SHINING STAR
Viking Ocean Cruises' new ship Viking Sea has just been christened and is embarking on its first European cruise. The 930-passenger vessel is a sister ship to the Viking Star and features all-verandah cabins and suites, a main swimming pool and an infinity pool cantilevered off the stern, a Nordic spa and several dining and bar venues. Cruises focus on a Culture Curriculum through enrichment lectures, experiences and an on-board cooking school. A third ship, Viking Sky, is under construction and launches in 2017. Three more are due by 2020.
Phone 1800 131 744. See www.vikingcruises.com.au.
BALI HIGHS
Tall-ship sailing specialist Star Clippers is sailing into Indonesian waters for the first time next year with a choice of 19 departures between May 6 and October 14, 2017, either round-trip from Bali or between Bali and Singapore on the four-masted Star Clipper. Highlights of the six new itineraries include the opportunity to view Komodo dragons (the world's largest lizard), a visit to the volcanic island of Satonda with its rings of coral reefs, a clamber up Mount Bromo in Java, and a visit to the great Buddhist monument of Borobudur.
Phone 1300 295 161. See www.starclippers.com.
DOUBLE DELIGHT
Cruise Express has a new, 26-day escorted cruise-tour to Singapore, Hong Kong and China that includes ocean and river cruises. The Treasures of the Orient and China itinerary departs Australia on February 24, 2017. After a night in Singapore, guests board Celebrity Millennium for a 14-night cruise to Hong Kong via Bangkok and three Vietnamese ports. An overland tour in China (which includes Beijing and Xian) is followed by a three-night Victoria Cruises' journey down the Yangtze River through the spectacular Three Gorges. The tour ends with two nights in Shanghai.
Phone 1300 764 509. See www.cruiseexpress.com.au.
ANTARCTIC ADVENTURE
Ponant has a new Antarctic itinerary for the forthcoming summer season called Journey in Southern Lands that sails to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and three of the most isolated islands in the world: the volcanic Tristan da Cunha; Gough Island, home to one of the world's largest seabird colonies; and Nightingale Island, a notable penguin refuge. The 21-night journey departs March 4, 2017, from Ushuaia and finishes in Cape Town. Ponant has 15 other Antarctica departure dates, with three luxury expedition ships in the region between November 2016 and February 2017.
Phone 1300 737 178. See www.ponant.com.
CANAL CRUISING
APT has new ocean cruises in South America for 2017. For the first time, APT is sailing through the Panama Canal, either on a cruise-only itinerary or as part of a cruise and land tour combination. Among the three itineraries is the Panama to Peru cruise-tour with nine nights on Le Soleal sailing from Panama City through the canal and to Ecuador and Peru. The same ship also cruises the Andean coast from Peru to Chile. Alternatively, two Patagonian and Chilean fiord tours sail on Le Boreal, which also heads to Antarctica.
Phone 1300 196 420. See www.aptouring.com.au.
