25 Oceania Cruises

See the sights

Where in the world will you go? Oceania Cruises visits 450 ports across Europe, Alaska, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, New England-Canada, Bermuda, the Caribbean, the Panama Canal, Tahiti and the South Pacific. Itineraries range from seven days to 180-day Around The World Voyages. Their ships can visit smaller ports and remote harbours that bigger vessels cannot access, and our favourite thing about Oceania Cruises? They offer at least 30 per cent more time in port than other premium cruise lines. That means you can enjoy full-day excursions or have dinner ashore, thanks to late evening departures on many occasions. As for the range of tours, don’t just think they are normal run-of-the-mill tours. No, with Oceania Cruises you can count on imaginative insider tours that will take into the heart of a destination’s culinary and cultural traditions. Like we said, the culinary offerings on Oceania Cruises are legendary.

“Oceania Cruises is known for having the best cuisine at sea and I agree. I loved never having to line up for anything and the amazing port locations right in the heart of old town. The service was exceptional from staff that knew your name and order within a day, but almost felt invisible (they were not in your face all the time). Best for: Food!”

MARCIE BOLAN | TRAVEL ASSOCIATES BURLEIGH, QLD

An itinerary you’ll love

Discover the Land of the Rising Sun on the 12-day cruise on Riviera, departing from, and returning to Tokyo. The ship will visit Shimuzu, admire the temples and shrines of Japan’s old imperial capital, Kyoto, and visit Beppu before sailing the Kanmon Strait to Busan in South Korea. Riviera will then visit spectacular and surprising Nagasaki, Kagashima, Hiroshima, Kochi and Nagoya. Discover more from Oceania Cruises

HIDDEN GEM Oceania Cruises’ specially designed collection of pre-, post-, and mid-cruise Overland Programs offers the opportunity to delve deeper into the world’s most fascinating destinations. Guests can extend their cruise holiday with one of the escorted in-depth Land Programs ranging from one to five nights. The mid-cruise program allows guests to depart the ship to explore a region in greater depth and rejoin for the remainder of the voyage.

PONANT

ICE, ICE, BABY

Part of the joy of expedition cruising is the notion that you are visiting places that are way, way off the beaten track. Walking where not many people have been before. It is an exhilarating feeling. I can still hear the crunch of my snowshoes on the ice, the frigid air on my face, the sense of achievement as we went polar hiking – walking four kilometres to the Emperor Penguin rookery on Snow Hill Island in the Weddell Sea. The sense of wonder as we observed thousands of adults and their chicks, before walking the four kilometres back to the ship. Even getting on and off the ship is a great experience, as we disembark directly onto icefloes to go exploring. This is the type of experience PONANT offers onboard the world’s only luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot. Later, the captain told us we were the first group to do this on foot ever! Amazing.

With French flair writ large in every space, fitting and offering, PONANT is truly magnifique

We absolutely agree that PONANT is the world leader when it comes to luxury expeditions. Their 11 ice-rated vessels deliver authentic expedition experiences but with the benefits of the same skyhigh level of onboard luxury and service. Because the ships are small, they can access hidden coves and other remote locations that bigger vessels cannot get into. That means less people, and sometimes, no people apart from your shipboard friends. We think another big plus is that PONANT Luxury Expeditions are all-inclusive and often the end cost is less than a mass-market voyage once you factor in the onboard expenses. It really makes a big difference.

Go with the floe

Just being in the ethereal landscapes of the globe’s polar regions is an adventure. Sometimes it is hard to fathom the scale of what you are seeing. Contemplating what it would have been like for the brave explorers who literally went where no man had ever been before. As for the wildlife, no words can really describe what it is like when you see polar bears, or walruses, or thousands of penguins or seals. The sights, the sounds, will give you goosebumps. Some of the places you could go onboard Le Commandant Charcot will blow your mind. This remarkable ship can navigate through the ice to never-before-explored locations in The Arctic and Antarctica to witness truly spectacular scenery, and wildlife sightings you will not forget in a hurry. And we feel good about recommending this ship as it is a hybridelectric exploration vessel powered by LNG (liquified natural gas) – a major innovation and another stepping stone in PONANT’s commitment to more sustainable tourism.