Noble Caledonia's Arctic Cruise

Svalbard is a remote and spectacular archipelago of immense glaciers, narrow fjords and abundant wildlife, somewhere we have featured several time in World of Cruising in recent issues. And here's a new opportunity to visit it in style and comfort:

Let Noble Caledonia's small but comfortable sister expedition ships, the MS Quest and the MS Ocean Nova, take you on a memorable journey into the realm of the polar bear. In Spitsbergen, there are twice as many polar bears and walrus as there are people. The polar bear population is estimated at more than 3,000 and we hope to encounter some of them during our summer voyages.

Our guests will witness a vast geological spectacle of soaring mountains and immense glaciers. A photographer’s paradise unfolds before us: black basaltic islands rise from shimmering waters punctuated with gleaming ice sculptures, and lush tundra blazes with purple saxifrage and moss campion. Within this dramatic landscape resides a wealth of wildlife: seals, walrus, whales, Arctic foxes and, our ultimate goal, polar bears. The area is also home to hundreds of thousands of breeding seabirds, including kittiwakes, murres, dovekies, puffins and rare ivory gulls.

Guests will take full advantage of the long daylight hours and embark on numerous Zodiac excursions to view the profuse wildlife up close.

In the beginning of the season, Spitsbergen’s flowers are in full bloom and the bird colonies are bustling with life. In the latter part of the season we have very good possibilities of exploring the eastern parts of the archipelago when the ice is slowly starting to lose its grip.

Our expedition ships have the highest ice class and can carefully break through the pack ice, which is also home to seals, walrus and the king of the Arctic, the polar bear.

For more info, visit Noble Caledonia or contact the adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Late Season Arctic Sailing with Gap

July may be the most popular month to cruise to the Arctic, but Gap Adventures is advising travellers to think again and consider journeying later in the season to see some stunning sights.

The leading adventure tour operator advises that while the daylight hours may be shorter, the sunsets and sunrises more than compensate for this, with lengthy displays overflowing with golds, pinks and purples – all reflected in the ice fields and the alpine mountain tops.

Meanwhile, the sight of the stars in the long clear nights is a magnificent display, only enhanced by the chance to see the aurora borealis. A truly unforgettable experience that can only be witnessed towards the end of the Arctic cruise season.
With Gap Adventures’ industry-first 100% bear-antee, travellers at the end of the season can also be confident the wildlife will live up to mid-season voyages. The company has such confidence in its Expedition Team’s ability to locate polar bears that it now guarantees at least one of our planet’s largest land predators will be spotted during each of its Arctic adventures.

Realm of the Polar Bear
Now: £2730 pp for a category 3 twin cabin (was £3639 – save 25% on this departure)

Trip Code: XVRPNX

Departs: 7 August 2011

Highlights: Spot whales and polar bears, explore incredible scenery, brave the Arctic waters swimming, encounter Ny-Ålesund, birdlife and glaciers, discover breathtaking ice-covered fjords and glimpse herds of Svalbard’s many species of reindeer.

Enjoy an eight day trip from just £2730 per person. Price includes seven nights onboard the M/S Expedition, all meals, Zodiac excursions with expert expedition team, lecture and educational programmes, Longyearbyen airport transfers depending on passengers flight details, live evening entertainment, waterproof boots supplied for men's USA sized 8-14 & women's USA sized 3-9 and Arctic destination guide.

For full details visit www.gapadventures.com or The Cruise Line

AmaWaterways to relocate `AmaDagio’ to the Rhone

Award-winning river cruise line AmaWaterways will relocate its beautiful 150-passenger MS AmaDagio to the Rhone River in Southern France at the start of the 2012 season. The ship will cruise a 7-night Lyon to Arles (and reverse) itinerary from late March through to the end of the year as part of the company’s popular “Provence” river cruise programme.

“We are extremely happy that our guests in France will be able to travel the Rhone on a ship that we custom-designed and built ourselves. The AmaDagio will enable us to deliver the premium onboard experience, and provide the same high level of amenities and services that our passengers have come to expect from an AmaWaterways cruise on the Danube and Rhine,” says AmaWaterways President, Rudi Schreiner.

Highlights of the “Provence” cruise itinerary include excursions to the renowned Beaujolais wine region; visits to a winery, local market and olive farm; tours of Roman ruins; and overnights in the UNESCO Heritage sites of Avignon and Arles, where guests will experience the Provencal landscape that inspired poets, painters and writers for centuries.

A week’s `Best of Provence’ sailing on board AmaDagio in 2012 costs from £1654 per person, based on two sharing, including all meals, free flowing wine with dinner, complimentary use of on board bicycles, free wi-fi and infotainment centre and daily escorted tours.

Visit www.amawaterways.co.uk or The CruiseLine.