Inside information
Seabourn has formed a new partnership with UNESCO, part of which will see prominent heritage experts on board over the next year and a half for enrichment and entertainment programs. The "Seabourn Conversations" will cover topics such as culture, heritage, history and the importance of sustainable tourism, particularly as they relate to UNESCO World Heritage sites. Seabourn has already created special "World Heritage Discovery Tours" in co-operation with World Heritage site managers and tour experts. The cruise lines visits some 150 World Heritage sites on its global itineraries.
Phone 13 24 02. See seabourn.com.
Size matters
Interest in the Galapagos Islands continues to grow: who doesn't like a blue-footed booby and a lumbering tortoise? Now Travelmarvel has announced that, due to increased passengers numbers, it will be using the larger MV Santa Cruz on its Galapagos cruises in 2015. Accommodating 90 guests, the ship is air conditioned throughout and features a sundeck with bar and Jacuzzi, an observation platform for dolphin- and whale-watching, dining room, lounge and bar and a well-stocked library. Let's hope On the Origin of Species is on the shelf for reference.
Phone 13 24 02. See travelmarvel.com.au.
Double vision
River-cruise specialist Beyond Travel will be using a newly built ship, Amadeus Silver II, on selected 15-day Amsterdam-Budapest itineraries in 2015. It's a sister ship to Amadeus Silver, which was launched this year. The deluxe vessel is owned and operated by Austrian-based Lueftner Cruises (though English is the main on-board language) and features 72 cabins and 12 suites; windows run the entire length of cabins and slide down to create a balcony for landscape-gazing. This ship also features two bars, putting green, walking track, cafe and fitness and massage rooms.
Phone 1300 363 998. See beyondtravel.com.au.
Animal magic
Un-Cruise Adventures is noted for its off-the-beaten wave – and sometimes quirky – small-ship cruises. In January the company is launching a new cruise in Mexico's Sea of Cortes, once described by Jacques Cousteau as ``the world's aquarium" and a World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve and home to turtles, manta rays and frigate birds. The 84-guest Safari Endeavour will sail the round-trip journey from San Jose del Cabo in Baja and promises up-close encounters with marine life, including snorkelling with whale sharks and sea lions and sighting of calving grey whales, depending on the time of year.
See un-cruise.com.
Ice maidens
French-flagged company Ponant has announced its 2015/16 season of luxury expedition voyages to Antarctica and, for the first time, will have three ships in the waters of the cold continent: Le Boreal, L'Austral and the latest ship, to be launched in April 2015, Le Lyrial. The eco-friendly polar specialists are noted for their specialist expedition teams, with guides and lecturers typically being naturalists and geologists. Zodiac outings get passengers close to nature, whether humpback whales or penguin colonies, in destinations that include the Antarctic Peninsula, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.
Phone 1300 737 178. See ponant.com.
