CP65: Adventure Report - Great Canals by Roderick Eime

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.: , :_;.'- the most ,:- ::i'Ler"earl Aswe . - , :. :. on the cusp ofyet

Explorer, for instance, boasts 2,500 arr\,vorks, including fwo Picassos and

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:' : ,:r.t O,Lation of the Seas, - : ::- :--i biggest shiP and our .

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: :: i -. asse1. . - -,.:rbbean's Australia and l- . .,.-:nd managing director Adam .,::-.,.t eYerv line is lifting the bar.

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)-cr.::egianJettLelwi1l add to our fleet sailing from Australia. We've also been on botrd Serlen Seas Erplorer - which claims to be "the most lr,rrurious ship ever built". And u'hile rve'll leave you to decide that after reading our revie"v, both Explorer and Oitation do carn' an important message abor,rt the furure of our favourite form oftravel. For while they mav appear completely different vessels - one carries 750 guests, the other ,1,900, the-v acru'all}'have a lot

of similarities that auger well for cruise passengers in the future: brilliant design, more space in public places and cabins, and trulv exceptional food and activities that carer ltrr e whole new generation.

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the sensation of slq'diving, a surf pooi, an observation pod and a duplex activities deck that includes skating and dodgem cars. Two verv diff'erent ships, but both a tribute to the rvav the cruise industrv is continuing ro pr.ducc stunning new experiences. Australia's season is set to be a corker, r'r.ith ner,v destinations around our

: ::ii-rnologicall1' advanced

--:- r:r.rng is laving claim to a new -:. :;, 11'l "supercruising"' But in realiry,

Chagall. There is a Culinarv Arts Kitchen with 18 individual cooking stations and

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, , , shores lnd more choice for passengers. , October has been declared Plan a i Cruise Nlonth - 31 da1's of special prices , and e..ents to help vou choose the right , cruise bl travel agents trained to ensure , vou get on the right ship. You'll find a list , ofthose taking part, starting on Page 92. , Fina11tr, dont tbrget to vote in our Readers' , Choice Ar'vards. Cruise lines srudy your , responses, and l'ou'l1 be heiping ensllre )rour , next cr.rise is even more enjoyable. You can ' vote online at cruisepassenger.cam.aLt,ot orr ) , printed form on Page 90' , Smooth sailing! :^tt

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Contributors and writers 5ue Bryant, Bernadette Chua, Roderick Eime, Tim Fair.loth, Ralph Grizle, Peter Ho mes'..lohn Honeywell, Steve Hopkinson, Peter Lynch. Sally Macmillan, JacTaylor,Teresa Ooi, Nick \rya ton

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R{}&m ffi{}ffiE Cruisers wanting to explore seldom-visited parts of the globe are being offered rare opportunities for adventure with a new breed of repositioning cruises. Roderick Eime looks at what's on offer.

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the sun. Sometimes the aim is to move the ship as quickly as possible. At other times it s an opportunity to offer creative itineraries for cruise fans who

don't mind multiple sea days. ln the adventure arena, the typical reposition used to be an Atlantic dash from the Antarctic Peninsula via seldom visited

/Ue# &fr,ro. Heading to or from Antarctica opens opportunities to explore Africa's west coast. The route from Cape Town to Senegal or beyond can take in Namibia, Angola, Benin, Ghana and Sierra Leone, Passengers can expect a mix of cultural, historical and wildlife experiences in seldom-

islands such asTristan da Cunha, 5t Helena and Ascension. More recently, the reposition has taken on a life of its own with some expedition lines turning the voyage into an odyssey to locations rarely seen on even the most audacious itineraries. These one-way itineraries are typically over two to three weeks. Here are a few voyages that will appeal to cruisers looking for truly exceptional experiences.

visited reserves. A highlight of my own adventure was the eerie slave castles of Ghana now listed by UNESCO. This passage was

just gaining popularity when the Ebola outbreak put the brakes on, but now this emergency is

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all but over, expect to see the itinerary featuring again. Who goes there: Silversea

Caribbean and Cuba. Who goes there: Hurtigruten rute n.com), Ha pag-

(a u.pon a nt.com), Silversea (silversea.com\.

m), Ha pa g-Lloyd (hl-cruises.com).

lloyd (h l-cr u i ses. com), Ponant (au.ponont.com), Lindblad Exped itions lo u.ex pediti o n s.com)

An increasingly popular route

rr.&e,lg:ffis

to the Arctic is through the northern Atlantic territories of the Faroe lslands, Shetlands

(a u r o r aexp e d i t i o n s. co m. a

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Soallt Anertalnstead of sailing the Atlantic after unloading the last crop of Antarctic passengers at Ushuaia, some ships head up the coast of South America. Cruises up the west coast explore Patagonia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador with a

(h u r t i g

Expeditions

Drutslt hle;

,t/uto*ra An enriching wander through the more remote islands atolls of Melanesia is offered cruise lines eager to keep passengers entertained between seasons. lt's a well-worn path for

and by loyal

l : .

transit ofthe Panama Canal

but

thrown in. The vast fords and

Fiji and New Caledonia,

alpine vistas of Patagonia are a stark contrast to the Atacama Desert. Stop at ancient lnca sites in Peru, then sail to the steamy realms of Ecuador, Panama

detours into the wilds of the Solomon lslands and Papua New Guinea are increasingly common

through narrow passages

and

and Colombia. An exploration of the eastern coast is just as

even some rivers to find tribal

exhilarating with Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil beckoning. Cruises may continue to the

done for centuries. Who goes there: Coral Expeditions (cora I ex pediti on s.com/a u\;

Heritage'

(he r itag e- exped ition s.

com), Pona nt

and Orkneys. These routes can track via lceland or Norway to Svalbard. The Faroes are losing some appeal thanks to their grisly tradltion of whale slaughter, with some cruise lines boycotting the Danish territory. Who goes there: APT (aptouring. com.au), Aurora Expeditions

u),

Hurtigruten (h u rti g r ute n.com), Lindblad Expeditions (au. expeditions.com).

Iildl2n 0cuon Often overlooked by cruisers are the wonders of the vast lndian Ocean, which stretches from Australia and SE Asia to Africa. This vast oceanic tapestry includes the Maldives, Andaman lslands, Rodrigues, Comoros and Seychelles and cruise activities include scuba diving and wildlife excursions in places few visit. Who goes there: Silversea (silversea.com).

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cruisepassenger.com.au 43

Words by Roderick Eime

Construction began in 1881 and cost the lives of more than 25,000

nce the lifeblood of the

workers through accidents and

civilised world, canals were

tropical diseases. For more than

builtand exp anded to carry

century, only smaller cruise shiPs could navigate the canal. Now

food and supplies to inland cities.

particularly France, Belgium and

the famous artificial waterway is being expanded to allow larger

Holland, independent travellers

vessels to make

can pllot their own barges

through three massive locks and past Monkey lsland in Lake Gatun,

Throughout Europe and the UK,

through a networkof man-made waterways. But for canal cruising on a grand scale, here are five of

the 1o-hour transit

home to white-faced capuchin monkeys and other species.

the world's most famous canals

that can be traversed for a different sort of adventure.

PANAMA CANAL

The ancient Egyptians came up

Length:77 kilometres Completed:1914

with the notion of

Arguably the world's most famous

A transit through one of the world\ mostfomous canals ,frrt for cornmitted cruis ers.

a neu) experience

Fly Cruise Package

SUEZ CANAL

Length:193 kilometres Completed:1869

canal,

the Panama connects the

waterway

connecting the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Napoleon rekindled the concept, but it wasn't until

Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. On

1859 when digging began in

completion it lopped 12,875 kilometres off the journey between

earnest. A decade later, the first

New York and San Francisco.

today the Suez Canal admits

- Save up to $1,600pp

vessels made the transit and as

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60 metres above the watedine.

many as 50 ships every 24 hours.

It's a memorable event for any committed cruiser. Ships literally

expanses ofsand and the vivid gardens and mosques of Port 5aid.

: :

Roman emperor Nero ordered 6,000 slaves to begin excavation

ERIE

CANAI, USA

Length: 584 kilometres Completed: 1 825 (restored

1 996) This little known and intriguing canal changed the face of North

America. When completed in

EUROPACANAL

1825, it allowed the creation of inland communities and permitted the passage of goods

Length:l 71 kilometres

Completed:1992 Numerous attempts were made to link the Rhine/Main and

, Danube Rivers overthe years. : World wars and various political , and environmental hurdleswere . eventually overcome and the : current channel was opened to

CORINTH CANAL Lenqth:6.4 kilometres Completed:1893

is nonetheless an

exciting event to pass through the vertical limestone walls that extend more than

j i

sail through the desert amid vast

be traversed only by small ships.

river traffic in 1992,

euros. , Today, luxurious river boats i sail all the way from the North

and produce from Lake Erie all the way to New York City. This

AND THE REST The Danube-Black Sea Canal, Romania. 64km, complete 1984.

historically signifi cant waterway is still used for commercial transport, but most of the cargo today comprises tourists

Gota Canal, Sweden. 190km, completed 1832. White 5ea-Baltic Canal, Russia. 22Tkm,completed 19fi.

costing

more than two billion

sightseeing and excursions.

following

30 years of construction

enjoying the picturesque scenery, especially in the North American fall. It is possible to travel by barge all the way from Chicago or Montreal to New York City over a several days with plenty of

;

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in 67AD, but it wasnt until 1893

that the final cutting ofthe Corinth Peninsula was completed. A Iittle more than 20 metres wide and

eight metres deep, the canal can

, expensive environmental work, , the canal offers stunning scenery : and significant wildlife and bird viewing

opportunities.

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