Every time we write a cruise wrap, we get Enya’s “Sail Away” stuck in our head. Apologies for it now being stuck in your head too.

Seabourn announces senior officers for 146-day 2020 World Cruise

Seabourn, the world’s finest ultra-luxury travel experience, is excited to announce the noteworthy onboard team behind the 2020 World Cruise: Extraordinary Destinations, a 146-day cruise aboard Seabourn Sojourn set to visit extraordinary and noteworthy destinations around the world, including the Caribbean, Africa, India, Arabia, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Australia & South Pacific, and Hawaii. The ultra-luxury vessel will depart Miami on January 4, 2020, and travel eastbound, before ending in San Francisco on May 28, 2020.

Leading the once-in-a-lifetime voyage is a talented team of senior officers selected for their vast experience on the bridge, knowledge of the seas, hotel operations and luxury service. They include:

• Captain Timothy Roberts – Roberts will be at the helm of the ship when it embarks on the World Cruise, as well as toward the end of the long voyage.

• Captain Hamish Elliott – A veteran of nine World Cruises, Elliott is currently Seabourn’s longest-serving captain, having taken command of Seabourn Sojourn upon its launch in 2010. He will join the World Cruise as master one month into the voyage and will be at the helm for approximately three months.

• Hotel Director Luca Di Matteo – Di Matteo transitioned to Seabourn headquarters in Seattle as Corporate Manager of Restaurants & Bars in 2012, but he returned to sea in 2017 as Food & Beverage Manager and was later promoted to his current role as Hotel Director.

• Cruise Director Handré Potgieter – He has been at sea since 2002, and with Seabourn since 2009, including Seabourn Spirit, Seabourn Odyssey, Seabourn Sojourn, Seabourn Quest, Seabourn Encore and Seabourn Ovation. The 2020 World Cruise will be Potgieter’s third World Cruise with the line.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises Reveals Seven Seas Splendor Suite Details and Artistic Renderings

In anticipation of the newest cruise ship joining its fleet, Regent Seven Seas Cruises^® announced in January details of the Regent Suite on Seven Seas Splendor^TM, the largest and most elegant suite ever built on a luxury ship.

The lavish Regent Suite sets the tone for all 14 other suite categories on Seven Seas Splendor. Today, Regent reveals additional details of all guest suite categories, further establishing Seven Seas Splendor as the ship that will perfect luxury when she debuts in February 2020.

Luxury is found in intricate details, exquisite finishings and enormous balcony space. More than 4,275 square-metres of Italian marble will adorn Seven Seas Splendor — more than an acre of marble — including the marble-detailed bathrooms in each of her 375 guest suites.

4,820 square-metres of balcony space is found on the all-balcony vessel — nearly the size of a football field and averaging 12 square-metres of balcony space per suite. Approximately 500 crystal chandeliers will illuminate the ship’s interior.

Antarctic season ends with emphasis on science with an impressive lineup of scientists and guests 

Guests joining One Ocean Expeditions’ (OOE) last Antarctic voyage of the 2018/19 season, the ‘Marine Mammals of Antarctica’voyageare in for a treat as they witness first-hand renowned marine biologists working on groundbreaking whale research led by Dr. Ari Friedlaender.

The March 21^stMarine Mammals voyage will be the definitive expedition of the 2018/2019 season for OOE’s new vessel RCGS Resolute, concluding her first season in Antarctica. On this voyage each year, Dr. Ari Friedlaender, Associate Researcher at UC Santa Cruz and Research Director for the California Ocean Alliance (COA), and his team of marine biologists, continue their long-term research on whale behavior in the Antarctic region.

For the first time ever, One Ocean Expeditions will be implementing satellite-based video conferencing technology through Connected North, a ground-breaking program that delivers virtual education to rural and remote indigenous communities. Alongside OOE’s long-term partner Ocean Wise who, with the realization of Cisco units on board OOE vessels, gives digital access to thousands of international students, mentors, teachers and other classrooms by way of virtual field trips and ‘Ocean Literacy’ sessions with experts.

History in the making: The Greg Mortimer, the first passenger vessel with X-Bow, hits the water!

On Tuesday 12 March 2019, Aurora Expeditions co-founder and Australian explorer and mountaineer, Greg Mortimer OAM attended the official sea launch of Aurora Expedition’s new state-of-the-art expedition ship, the Greg Mortimer in Shanghai, China.

The ceremony was attended by guests from SunStone Ships and Aurora Expeditions, including Managing Director Robert Halfpenny, who were present as the Greg Mortimer officially launched into its sea testing phase.

Construction of the new ship is progressing ahead of schedule and is now entering the final construction phase, with work commencing on the interior design. Once the interiors are complete, the ship will be loaded with all the equipment required to operate Aurora Expedition’s famous adventure activities like Zodiac cruising, kayaking, diving, snowshoeing, snorkelling, snow skiing and climbing.

General sale opens for Silversea’s groundbreaking expedition world cruise 2021

From today, the general sale of Silversea’s groundbreaking Expedition World Cruise 2021 will be open.

Unlocking an incredible selection of deep travel experiences in 107 of the world’s most amazing destinations, the Expedition World Cruise 2021—or the Uncharted World Tour—has been curated to take guests closer to the authentic beauty of the world in ultimate comfort like never before.

Crystal Endeavor’s complete 2021 deployment announced 

Crystal Expedition Cruises has now released the complete roster of far-reaching 2021 itineraries for its luxury expedition yacht Crystal Endeavor.

On expedition voyages of 10- to 28-nights, the polar class yacht will explore destinations legendary and unknown, remote and remarkable throughout Antarctica; Japan; the Russian Far East, Aleutian Islands and Alaska; Australia, New Zealand; Indonesia and the Indian Ocean; Norway and the United Kingdom; Western Europe; Canary Islands and Atlantic; and South America.

In late February, Crystal announced that Crystal Endeavor will also sail the elusive Northeast Passage in 2021.

At the edge of the earth with Lindblad Expeditions’ New Arctic brochure 

Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic has launched its 2019-20 Arctic brochure, highlighting superb landscape beyond imagination that is the Arctic, as well as offering travellers last chance opportunities for exploration in 2019.

The dedicated brochure details 20 in-depth diverse expeditions including the Nordic passages, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, the Canadian High Arctic, Norway’s Svalbard and Russian High Arctic providing guests with a plethora of adventurous experiences of a lifetime.

Last season, travellers saw an astonishing number of polar bears, with some close ship encounters, and in the Canadian High Arctic, guests had a rare Narwhal sighting. All expeditions offer guests genuine up-close discoveries and life-enhancing experiences with beauty, wildness and serenity.

Evergreen’s new yachts set sail for Dalmatian coast with new cruises confirmed for 2020

Evergreen Cruises & Tours has enhanced its luxury yacht program by adding a new itinerary to the northern Dalmatia region for 2020.

Starting from $3,370pp, the new eight-day ‘Pearls of North Dalmatia’ cruise allows guests to delve deep into the local Croatian culture.

Discover the spectacular island-speckled coastline and UNESCO World Heritage-listed towns, and experience excursions and inspirational tours handpicked by Evergreen journey designers to offer memorable experiences at every port. On the eight-day ‘Islands of Dalmatia’ cruise, discover the beauty of Krka National Park, with its striking waterfalls and traditional windmills, and explore the history of Trogir with a guided tour.

As part of the expanded program, Evergreen is exclusively chartering two new luxury yachts – the MS Swallow and the brand new MS Lastavica, which is set for its inaugural season in 2020.

Viking’s explorer sale is coming to an end

With just two weeks remaining of Viking’s popular Explorer Sale, travellers are encouraged to take advantage of the cruise line’s extensive range of deals while they are still available.

Featuring exclusive offers on Viking’s award-winning river and ocean cruises, the Explorer Sale includes free or discounted flights for selected itineraries, bonus stateroom upgrades, complimentary city extensions and savings of up to $4,600 per couple. Unless sold out prior, these offers are only valid until 31 March 2019.

“We encourage guests to make the most of our cruise offers over the next two weeks. We have some of our most popular cruise itineraries, such as Portugal’s River of Gold and Into the Midnight Sun, included in our Explorer Sale,” said Lubica Sibikova, Operations and Product Manager at Viking.

Windstar Australia Announces Monaco Grand Prix Fly Cruise Package

Windstar Australia has announced an 8-night Monaco Grand Prix Fly, Cruise & Stay Package offering savings up to $5,823 per person twin share.

The special offer is available for bookings received by 22 March for this package at the reduced cost starting from $9,999 per person twin share departing 20 May 2019. The offer features 7-nights on Star Pride visiting some of the world’s most glamorous ports – Portofino, St. Tropez, Sanary-sur-Mer, Monte Carlo.

During your overnight stay in Monte Carlo enjoy exclusive access to special Windstar private Grand Prix events and two days of world-class Formula One-time trials and racing.