MY BEST CRUISE EVER

FROM GLACIERS TO GOLD RUSH TOWNS, OUR FAVOURITE CRUISE EXPERTS NAME THE MOST EXOTIC, FAR-FLUNG CRUISES THEY’VE BEEN ON – AND WHERE THEY WANT TO GO NEXT


Dramatic limestone rock formations tower
over boats in Halong Bay, near Hanoi

STEVE READ | THE SUN CRUISE EDITOR AND CRUISE EXPERT FOR SKY.COM

Cruise 1,000 miles up the Amazon and all you’ll see is lush rainforest, piranhas in the water, crocodiles on the banks and chattering birds and animals in the trees. Now that’s what I call adventure cruising! Fred Olsen’s Boudicca and P&O’s Artemis are both cruising the Amazon next year.

Next dream cruise Antarctic (Falklands, etc).

MARK DEXTER | CAPTAIN, SEABOURN PRIDE

Mine was on Seabourn Pride from Valparaíso to Buenos Aires. It was a historical voyage of sheer majesty, from the awe-inspiring mountains, to following in the wake of Fitzroy and Darwin on HMS Beagle, using charts of waters they surveyed culminating in a voyage up the River Plate to the vibrant Buenos Aires.

Next dream cruise Next year, the ancient dynasties of China to Vietnam and Korea.

CAROLYN SPENCER BROWN | EDITOR IN CHIEF, CRUISECRITIC.CO.UK

A cruise around the Middle East easily outranks all voyages for most exotic – and the biggest departure from the familiar. The ports we visited were a blend of magical (Jordan’s Aqaba for Petra, and Muscat) and utterly desolate (Oman’s Salalah and Yemen’s Al Hudaydah and Aden). When we arrived at Crete, our first stop in Greece, it was back to the familiar (lovely, but familiar). There was the oddest sensation of a letdown, having left the most challenging and interesting places behind.

Next dream cruise South Africa, the Seychelles and the Maldives. It’s a tough region to do on a cruise, not because of the ports – they’re a natural – but because so few cruise lines offer the region.

But typically many world cruises offer segments that call in this region and I’m going to try my hardest to make the commitment next year.

SUE BRYANT | CRUISE WRITER

My most exotic cruise was from Cochin to Colombo, Tuticorin and Trivandrum with Indian Ocean Cruises, an experience for the adventurous cruiser. I loved the dazzling colours of southern India and Sri Lanka, the stupendous curries, the backwaters of Kerala and the incredible Moon Festival that we visited under our own steam.

Next dream cruise The next challenge is to take my children to St Petersburg on NCL’s Norwegian Jewel to instil a bit of culture in them.

JENNIE BOND |JOURNALIST AND CRUISING ENTHUSIAST

My longest-haul cruise was to the Seychelles on P&O Adonia out of Singapore with my step-daughter.

Next dream cruise I would very much like to cruise to Ethiopia and the east coast of Africa. It will be easier now because my daughter Emma is 18, so we won’t have to go during school holidays.

LYNN NARRAWAY | MANAGING DIRECTOR UK BUSINESS, HOLLAND AMERICA LINE

Cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage with Holland America Line, I saw spectacular glaciers and gold rush towns with their saloons and boardwalks. There were whales and seals swimming behind the ship. It just has to be my most thrilling cruise experience to date.

Next dream cruise I’ll be taking my family to the beautiful cities of the Baltic onboard Carnival Splendor this summer, cruising ex-UK from Dover.

DOUGLAS WARD | AUTHOR, BERLITZ COMPLETE GUIDE TO CRUISING AND CRUISE SHIPS

I love expedition cruises to the Arctic and Antarctic. One Christmas Day, I visited the Norwegian whaling station on South Georgia. Passengers went ashore by Zodiac, and, at 12 noon, poured aquavit on Sir Ernest Shackleton’s grave. In the evening, after an adventurous hike over a fraction of Shackleton’s trail, a service was held by candlelight in the white Norwegian church.

Next dream cruise It has to be the Northwest Passage in 2009.

ANDY HARMER | BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, THE ASSOCIATION OF CRUISE EXPERTS (ACE)

My favourite cruise so far was to Alaska, a stunningly beautiful region. In a typical day, you can see polar bears, great sweeping glaciers, small towns and cities that seem to date from a bygone era, and stunning fjords along the Inside Passage. We were fortunate enough to have whales swimming alongside the ship.

Next dream cruise I would love to cruise the Amazon, another great wilderness, where again the scenery and natural beauty is the focus.

GARY BUCHANAN | CRUISE WRITER

I once cruised the serene passage along the Ayeyarwady River, which gave me a magical glimpse into Myanmar/ Burma. Next dream cruise The Amazon aboard Regent Seven Seas Mariner.

JUDITH CHALMERS | BROADCASTER AND CRUISING ENTHUSIAST

Argentina on Saga’s South American Adventure in Buenos Aires with my husband. It surpassed all expectations. We saw Iguassu (pictured), where 276 waterfalls converge in one glamorous bowl of water. I’ve seen many remarkable sights on my travels but nothing compared to this – I was truly awestruck.

Next dream cruise We hope to go back to New Zealand next year but there are always other places of such interest on the horizon. We loved the Maldives recently, especially the island of Huvafen Fushi, and cruising the Nile was one of the most outstanding trips I will always remember.

FRAN GOLDEN | AMERICAN CRUISE WRITER, EDITOR AND CO-AUTHOR OF FROMMER’S ALASKA CRUISES AND PORTS OF CALL

Halong Bay near Hanoi is one of the most scenically beautiful places I have ever visited on a cruise ship. Thousands of craggy limestone rock formations protrude from the sea, and you feel like you’re in another world. I cruised from Hong Kong to Vietnam on the very posh Silversea Cruises.

Next dream cruise This autumn, I will cruise Peru and Chile, also on Silversea.

JANE ARCHER | CRUISE WRITER


Golden light bathes
Oman’s Port of Salalah My most exotic cruise was last year to Antarctica with Voyages of Discovery.It was thrilling to be in such a remote place, to walk through a penguin colony at Paradise Harbour and come across a pod of feeding whales, which the captain followed for about an hour.

Next dream cruise We’ll be seeing more whales and frozen wasteland on a trip to the other end of the world on Hurtigruten’s expedition ship Fram this summer, sailing along the south-west coast of Greenland.

…And what our Cruise Thomas Cook experts had to say:

CHRIS CULLEN | SALES DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE

A 21-night trip from Southampton to the Caribbean on P&O Aurora. We visited eight different islands including St Lucia and Barbados.

Next dream cruise Hawaii on NCL because they can get into the smaller islands.

MARY MOSCROP | SALES DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE

Alaska on the Coral Princess. It was fabulous; I had an adventure every day. I went on helicopter rides that landed on a glacier, on vertical cable cars, and I saw whales.

Next dream cruise The Galapagos, on an expedition-style Celebrity ship.

SHEILA WHITAKER | SALES DEVELOPMENT EXECUTIVE

A South American cruise, from Chile to Peru then on to Panama on P&O’s Oriana. We saw exotic birds and even alligators lazing on the banks of the canal.

Next dream cruise A luxurious cruise of the Far East, with Crystal Cruises.

BRIAN LARCOMBE | CAPTAIN, HEBRIDEAN SPIRIT

I sailed Hebridean Spirit from Seychelles to Tanzania. Watching female turtles come ashore in the early morning to lay their eggs in Aldabra was spectacular.

Next dream cruise I plan to go to Cuba next with Hebridean. I love the intensity of seeing a new place and really getting a feel for the country and people.

JEFFREY LAIGN | EDITORIAL DIRECTOR, PORTHOLE MAGAZINE

It was a tour of the Black Sea and Middle East aboard Holland America Line’s Rotterdam . The 12-day cruise, began and ended in Athens and visited Turkey, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Israel, Cyprus and Egypt. The best bit was Cairo, the colourful city near Alexandria, the last port of call on one of the most innovative voyages I’ve undertaken in recent years.

Next dream cruise Like most ‘wanderlusters,’ I always want more. Even as I’m exploring the pyramids at Giza, I’m thinking about the adventures that await me this winter when I set sail for Antarctica aboard a Hurtigruten expedition vessel.

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