Country Style – September 2019

T R AV E LCRUISING

ONENIGHTYOUAREONACRUISESHIP,thenextdayyou’re

havinglunchatMaggieBeer’sfarmintheBarossa.It’sclear

thatmoderndaycruisinghasundergonea revolution—for

thebetter.Gonearethepartiesatsea,andinsteada wide

rangeofinterestsarecateredfor.

Shipsboastingdayspas,artgalleriesandMichelin-star

chefshavebecomedestinationsintheirownright.Health

andwellnessmightsithighonyourholidaychecklist,and

forthat,manyvesselsofferon-boardacupuncture,spa

treatmentsandstate-of-the-artfitnesscentres.

TraveladvisorMariaParadisisfromSmartFlyersays

manyofherclientsplantheirtripsarounda particular

vesseltheywouldliketoexperience.“Thesize,amenities

andoverallofferingvariesgreatly,”shesays.“Ifyouwant

twoweeksofrelaxation,lookforthecruisethathasthebest

spaatsea.Likewiseifyou’rea foodlover,someshipswill

havea farsuperiorofferingwhenitcomestodining.”

Forthosemoreinterestedinimprovingtheireducation,

somecompanies,suchasRegentSevenSeasCruises’

EnrichmentSeries,bringaboarduniversityhistoryand

sciencelecturersandotherspeakerssuchasauthorAdam

Tanner,whospentmanyyearsasa foreigncorrespondent

inRussia.“Imeeta lotoftravellerswhowanttoknowabout

itinerariesfeaturingexperttalksandworkshops,whether

onhealth,foodorsomethingmorespecialised,”saysMaria.

Gardenenthusiastscansignupfora botanical-themed

rivercruisewithAPT’sBotanicaWorldDiscoveriestovisit

Japanduringcherryblossomseasonortakea tourofselect

English gardens starting at London’s annual Chelsea Flower

Show.“Planninga triparoundspecialeventsisvery

popular,”saysMaria,whoseclientshaveattendedRio

CarnivalandtheMonacoGrandPrix.“It’sparticularly

importanttoplanaheadduringthesebusyperiods,when

cruisescansellouta yearprior.”

Whilethere’splentytoseeanddo,manytravellerswantto

givebackwhileenjoyingthesights.“Animportantthemefor

CrystalCruisesisvoluntourism,”saysKarenChristensen,

seniorvicepresidentandmanagingdirectorforCrystal

CruisesAustralasia.Forthepastdecade,thecompanyhas

runtheYouCare,WeCareprogram,whichallowsthoseon

boardtocontributetocausesinthedestinationstheyvisit.

CelebrityCruises’partnershipwithWorldWildlifeFund

providesanotheropportunityforgueststogivebackwhileat

sea,educatingthemonoceanconservationthrougha range

ofactivities,whileseveralcruisecompaniesareemploying

ecoinitiativestominimisetheirenvironmentalimpact.

Connectingwithnatureisa commonthreadfora lotof

cruiseitineraries,anda growingnumberofexpeditions

—largelyfeaturingsmallershipsandmoreintrepid

itinerariesthantraditionalcruises—areleadingtheway.

“Mymoreadventurousclientsareinterestedin

expeditionsratherthanconventionaljourneys,”says

Maria.“Theywanttoobservethelargesthumpbackwhale

migrationsorkayakamongicebergs.”Broome-basedTrue

NorthAdventureCruises—a luxuryexpeditionship

limitedto 36 guests—venturestoremoteareasofthe

Kimberley,Indonesia,PapuaNewGuineaandmore.

The eight-night Southern Safari cruise along the South PHOTOGRAPHY

NATHALIE

MICHEL/STUDIO

PONANT

(NANSEN

HARBOUR);

OLIVIER

BLAUD/STUDIO

PONANT

(HANUSSE

BAY);

IAN

SCHEMPER

PHOTOGRAPHY (CRYSTAL SYMPHONY AND CRYSTAL YACHT)

PRODUCT SOURCING

SAMANTHA VAN EGMOND