Cruise News Latest: Everything to Know About Cruising this Month
From the latest ship launches, to what’s new in on-board entertainment, here’s a round-up of what’s been going on in cruising…
October turned out to be a very busy month for the team at World of Cruising. I spent three fun-filled days at sea on the Floating Festivals’ ’80s Flashback cruise.
Imagine going back to your school disco days, add in some of the 80s’ outfits and top it off with live performances by Tony Hadley, Sister Sledge and UB40, and you’ll see why this cruise totally rocked.
With my hair crimped, best mate on board and the chance to dance around our handbags with a pina colada in hand, I haven’t had so much fun since, well, 1983.
I also got the chance to spend a rainy night on board Hapag-Lloyd’s elegant Europa 2 in Tilbury. It’s a beautiful ship with some great features, including a jazz bar and a comfy lounge where you can play vinyl records.
Hapag-Lloyd is a predominately German ship so the food is aimed at a German audience – think sauerkraut, meatballs and dumplings – but don’t let that put you off. It’s all delicious – especially the seafood buffet.
As Egyptology fans get set for the launch of the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea in November, our staff writer Isabella Sullivan was treated to a fantastic two-day tour of all things King Tut.
Viking Cruises is launching its range of debut cruises on the Nile in 2020 and as sponsors of the exhibition, they invited Isabella to experience its new pre-cruise excursion.
She was treated to a private tour of the British Museum to look at the mummies, an escorted tour to see King Tut in SW3, plus a visit to Oxford’s famous Ashmolean Museum and even tea at Highclere Castle to talk about all things Tut.
We both got to indulge our passions this month (mine, big hair and 80s music; hers, old mummies and dusty books), which shows you just how much cruise has to offer – on top of course, as trips to great destinations, plus great food and service. I always say, there is a cruise out there to suit everyone – you’ve just got to find the right one.
Digital editor Olivia also had fun on NCL’s ritzy new ship Norwegian Encore. She enjoyed two days on board the the dazzling 3,998-passenger, 169,116-ton vessel, the fourth and final ship in the fleet’s Breakaway-Plus Class, which features the world’s longest race track at sea.
Back at the World of Cruising office, we’ve been busy putting the finishing touches to our November issue. As the cold weather is starting to kick in and the nights are so dreary, I thought I would cheer you up with an in-depth round-up on the best cruises to South America.
Top of my cruise wish-list are trips to Argentina to learn to tango and a Galapagos adventure to see the giant tortoises and blue-footed boobies in their natural habitat.
I know you’re all fans of the Baltics, too, so if you’re looking for a cruise nearer home, don’t miss our round-up of six great Baltic cruises under £850.
And if you think you need to wrap up well for a Baltics cruise, imagine what you would have to wear on an expedition cruise to some of the world’s coldest destinations like the Arctic and Antarctic?
If you’re thinking of heading to the ends of the earth don’t book anything until you’ve read our 32-page bumper guide to expedition cruising (free with the November issue). It’s packed full of news and advice on all the best cruises to destinations cold and hot and even gives you the low-down on what you’ll need for an icy cruise.
This month, I’ve been glued to David Attenborough’s amazing new BBC show, Seven Worlds, One Planet. There’s a running joke in the office about how much I love wild animals, so you can imagine my joy when I saw the Antarctic penguins in their full glory. And yes, it did make me want to cruise straight there…
In the meantime, if you’re looking for some inspiration on these cold, dark nights, I can thoroughly recommend curling up with Jane McDonald’s fantastic new autobiography, Riding the Waves. Like Jane herself, it’s fun and really packs a punch.
If you’re a big Jane McDonald fan (like me), don’t forget that there’s still chance to enter our fantastic competition to win a cruise for two (worth £3,000) on Jane’s personal Mediterranean cruise in September 2020.
And why don’t you make November the month you book your first cruise for 2020 – there’s plenty of inspiration in our new issue and of course, daily, here on our website.
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About Vicky Mayer
Vicky began her career working on young women’s magazines before moving on to TV and entertainment titles. Her passion, though, has always been travel, so as Editor of World of Cruising, she combines her love of magazines with the chance to shout about cruise holidays around the world.
