Premium cruise destinations in the North Seas 2023: If you sail from Honolulu, you and your significant other are free to spend the day discovering the sights, including Waikiki Beach and Pearl Harbor. At night, experience a traditional Hawaiian feast and luau, where you’ll take in a Polynesian show and witness the theatrics of a Samoan fire knife dancer under the stars. Once you set sail, your first stop will be in Lahaina, Maui. If you’re looking for adventure (or the chance to squeeze in a workout), head to Haleakala National Park, where you can climb up the summit of Haleakala, the world’s largest dormant volcano. Once you reach the top, sit back and enjoy the magnificent Maui sunset. Afterward, feast on a delicious dinner featuring the fresh catch of the day and Kona coffee ice cream. Find extra details on find a cruise.
For an unforgettable journey, carve out a few days in Cape Town, South Africa, then fly inland to Kasane, Botswana, where you’ll embark on the Zambezi Queen for a cruise along the Chobe River. This intimate, 28-passenger AmaWaterways ship features open views of the river and landscape through every window. Take a safari into Chobe National Park, which touts the largest population of wildlife in Africa. After admiring elephants, lions, zebra and gazelles, you’ll end your adventure at Victoria Falls. If a bigger ship is more your style, journey through six South African and Namibian ports over 12 days with Norwegian Cruise Line.
Stunning scenery along the St. Lawrence River and panoramic views of eastern Canada’s rugged coastline set to autumn’s changing colors are reason enough to bookmark this itinerary. Travelers can visit Prince Edward Island to sample its renowned seafood, or make stops in vibrant cultural and culinary cities such as Montreal, Quebec City, Boston and New York City. But with a short window in October to witness the height of the fall foliage, be sure to secure your plans at least a few months in advance. Oceania Cruises and Silversea Cruises are among the lines that offer this itinerary.
If you are planning a summer holiday in Europe, then it doesn’t get much better than a sailing trip around the continent’s pristine coastlines. There are plenty of destinations here that offer unspoiled beaches, quiet islands, sparkling blue waters and the prettiest port towns that you could imagine. So pack your sailing gear, pick a destination, and get out there! Sailing around Greece is the kind of holiday that everyone fantasises about – so why not make it a reality? Whichever destination you choose from the list above will be sure to provide an exciting and completely unforgettable experience. Although the uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic is still palpable, you can book your Mediterranean yacht cruise in 2021 with confidence. This year, most of us feel that we need time to relax from day-to-day stress and recharge our batteries more than ever.
And remember, before or after staying in Ibiza, take the chance and spare some days for a visit to Spain’s mainland cities. Ibiza offers several daily flight connections with Madrid and Barcelona, just 40min away from the latest. Bachelors and singles will enjoy big city life, with good nightlife, shopping, restaurants and fun experiences. Couples and honeymooners may like to extend the trip and immerse in Spanish culture and heritage. Start with Barcelona and continue afterwards to the south, where charming Andalusian cities are waiting with incredible monuments and cosy old towns. Madrid can be the departure city, easily connected from Sevilla, Córdoba and Málaga by fast train. Families may prefer to extend the stay in the fantastic beach resorts and end with a short visit to main capitals before heading back home. Cala Xuclá is one of the smallest and most secluded beaches on Ibiza. You won’t find flashy beach bars, washrooms or watersports in this tiny cove, which backs onto a dense and aromatic pine forest instead of a busy promenade. Fishermen still store their boats in little enclaves carved into the pink and red rocks that surround the beach, providing a rustic contrast to the fancy vessels seen moored off Ibiza’s more mainstream beaches. The underwater landscapes at Xuclá are just as rugged as its countryside, making it excellent for snorkelling. The Best Time for Mediterranean Yacht Cruises? Summer is the best time to visit the Mediterranean, and it is definitely the high travel season in this part of Europe. The millions of people from all around the world flock to the Mediterranean’s beaches during summer months for much-deserved summer break due to the region’s pleasant climate. The summers in the Mediterranean are sunny and hot, and the sea is warm. However, the best time for Mediterranean yacht cruises is late spring (May-June) or early fall (September-October) when the temperatures and the sea are pleasurably warm, days are sunny, and the crowds in popular destinations are far fewer than in summer.
The sailing season in Sicily begins in April and ends in October. Sicily has a typically Mediterranean climate, the summers are hot and dry and the winters are mild and wet. The average temperature in coastal areas is around 26 °C in summer and 10 °C in winter. In temperatures inland are slightly cooler. Due to the Scirocco, a hot desert wind, Southern Sicily can reach over 40 °C during the summer months and there is almost no rain at this time. From June onwards the water temperatures are between 25 and 28 °C, and the waters around the island belong to the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Island hopping around the Greek islands is at the top of many a traveller’s bucket list and the famously beautiful Ionian islands are a great place to begin. Start from Corfu or Lefkada and then meander through turquoise seas stopping off at each of the seven large islands and some of the smaller ones along the way (Paxoi and Antipaxoi make excellent sailing destinations). Expect all the usual cliched Greek images such as harbours filled with coloured fishing boats, white-washed villages, beautiful beaches, rugged mountains and traditional tavernas.
From April to October, Sicily enjoys one long Mediterranean summer, which means low rainfall, northwesterly breezes, and temperatures hitting 30C (86F) in July and August. It rarely gets hotter at sea. Winds pick up in mid-summer to a regular 10 knots and frequently tail off each evening. Novice sailors should avoid the far windier Straits of Messina between Sicily and mainland Italy. Especially as there’s so much to see in northern Sicily and the Aeolian islands. Sicily has two equally busy airports. Aeroporto di Palermo Falcone e Borsellino is a 30-minute cab ride to Palermo’s marinas via the ritzy seaside resort of Mondello. Aeroporto di Catania–Fontanarossa sits under the shadow of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily, serving the northeastern marinas closest to the Aeolian islands. Find additional details at https://www.cruisebooking.com/.
Iceland is the perfect playground for those who love nature and wildlife. This island country is famed for its dramatic natural landscapes with towering mountains, magnificent fjords, geothermal springs, and volcanoes to discover. There’s also a wonderful array of wildlife to be found here. Humpback whales can often be spotted breaching in icy waters, and native birds soar in the skies overhead. An adventure cruise is a great way to see the mesmerising landscapes of Iceland, and a wonderful two-week trip in September 2023 will take you to many highlights of this magical country. Making the trip extra special is the chance to meet weather presenter Carol Kirkwood, who will join you on an excursion and give an insightful talk and Q&A in Reykjavik.
You can book around the clock at your convenience, you won’t have to bother hunting down a reliable travel agent or working around their schedule and you may even be able to find some online-only discounts and bonuses. With all of that in mind, here’s a quick guide to help you book your cruise online. Your favourite online travel agency likely sells cruises and if you have rewards with that agency, you may be able to apply them to your cruise or earn more by booking your cruise through that site. But there are also online travel agencies that specialise in cruises, such as Iglu, Planet, Bolsover Cruise Club, ROL and Cruise Nation. These OTAs are often more like traditional cruise travel agencies, and have support staff that can answer more specific cruise-related questions before you make your online reservation.