Cruising has become a new way for people to holiday - and the demand for new travellers has urged cruise lines to up the ante. The marketing campaign manager for Cruiseabout, Divan Viljoen, noted that statistics revealed there would be a new cruise ship launched every year until 2025.
“Gone are the days when travellers want to hop on a plane and travel to a country for seven days. They want something unique and cruising ticks the right boxes.
“Cruise lines have grown in leaps and bounds. From more destinations to visit, rare experiences and state-of-the-art ships, there is something for everyone,” said Viljoen.
Here are a few trendy cruises that are bound to entice potential cruisers:
Active travellers
Forget the all-day buffet, new cruise line Blue World Voyages is the world’s first cruise line dedicated to active, athletic and healthy lifestyles.
The cruise line claims to “take you to places that ships cant”, which could be anything from unspoilt reefs, hidden waterfalls and hiking.
Onboard, there is an entire deck dedicated to sports and fitness, a gym, bike fitting station, batting cages, golf, soccer and hockey simulators, and an onboard Hank Haney Golf School. There’s a state of the art wellness facility aboard. Destinations include Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Portugal, Corsica and Croatia. The grand voyage starts in May. For more information, visit www.blueworldvoyages.com
It is all about the destination
Island holidays have become quite popular for travellers, but so are destinations that are unique and offer sustainable tourism. Cruise liners like Hurtigruten are venturing out to a number of destinations, including the Norwegian coastline and Fjords, Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland, the Caribbean and South America. With over 14 ships, cruisers get to choose between more than 200 choices of unique activities that range from culture to wildlife. Guests can explore the Alaskan wilderness on board the brand-new and hybrid-powered MS Roald Amundsen.
River cruising
For those who do not fancy crowds and are looking for a culturally immersive, social travel adventure, then U by Uniworld river cruising is for you. This cruise helps you see Europe on your terms.
Destinations include France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, The Netherlands and Hungary.
Activities include yoga, mixology classes and rooftop camping, and even silent discos. Visit www.cruiseabout.co.za/cruiseline/uniworld
A cruise to see the world
If you want to see the world without having to fly across the globe, then why not book a world cruise?
Regent Seven Seas Cruises have already sold out their world cruise for 2020. The guests will have the opportunity to visit six continents, 30 countries and 36 Unesco World Heritage Sites. The 131-night journey on board the Seven Seas Mariner will depart from San Francisco on January 24, 2020. The cruise, Navigate the World, visits places like Bora Bora, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India, Israel, Turkey and Greece. Cruisers will be granted access to the Lord Of the Rings Dinner in Auckland, Singapore Gardens by the Bay event in Singapore and Renaissance Revival at Tuscan Estate in Livorno. MSC Cruises opened sales for the 2021 World Cruise in December. The 119-day journey around the globe will depart on January 5, 2021. The new itinerary features a significant focus on unique Asian destinations. Among the destinations are Sydney, Australia, Honolulu, the US, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Oman, Jordan (Petra) and the Mediterranean.