while on board your cruise ship. Create categories and keep track of how much is spent and Cruise Card Control will do the rest!

£0.69 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Royal Caribbean International

You’ll find all the information you need about a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation including details on worldwide destinations, cruise ships, ports of call and much more. Other features of the app include special offers, ship facts and image galleries.

Free for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Ship Mate

Ship Mate offers tailored cruise apps about many of the major cruise lines, from Carnival and Princess Cruises to Norwegian Cruises and Celebrity Cruises. Each app gives you lots of useful information, including deck maps, port information, ship locators and even a packing check list!

£1.49 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Deck Director

Never lose your way again with the deck director! This handy cruise app currently covers the entire fleet of Carnival, Princess Cruises and Holland America, so whether you’re trying to find you way back to your cabin or hoping to find the next party, deck director is at hand!

£2.99 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Meet on Cruise

It’s always good to meet a fellow cruise-enthusiast, which is why MeetOnCruise is such a brilliant app. It is the first social networking app of its kind dedicated to cruisers, which means you should always be able to find a friend no matter where you on the seven seas.

Free for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Cruise Tycoon 

Ever wondered what it would be like to run your own cruise company? Here is your chance to put your business acumen to the test! Cruise Tycoon is game that depends on you to you to create new cruise routes and set up the sailing schedules.

As your company grows, you can buy new ships, employ a new captain and build your very own empire!

£1.49 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

Cruise Cam

Now you can use your iPhone or iPod Touch to sail the high seas to all seven continents and call at hundreds of ports and destinations around the world. Cruise Cam features cameras from over a dozen different cruise lines, and nearly a hundred ships, giving you the chance to check out a whole of ships without having to leave the sofa.

£1.49 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad

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