\n<\/p>\n
Forget floating hotels with shuffleboard and showtunes \u2013 these five cruises take travellers to the world\u2019s most beautiful corners in a style that even the cruise-averse will enjoy.<\/p>\n
Antarctica: The one Once the sole domain of polar explorers and scientists, the Getting started BA<\/a> Scottish Highlands With such a dramatic variety of coastal views, the region It also explores some of the better-known areas, such as While the ship has a range of luxurious cabins and plenty of Getting started Oban is three hours by train<\/a> Caribbean: The one The Star Clipper is a four-masted tall ship with 16 Also in the Virgin Islands, the clipper drops anchor just Getting started Fly to Sint Maarten via the US with American Airlines<\/a> or United<\/a>, or via Galapagos: The one Almost two centuries later, the 13 main islands of the The islands\u2019 geography is equally astonishing. Guided walks Getting started Flights reach Baltra and San Crist\u00f3bal islands in the Dodecanese Islands: Travel in the archipelago has been undertaken in small Still, much of the pleasure of the cruise is being aboard Getting started Fly to Athens with Aegean<\/a>, \u00a0<\/p>\n \n The article ‘Five ways to hit the high seas’ was published in partnership with Lonely Planet Traveller<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nfor wilderness
<\/strong>Antarctica is the last truly wild frontier, barely changed since Roald
\nAmundsen beat his rival Robert Falcon Scott to the South Pole in 1911. It
\nremains forbidding: a land stretching across an area larger than Europe in
\nbroad snowy plains, craggy mountains and ice sheets more than a mile thick. The
\nAntarctic Peninsula is the most accessible part of this least accessible of
\ncontinents, best reached on a hardy ship from Ushuaia at the southernmost tip
\nof South America, after a two-day crossing of the notoriously rough Drake
\nPassage. <\/p>\n
\nvessels that ply the waters around the White Continent today carry adventurous
\ntourists. The ships run by Quark Expeditions have comfortable en suite cabins
\nand libraries and run photography courses showing guests how best to capture
\nAntarctica\u2019s wildlife. Small Zodiac boats carry passengers ashore, where
\ngeologists, marine biologists and historians join explorations among the armies
\nof gentoo and chinstrap penguins, while southern elephant seals and Antarctic
\nfur seals wage battle over territory. It\u2019s possible to camp overnight, but the
\nviews are equally extraordinary on board, particularly in February and March,
\nwhen whales can often be spotted in the krill-rich waters.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>The 14-day Crossing the Antarctic Circle cruise departs from Ushuaia in
\nArgentina (from \u00a34,450 per person with Quark Expeditions<\/a>). No cruise to
\nAntarctica can be considered \u2018budget\u2019, with prices starting at around \u00a33,000 with
\nDiscover The World<\/a>, but
\nbargain-seekers may consider travelling to Ushuaia and attempting to find a
\nlast-minute deal on the ground. This is a risky strategy, but can result in
\ndiscounts of up to 25 per cent. <\/p>\n
\nflies direct from London to Buenos Aires (from \u00a3900), and Aerolineas Argentinas<\/a> flies on
\nto Ushuaia (from \u00a3415). An extra stop in New York or Paris on the UK\u2013Buenos
\nAires route can bring the total cost to Ushuaia down to \u00a3870.<\/p>\n
\nand islands: The one for coastline
<\/strong>Islands stretch out from Scotland\u2019s west coast like great handfuls of
\npebbles cast into the sea, from the mysterious, red-rocked Orkneys in the north
\nto St Kilda and its towering sea cliffs in the west. The meanderings of the
\nmainland coast run for thousands of miles, along gentle bays of golden sand,
\naround thrusting, bare-rock peninsulas, and rearing up into Highland mountains.\n<\/p>\n
\ninvites exploration by boat, as it has done since the time of the Vikings. Most
\ncruises depart from the pretty fishing port of Oban and cover no more than a
\nhandful of destinations. The Hebridean Princess, however, has itineraries
\ncovering a huge range of unexpected and tucked-away places such as the unspoilt
\nbeaches of the Ardnamurchan peninsula or the far-west island of Boreray, part
\nof the St Kilda archipelago and thronged with northern gannets. <\/p>\n
\nStaffin Bay on the Isle of Skye, close to where the crennellated cliffs of Kilt
\nRock stand (so named for the 55-metre-high natural stone columns that give the
\nimpression of a pleated kilt) and the waters of Loch Mealt thunder in a
\nmagnificent waterfall into the sea. <\/p>\n
\ncomfortable areas for taking in the views, there are many opportunities to head
\nashore and explore on foot. Visitors can wander in Torridon and Shieldaig \u2013
\nsettlements on a coast blessed by a mild microclimate that allows pampas grass
\nand cabbage palms to mingle with hardy Scots pines. The meeting point of three
\nlochs just east of Skye is also the setting for the restored medieval stone
\nkeep of 13th-century Eilean Donan Castle<\/a>.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Hebridean Island Cruises<\/a> runs
\nitineraries across the Scottish Isles and up the western coast (4\u201310 nights,
\nfrom \u00a31,250 per person). Small-boat jaunts in the Inner Hebrides are available
\nin rather more pared-back surrounds with Cruise
\nEcosse<\/a> from May to September (six nights from \u00a3595). <\/p>\n
\nfrom Glasgow (from \u00a319). Glasgow has extensive train and flight<\/a> connections across the UK (flights
\nfrom Stansted from \u00a375).<\/p>\n
\nfor beaches
<\/strong>Chances are that if you think of the perfect place to enjoy a cruise, the
\nCaribbean springs to mind, with its strings of palm-fringed islands, hidden
\ncoves and beaches lapped by aquamarine seas. But there is a catch: the secret
\nis well and truly out and hulking great cruise ships pejoratively known as
\n\u2018floating hotels\u2019 crowd the waters. A bracing alternative is to take to the
\nwaves like the buccaneers did in the Golden Age of Piracy \u2013 on a wind-powered
\nclipper.<\/p>\n
\nbillowing white sails. Below deck, it fits in a number of comfortable suites
\ndecorated in a jolly nautical theme, with mahogany and brass fittings, but the
\nvessel is small enough that it can dock in locations that are off-limits to the
\nlarge cruise ships. After setting sail from the Franco- Dutch island of
\nSaint-Martin\/Sint Maarten, the ship sights Anguilla, which has over 30 beaches
\ncrammed into its 35 square miles and a colourful world of coral just offshore.
\nNinety miles to the west, the Star Clipper docks at Virgin Gorda in the British Virgin Islands<\/a>, where a jumble of boulders
\ncreates a series of secluded grottoes on the beach. Known as The Baths, the
\nrock pools are home to turtles and fish, including seahorses, and are a perfect
\nplace to go snorkelling using equipment provided on the ship. <\/p>\n
\noff Jost Van Dyke. This island not only has some of the most pristine sandy
\nbeaches in the region, but also beach bars specialising in the favourite local
\ncocktail \u2013 a rum, pineapple juice and coconut cream concoction called the
\nPainkiller.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>The Star Clipper Treasure Islands
\ncruise<\/a> departs from Sint Maarten (seven nights from \u00a31,030 per person).
\nThere are many budget options on large cruise ships, but the cheapest cabins
\nmay not have sea views (seven nights from \u00a3400 per person with Royal Caribbean UK<\/a>). <\/p>\n
\nEuropean hubs with Air
\nFrance<\/a> or KLM<\/a> (from \u00a3645).<\/p>\n
\nfor wildlife
<\/strong>When Charles Darwin landed on the Gal\u00e1pagos Islands in 1835, he found a
\nhost of endemic species subtly adapted to life on the remote and varied
\narchipelago. His observations helped lead him to his world-shaking theory of
\nevolution and the origin of species. He was struck by the fearlessness of the
\nisland creatures, going for a ride on a giant tortoise and pushing hawks off
\ntree branches with his rifle. <\/p>\n
\nGal\u00e1pagos remain unmatched, full of remarkable and rare creatures. A yacht
\nvoyage is an excellent way to appreciate them. Ecoventura is an Ecuador-based
\noutfit that keeps the number of passengers low and its commitment to the
\nenvironment high on its week-long journeys. A big draw are the after-dinner
\nlectures on the region given by naturalists, dive experts and even an
\nunderwater archaeologist. On frequent land excursions, passengers can
\nappreciate wildlife as Darwin once did, looking out for lava lizards, land
\niguanas and waddling Gal\u00e1pagos penguins on the ground, and puff-chested
\nfrigatebirds and waved albatrosses in the air above, all pointed out by
\nEcoventura\u2019s eagle-eyed naturalists. <\/p>\n
\nreveal white sandy beaches and prehistoric landscapes of black lava studded
\nwith cacti and steaming volcanic vents. And many animals still lack any real
\nfear of humans. Visitors might find curious sea lions nosing inquisitively at
\ntheir camera lenses and flamingos pecking at their shoes. Being aboard a yacht
\nhas other advantages \u2013 snorkelling and scuba diving from the vessel allows a
\nvantage point beneath the waves, where tropical reef fish of all colours give
\nway to green sea turtles, stingrays and humpback whales.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Ecoventura<\/a> cruises depart
\nfrom the island of San Crist\u00f3bal all year round (seven nights from \u00a32,340 per
\nperson). The Gal\u00e1pagos can be an expensive destination, so the surest way to
\nreduce the cost is to reduce the number of days spent. A three-night cruise
\nstarts at \u00a3900 per person with Galapagos
\nTours<\/a>. <\/p>\n
\nGal\u00e1pagos from Guayaquil and Quito in mainland Ecuador. From the UK, fly via
\nNew York, Miami, Amsterdam or Madrid (London-Gal\u00e1pagos from \u00a384).<\/p>\n
\nThe one for history
<\/strong>Today, the Dodecanese Islands of Greece are a picture of serenity:
\nwhitewashed villages tumble down hillsides to boat-filled harbours surrounded
\nby the clear waters of the Aegean. But their laid-back character belies a
\nturbulent history, when the great empires of the Mediterranean fought over the
\nislands, leaving monumental evidence of their rule in their wake. <\/p>\n
\nsailboats since time immemorial. It\u2019s possible to enjoy the tradition today by
\ntaking to the seas in a wooden gulet, Turkish in origin, but well suited to
\nnavigating the hidden coves of the Greek Islands. An archaeologist from Athens
\nis on board the gulets offered by Peter Sommer Travels, guiding passengers
\nashore and providing expert insights into the ancient fortifications, temples
\nand streets. On the island of Kos, there are the mighty towers of the Castle of
\nthe Knights of St John, the medieval order of holy crusaders who went to
\nJerusalem but never returned home. Further north is the island of Patmos, where
\nvisitors can see the grotto where St John the Divine once lived and where,
\nafter a series of apocalyptic visions, he penned the Book of Revelation. <\/p>\n
\nthe gulet, lounging on deck and breathing in the sea air. Much of the journey
\nis propelled by motor but there are opportunities to travel by wind power. Keen
\nsailors can join in, hoisting sails and helping the boat on its way.<\/p>\n
<\/strong>Peter Sommer Travels<\/a> runs Greek
\nIsland cruises from April, and the Northern Dodecanese cruise runs in
\nSeptember, departing from Samos (seven nights from \u00a32,250 per person). For a
\nmore economical option, Meander Adventures offers small-boat cruises taking in
\nseveral Dodecanese and Cycladic Islands, departing from Crete or Rhodes (seven
\nnights from \u00a31,380 with Greece Travel<\/a>).\n<\/p>\n
\nBA<\/a>
\nor easyJet<\/a> (from \u00a3100), then to Samos
\nwith Olympic Air<\/a> (from \u00a3120).<\/p>\n