Cruising: new innovations and experiences for the 21st century

^{“Lounge pool” on board Uniworld’s SS Catherine}

Recent additions to itineraries include Kamchatka in the Russian Far East, the
White Sea and an extended route along the Ganges east of Varanasi. Some of
the world’s topography – the sinewy nooks and crannies of the Kimberley in
north-west Australia, coastal Norway or Alaska – simply cries out for
waterborne travel. Here we offer our pick of the latest innovative features,
equipment and excursions available on board this year.

Shore bets

No longer the preserve of the wealthy or adventurous, polar travel has become
increasingly popular. Once in the Arctic, visitors can camp out on the ice,
go kayaking, admire the views from a hot-air balloon or take part in
cultural exchanges. “Opportunities abound for cultural learning with the
people of Sisimiut (Greenland), Spitsbergen (Norway) and other communities
dotting the Arctic landscape,” said a spokesperson for Quark
Expeditions. Quark is one of only two operators in the world that take
travellers to the North Pole for a once-in-a-lifetime journey that includes
helicopter flights above the Arctic Ocean.

^{Exploring Antarctica with Quark Expeditions}

Back in warmer climes, Azamara
Club Cruises took a fresh approach to destination immersion with its
“AzAmazing Evenings”, introduced two years ago. It now offers 38 of these
exclusive events in venues including amphitheatres and gardens in Italy and
the Caribbean.

Viking River
Cruises offers private tours of the Hermitage in St Petersburg long
after the doors have shut on the day’s tourists, while Hurtigruten
passengers are the only guests permitted to visit Nidaros Cathedral in
Trondheim and see all 9,600 of the Steinmeyer organ’s pipes being retuned.
Passengers who book with Crystal Cruises are welcomed into homes and
villages on Easter Island, in the Amazon and in “Zulu country” – and on
shore excursions in St Petersburg and Sochi they can travel on the
ship’s visa, avoiding the expensive and time-consuming business of applying
for one in person.

Aerial thrills

The world’s first aerial attraction at sea, North Star, will be launched in
November on Quantum of the Seas. A single viewing pod attached to a
mechanical arm will take cruise-ship passengers for a 15-minute ride 300ft
up that affords 360-degree views, both at sea and in port. What’s more,
unless you want to go the whole hog and book a sunset proposal or some such,
it’s free.

If that doesn’t float your boat, try “flying”. RipCord by iFly simulates the
experience of skydiving by suspending passengers above a wind tunnel inside
a 23ft-tall glass chamber.

^{The iFly experience will feature on Quantum of the Seas}

Other adrenalin-pumping diversions include the FlowRider surf simulator and a
climbing wall, while the indoor SeaPlex centre boasts a flying trapeze and
the first bumper cars at sea.

The Balinese bed

How many times have you promised yourself that you’ll sleep under the stars?
Sail to the Caribbean, Asia or the Mediterranean with SeaDream
Yacht Club and the on-deck Balinese Dream Bed (there are 10 in total,
including two twins) is yours for the night. After a dinner of, say, grilled
halibut served with gingered white asparagus and caviar beurre blanc, you’ll
return to pillows and duvets and stars. This is the ship on which the
captain might invite passengers to join him on a mountain-bike ride in
Funchal or announce over the tannoy following an impromptu anchor-drop
mid-Aegean: “We’re going to delay our departure because everyone’s having
such a nice time.”

Exploring the deep

Some ships carry helicopters for flights to remote waterfalls or volcanoes;
others are equipped with marine platforms and scuba gear. The
expedition-cruise company Lindblad
goes a step further by offering a glimpse of life 500ft below the surface of
the sea courtesy of one of its ROVs (remote-operated vehicles), which sends
high-definition video back to the ship.

^{A glimpse beneath the surface from a Lindblad Expeditions ship}

Lindblad has recently acquired a second ROV for exploration in the Galápagos
Islands. This is in addition to a full fleet of ocean-going kayaks, Zodiacs
and scuba gear. Sailing to remote spots in Arctic Svalbard, the Azores and
Patagonia, among others, Lindblad-National Geographic ships sail with a
video chronicler on board. “We’ve noticed a growing interest in
photography,” says the line’s president, Sven Lindblad, “and ships also
travel with a National Geographic photographer on each sailing.”

Of lawn and legend

Crystal Cruises
unveiled the first living wall at sea in 2012, but the real game-changer was
a thumping great park on board Oasis of the Seas. Dense with tropical
foliage, trees and seasonal blooms, Central Park is an incongruous but
pleasing addition to life on the ocean waves, made possible by turning a
typical cruise-ship superstructure on its head by splitting the aft to
create airy, open spaces. Celebrity
Cruises employs full-time lawnkeepers (on its Solstice Class ships) to
groom and water half an acre of real grass, on which guests can play boules,
picnic or lounge about.

I can sea clearly now

Probably the most talked-about feature in 2013 was the SeaWalk, a new feature
on board Princess
Cruises‘ newest ship, Royal Princess. If you can’t face the
jelly-leg-inducing walk, pull up a stool at the SeaView Bar, which also
extends over the waves.

^{SeaWalk on board Royal Princess}

Cantilever mechanics don’t stop there. Guests staying in the Reflection Suite
on board Celebrity Reflection have access to unrivalled views in the most
talked-about shower at sea: an all-glass one that extends over the side of
the ship. Decorum (in respect of passing ships) and modesty (for the user)
are maintained by the use of “intelligent glass”, a material that responds
to levels of sunlight and employs a one-way tint. But the prize for the most
off-the-wall exhibitionist gimmick surely goes to the Rising Tide on Royal
Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas: the bar is actually a lift that slowly
ascends through several decks as you sip your caipirinha.

Yes, chef

Jamie Oliver is the latest celebrity chef to take to the seas, with a Jamie’s
Italian opening exclusively on board Royal Caribbean’s forthcoming ships,
Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas.

Next year, the biggest cruise ship ever built for the British market will woo
passengers with a range of top chefs when it sets sail on its maiden voyage.
The culinary line-up on board PO
Cruises‘ 3,600-passenger ship Britannia includes Marco Pierre White (the
godfather of modern cooking spends 40 days each year at sea with the line)
and Atul Kochhar, the wine connoisseur Olly Smith and, new to the
star-studded firmament, the master pâtissier Eric Lanlard and the television
chef James Martin, who will open a Cookery Club, the first cooking school on
board a British ship.

Elsewhere you’ll find Geoffrey Zakarian (Norwegian Cruise Line), Le Cirque
(Holland America Line), Nobu (Crystal Cruises) and Todd English (Cunard).

Take me to the river

Around 25 river ships are due for completion this year; 18 of them were
launched last month by Viking River Cruises. On board this new generation of
stylish river ships you will find flat-screen televisions, iPads and butlers
(Scenic), and bicycles (AmaWaterways). From them, you can join private tours
of world-class galleries, evening trips to the ballet and exclusive
performances in former palaces.

Viking was the first to introduce Western-style ships on the Yangtze river and
to design purpose-built ships to navigate the Elbe. It also introduced
quieter, hybrid engines – something that most river cruisers now take for
granted. In terms of ship design, it’s neck-and-neck between Viking’s sleek
and graceful Longships and Scenic’s chic and contemporary Space Ships.

This year’s standout development however, is in the four-star river cruising
category, where a new generation of “Star” ships is about to launch. Emerald
Star will boast a heated pool covered by a retractable roof that transforms
the space into a cinema. Its owner, Scenic Tours, installed the first
full-sized balconies on river ships and then pioneered all-weather
“balconies” by installing a floor-to-ceiling glass frontage that can be
lowered to a halfway point in fine weather but enables continued use of the
space when closed.

Time out

Each new vessel seems to outdo the last in the provision of wellbeing
facilities (look out for the Salt Room, state-of-the-art spinning bikes and
the Thermal Suite on the new Norwegian
Breakaway and the mega-spa on Tui Cruises’ forthcoming Mein Schiff 3).
A few cruise ships take their spas so seriously that it’s possible to eat,
sleep and think “spa” on board. Celebrity Cruises’ AquaSpa is the apotheosis
of this trend; other ships are offering spa suites.

Launched last May, Hapag-Lloyd
Cruises’ Europa 2 houses 16 dedicated Spa Suites, each featuring a
generous 108 sq ft veranda, a daylight-filled hydrotherapy shower with
integrated steam sauna and – the pièce de résistance – a whirlpool tub with
sea views. Consider, too, the Haven Suites on Norwegian’s Getaway and
Breakaway ships, or the spa suites on board Seabourn
Sojourn, Odyssey and Quest, where guests access the cabins via a spiral
staircase in the lobby of the spa.

The
best cruises for 2014

The opening of the Panama Canal and the fall of the Berlin Wall are among
events being commemorated with a cruise

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