Animal attraction
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Luxury expedition-cruise company Silversea is alternating two revised, seven-night Galapagos itineraries from late March 2017. The 100-guest, all-suite Silver Galapagos will operate both itineraries sailing Saturday to Saturday. The new north-central itinerary departs Baltra for San Cristobal with a newly added circumnavigation of Isla Daphne Grande, while the western itinerary is enhanced by such new points of interest as Cerro Dragon and Playa Las Bachas in Santa Cruz, and a circumnavigation of Roca Leon Dormido. The itineraries provide bird-spotting opportunities; close encounters with iguanas, tortoises and sea lions; and complimentary shore excursions guided by an expedition team.
Phone 1300 306 872. See silversea.com
Caribbean queen
Viking Ocean Cruises is expanding its horizons westwards and is now offering cruises beyond Europe. A new itinerary round-trip on Viking Sun from Miami in December 2017 entitled Central American Shores and Cuba highlights the diversity of the western Caribbean on an eight-day sail to five ports in four countries. A two-day stay in Havana is followed by ports of call in Cozumel in Mexico and Belize City in Belize, where options include snorkelling and a visit to Mayan ruins, before sailing on to Key West in Florida. As with all Viking itineraries, there are complimentary guided shore excursions in each port, and on-board lectures on the destinations visited.
Phone 1800 131 744. See vikingcruises.com.au
Grape news
Following the just-completed refit of Cunard's Queen Mary 2, passengers can now indulge in the ship's enhanced wine cellar, with its collection of 450 fine wines that includes the likes of California Screaming Eagle, retailing for $US4500 per bottle and now served by the glass for the first time. There will also be 46 vintage port wines and the introduction of a new Coravin wine-pouring system, which uses a needle to extract wine from the bottle. Queen Mary 2 guests can also now experience The Cunard Wine Academy while sailing, which offers food-and-wine pairings, tastings and producer master classes.
Phone 13 24 41. See cunard.com
Wine and dine
Talking of wine, Seabourn has announced it will host one of its signature epicurean voyages on Seabourn Odyssey in the Mediterranean this year, departing from Athens on October 29 on a 10-day itinerary that visits Greece, Italy, Malta and France en route to Monte Carlo. The cruise line's head sommelier Sebastian Pacheco will host the special wine-themed cruise, which will include Seabourn Conversations with wine experts, exclusive tastings and pairings, and winery tours and special events on shore. Also whetting the appetite will be an exclusive Shopping with the Chef event, cooking demonstration and special pasta dinner.
Phone 13 24 02. See seabourn.com
Pole position
In another sign of the ever-growing interest in polar cruising, Lindblad Expeditions has announced the addition of two new departures to Antarctica, with National Geographic Orion also now sailing an 11-night Journey to Antarctica departing on both November 7 and November 17 this year. Among the experiences during the cruises will be hikes across the ice, visits to penguin rookeries, kayaking among icebergs, and Zodiac cruises to spot leopard seals and other wildlife, all in the company of an experienced expedition team that includes naturalists, a National Geographic photographer, certified photo instructor and undersea specialist.
Phone 1300 361 012. See expeditions.com
