30 dream cruises to book now for 2022
It’s hard to think of a time when our appetite for travel has been as vigorous as it is now. After a year of having our wings clipped, this summer, the one we thought would sound the “Woo-hoo! We’re off again” klaxon, is proving to be little more than a rainbow-chasing mission. No wonder many of us are dreaming big for 2022. If indications play out, the next couple of years are going to be about momentous journeys, big-ticket adventures, bucket-list destinations and around-the-world odysseys. Cruise holidays – river or ocean – tick all of these boxes, and time is of the essence.
“Whether it’s seeing polar bears, whale-watching or planning an expedition cruise to Antarctica, ‘another time’ is now,” says Alex Loizou, director of sales and marketing for Mundy Cruising. The operator, which last year celebrated 50 years in business, has seen demand for expedition cruising rise by 500 per cent since 2019. “Customers who have always had an expedition voyage in mind have brought those plans forward,” he says. “With two years of lost travel time being funnelled into 2022, we’re seeing bookings way in advance of their departure dates.”
The writing was on the wall in February, when Oceania’s six-month World Cruise sold out in a single day (prices started at around £31,000). In April, Viking put departures for its new ship on the Mississippi, launching next August, on sale. When dates in 2023 started selling out, the line put its 2024 programme on sale.
With heightened health protocols likely to be with us for some time, shorter trips sound less appealing. Cruise travel agency cruise.co.uk has seen bookings for cruises that spend at least 21 nights at sea outstripping pre-pandemic levels. The operator reports that sailings from Sydney to Pacific Islands such as Bora Bora, Tahiti and Hawaii have seen the biggest spike in interest. Other, more extensive, itineraries proving popular include a 30-night tour of north and southeast Asia, a 27-night Antipodean sailing, and a 37-night Pacific Paradise cruise to Fiji, Vanuatu and Hong Kong. All are in late 2022 and 2023. Here are some more ways to sail the world in style next year.
Seek star quality close to home
A cruise on home shores doesn’t mean compromising on luxury. Departing from Greenwich next spring, Crystal Endeavour will call at some of the UK’s most remote places, including the Antrim Coast, the Isle of Noss, Unst (closer to Norway than Inverness), Fair Isle and the Isles of Scilly. With butler-serviced suites, Michelin-inspired dining and a passenger to crew ratio of 1:1, it’s six-star service all the way.
A 14-night Springtime in the British Isles cruise from London to Edinburgh costs from £11,075pp departing on May 25, 2022 (mundycruising.co.uk)
Conjure up the magic of the Mississippi
As river ships weave around sandbars and navigate the meandering channels of the Mississippi, it’s hard not to conjure up images of Huckleberry Finn. Purpose-built for Ol’ Muddy, the Viking Mississippi will sail on the Lower and Upper Mississippi between New Orleans and St Paul. All cabins face the water, with large picture windows and generous deck space ideal for spotting belted kingfishers, bald eagles, rose-breasted Grosbeaks and other migrating birds which find shelter here.
An eight-day New Orleans and Southern Charms cruise round-trip from New Orleans costs from £6,090pp departing November 26, 2022 (vikingrivercruises.co.uk)
Pitch and putt in South Africa
Golfers: where do you see yourself in January 2022 – here, cursing the cold, or playing a few rounds in sunny South Africa? Azamara has teamed up with Perry Golf to offer rounds at golf and country clubs in Port Elizabeth, Durban and Cape Town on a cruise on Azamara Pursuit. Among the greens is a signature Jack Nicklaus course in the picturesque wine region of Franschhoek. Extension options include a stay at Jock Safari Park in the Kruger National Park.
A 12-night South African Golf Cruise, round-trip from Cape Town, costs £2,389pp departing on January 15, 2022 (azamara.co.uk). The Golf Package costs $3,495/£2,477.
Let in a little Latin flavour
This four-country holiday to Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Costa Rica serves up an astonishing avalanche of scenery. The itinerary begins in the Peruvian highlands, where the Uros weave their floating island homes from a reed that grows on the surface of Lake Titicaca. Highlights include a visit to the pre-Incan ruins of Sillustani (Peru), the fecund mangroves and lagoons and Pacific Coast beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park and a chance to see hummingbirds, parakeets and howler monkeys in Buenaventura Nature Reserve (both Costa Rica). Sail aboard the hybrid-powered expedition ship, Roald Amundsen.
A 14-day Lake Titicaca and the National Parks of South America cruise costs from £4,379pp, departing on April 7, 2022. Includes three hotel nights, excursions, a train ride in Peru and a local flight. Excludes international flights (hurtigruten.co.uk)
Wrap up a Christmas cruise
APT chose Earth Day this year to announce a selection of new, no-fly river cruises for 2022. Among these is a Christmas markets cruise from Amsterdam to Basel on board a brand-new ship. There is scenic cruising on the Moselle and the Rhine Gorge, a trip to the Black Forest and festive shopping at the legendary Christmas market in Cologne, where pewter pourers, wreath binders and glass blowers will be hard at work.
From £1,695pp including return Eurostar travel to Amsterdam from London St Pancras departing December 16 and 23, 2022 (aptouring.co.uk)
Enjoy a Rhine time for everyone
All of A-ROSA’s river cruises are family friendly, but the arrival in spring 2022 of a new hybrid-propulsion “E-Motion” ship on the Rhine raises the bar. The 140-cabin ship will feature family cabins (28 sq m) sleeping up to five. There are two bunk beds with peepholes and curtains, a play area (with a toy box) and a separate toilet, while on the sun deck children have their own pool. Up to three children sail for free when staying in a family cabin with two adults.
A seven-night Rhine Discovery Amsterdam and Rotterdam cruise round-trip from Cologne costs from £3,930, based on four sharing a family cabin and departing in August 2022 (panachecruises.com)
Say aloha to Hawaii
It’s heaven to visit and a challenge to get to, but a cruise can take the hassle out of island-hopping when you eventually get there. Ships leave from America’s west coast, which lends itself to a city stay either side of your trip. Holland America Line’s Koningsdam sails to Hawaii from San Diego or Vancouver, and its longest sailing, an 18-day itinerary with an overnight in Honolulu, allows time to visit Pearl Harbour and sunbathe on almond-white Waikiki Beach.
An 18-night Circle Hawaii cruise costs from £3,219pp including a night’s pre-cruise stay in Vancouver, and transfers, departing on February 2, 2022 (hollandamerica.com)
Head (really far) south for the season
The remote Subantarctic Islands to the south of New Zealand offer a refuge for the southern royal albatross; royal, king, gentoo and rockhopper penguins and the rare Hooker’s sea lion. This cruise visits the Snares, Auckland, Macquarie and Campbell and is on board the newly refurbished 140-passenger Heritage Adventurer, which has recently joined the Heritage Expeditions fleet.
The 13-day Galapagos of the Southern Ocean voyage costs from £6,556, sailing from Invercargill on New Zealand’s South Island on November 23, 2022 (heritage-expeditions.com)
Try a spot of Burgundy
Maybe you just want to be indulged on your first holiday – your flute replenished while the chef prepares your fish just so, with – why not? – a soupçon of beurre blanc, as you slide past a château. Carrying 12 people through northern Burgundy, Le Belle Epoque is ideal for a celebratory cruise or family charter. Expect towpath cycles, dips in the hot tub, fine dining with the odd barbecue or picnic thrown in, and a private champagne tasting at the Alexandre Bonnet Champagne House. Santé!
From £4,450pp or £49,500 for a 12-person charter, departing between April and October (europeanwaterways.com)
Sample an Atlantic adventure
World Voyager is another new, small ship worth putting on the radar. Each of the 100 cabins has a balcony or sea-view window and the ship has a fitness suite, sauna, spa and pool terrace. Next year’s itineraries include cruises around the British Isles, Morocco, Madeira and the Canary Islands. A France, Spain and Portugal itinerary leaves from the UK and calls at Guernsey, Belle Île in France and Spain’s Basque Country. Excursions include a private tasting tour of the Bordeaux wine route, Route des Châteaux.
An 11-day Atlantic Europe cruise departing Portsmouth on September 19, 2022, 2022 costs from £3,149pp including excursions and a one-way flight from Lisbon (rivieratravel.co.uk)
Go wild in Ireland
With its rugged cliffs, coves and time-worn sea stacks, the Emerald Isle holds huge appeal for those who prefer their coasts wild. The ship’s itinerary scoops up coastal highlights like the Cliffs of Moher, Malin Head (the northernmost tip of the Irish mainland), the dramatic Slieve League cliffs and the Inishkea Islands and Tory Island – Ireland’s most remote, inhabited island. With any luck there will be sightings of minke and humpback whales, Risso’s dolphin, black guillemots and colonies of gannets and terns.
A five-night Touring Scenic Ireland cruise on board Fred Olsen’s 690-cabin Borealis costs from £649pp, round-trip from Liverpool on April 14, 2022 (fredolsencruises.com)
Admire the Adriatic
Sail Dalmatia, which has a portfolio of luxury gulets and yachts in the Adriatic, is launching a new mini-cruiser called, optimistically, Life is Good. Eventually, the 14-passenger yacht will offer trips from Pula (in Croatia) to Venice – spending two nights there – and one-way cruises from Dubrovnik to Athens. Next year, however, Life is Good will sail in the Adriatic, where a cruise to northern Kvarner and the Brijuni archipelago beckons. Dubbed locally as “paradise on Earth” Brijuni is ex-president Tito’s former summer residency and became a national park in 1983.
A week’s charter of Life is Good costs from €65,000/£55,800. Port taxes, food and drinks and flights are extra (saildalmatia.com)
Cruise with a bit of panache in the Med
There may be some fine-tuning happening in the background, but inaugural sailings are huge fun. Panache Cruises is offering the chance to join the maiden voyage of Azamara Onward next May. The 11-night Christening Voyage sails from Monaco and makes several port calls in Italy, including Sorrento on the Amalfi coast, and cruises along the spectacular fjord of Kotor in Montenegro. The itinerary includes two overnights in port (one in Venice) and six late-night departures.
From £2,999pp departing on May 2, 2022 (panachecruises.com)
Go off-grid in Russia
Pent-up demand coupled with a desire to go off-grid is leading to more enquiries for back-to-back voyages, according to Aurora Expeditions. This itinerary to Russia’s Far East packages a Kamchatka and Chukotka cruise with a Wrangel Island departure, resulting in an extraordinary adventure for lovers of wildlife. Wrangel is home to the world’s highest concentration of polar bear dens and the largest population of Pacific walruses. The cruise is on Aurora’s new expedition vessel, the Sylvia Earle.
A Wrangel Island/Kamchatka and Chukotka voyage costs from £21,635pp (excluding flights). Departs Anchorage on August 1 and arrives in Tokyo on August 21, 2022 (auroraexpeditions.co.uk)
Discover more in the Med
Following a stop-start maiden season, the sleek and stylish all-suite Scenic Eclipse will finally make her way to the Mediterranean next year. Her first departure is in April, when she will depart Lisbon for the Med, then follow the entire southern coast of Spain before docking in Barcelona. With her “discovery fleet” including zodiacs, kayaks and e-bikes, plus a helicopter and submarine, Eclipse will be right at home on the Mediterranean coast.
The Incredible Iberian Discovery Cruise costs from £6,111pp departing on April 22, 2021 (scenic.co.uk)
Be dazzled by the Northern Lights
When Norwegian line Havila Voyages launches its first ships on the Norwegian cruise and ferry route from Bergen to Kirkenes this summer, it will be operating the most environmentally responsible ships on the coast. Longer term, Havila Voyages’ goal is to sail entirely emission-free; for now, its ships will sail with the world’s largest battery packs (for up to four hours’ cruising). These will be re-charged using hydropower. A 12-day round trip voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes will call at 34 ports, including the ethereal Lofoten archipelago and the North Cape. The ships’ observation lounges feature a glass roof to ensure that no-one misses out on the Northern Lights.
A six-day Voyage South from Kirkenes to Bergen costs from £420pp, departing in November 2022. Excludes flights (havilavoyages.com)
Stay cool on the Croatian coast
The 34-passenger Lady Eleganza is a good choice for solo travellers, as well as those who like to spend time in the water as well as on it. There are single porthole cabins available, and informal communal dining will help conversation flow. Travelmarvel’s island-hopping trip from Opatija to Dubrovnik includes swimming off the idyllic island of Krku, a port call at Sibenik for a curtain of waterfalls at Krka National Park, and a visit to Rab, peppered with medieval churches and fringed by some of the Adriatic’s best beaches.
An eight-day Adriatic Coastal Cruise costs from £3,395 per person in a single cabin, including beer and local wine with lunch and dinner, guides and transfers, departing April 16, 2022 (aptouring.co.uk)
Stay the course on a world cruise
Seabourn’s luxurious but laid-back approach to cruising has won it numerous plaudits and a loyal customer following, so there will be strong demand for its first World Cruise. The 65-day sailing on Seabourn Odyssey lingers in the Pacific, visiting French Polynesia, Fiji, the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea and Papeete. It will arrive in Sydney having called at 41 ports and 30 islands in 12 countries.
From £29,999 per person, departing from Vancouver on September 30, 2022. Excludes fights (seabourn.com)
Ask for Moor in Spain
Thanks to the navigable Guadalquivir (from the Arabic wadi al-kabir, meaning “great river”) which threads its way northeast from the Atlantic, the “inland” city of Seville has been a port city for much of its history. This itinerary from Jules Verne is packed with Moorish gems and also includes tastings at cellar doors and a visit to the Jewish quarter in Cordoba. The low-key MS Belle de Cadix has a sun-deck with a plunge pool and simply furnished but comfortable cabins; and as you’d expect in this part of Europe, it carries a stash of robust reds behind the bar.
A week’s Andalucía from the Water cruise costs from £1,555pp (no single supplement) departing on August 4, 2022 (vjv.com)
Make for the Mekong
With sunsets bouncing off the river and misty dawns clearing to reveal hilltop stupas and the occasional Buddha in repose, a cruise along the Mekong is every bit as serene as it sounds. Starting in Siem Reap (Cambodia) and finishing in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) this three-week Indochina trip combines a week on board the 42-cabin Emerald Harmony with two nights cruising on board a traditional junk in Halong Bay, near Hanoi, and 11 hotel nights. The holiday takes in a slew of must-see sights, including Angkor Wat, while a short internal flight from Hanoi to Da Nang facilitates a three-night stay in charming Hoi An.
A 23-day Grand Tour of Vietnam and Cambodia cruise departing on November 23, 2022 costs from £5,345pp, including gratuities and all excursions (emeraldcruises.co.uk)
Set fair for the Pharaohs
The 19th-century novelist Amelia Edwards, author of A Thousand Miles Up the Nile and co-founder of the Egypt Exploration Fund, likened travelling by sailing boat or steamer to the difference between horse carriage and railway. The former was slow and delightful, if expensive, while the latter was quick, cheap and without charm. Gliding down the Nile in a dahabiya (a traditional two-masted sailing boat) is about as slow and delightful as it gets. Discover Egypt’s characterful Jaz Yakouta has six spacious wood-panelled cabins with louvre windows, a sun deck and a jacuzzi. An ideal bubble option for culturally minded groups of friends.
Nile cruise on Jaz Yakouta Dahabiya from £2,347pp including transfers and 10 guided excursions with an Egyptologist (discoveregypt.co.uk)
Go Greek
Launching its first ship just days before the world was gripped by the pandemic hasn’t given the fledgling Virgin Voyages fleet the best of starts, but the aptly name Resilient Lady, the third ship to join the fleet, will embark on a summer of Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona next year. Virgin’s sailings are footloose and fancy-free in terms of how you plan your day, and this Greek itinerary calling at Rhodes and Chania also includes a late-night stay in Santorini and an overnight in Mykonos so that “sailors” can join the party ashore, as well as on board.
A seven-night Greek Island Glow cruise costs from £2,479 per cabin round-trip from Piraeus and excluding flights (virginvoyages.com)
Stow away on a cargo ship
For globetrotters with months to spare and who are on a tight budget, a passage by cargo ship is the ultimate sea-going adventure. Most ships offer one or two “owners cabins”, or even suites, and cargo routes visit some exotic locations. A 42-day round-trip voyage from London to the French West Indies via France’s Atlantic coast calls at Guadeloupe, Martinique, Kingston, Manzanillo (Panama), Puerto Moin (Costa Rica) and Cartagena and Santa Marta (Columbia). The cabins are all en-suite.
The Cruise People can organise a passage on one of CMA CGM’s (cma-cgm.com) French West Indies Line’s ships, from £5,750pp, departing on January 1, 2022. (passageenquiry@outlook.com)
Take off with Mickey
With its storybook-inspired cabins and theatrical dining experiences, Disney does a top job of bringing the fantastical worlds of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars to life. Launching next June, the LNG-powered (liquefied natural gas) Disney Wish will sail with a new white-knuckle water ride called AquaMouse (760ft of serpentine tubes) and the first character dining experience to bring Frozen’s Arendelle to life. Younger children have a new Toy Story-themed splash zone with a wading pool and family waterslide. The inaugural season departs from Port Canaveral, Florida, for Nassau (Bahamas) and Disney Castaway Cay.
A three-night Bahamian Cruise on Disney Wish costs from £759pp departing from Port Canaveral in Florida, in August 2022. Excludes flights (disneycruise.com)
Seek out the extreme south
Relaunching a cruise line in the middle of a pandemic? The gamble has paid off for British cruise line Swan Hellenic: its first cruise to Antarctica is sold out. Built to cruise the polar regions and the Russian Far East, Swan’s two stylish expedition ships, Minerva and Vega, launch in November 2021 and April 2022 respectively. This 22-day itinerary visits the Falklands and also spends time in South Georgia, renowned for its exuberant birdlife and penguin colonies. Shackleton is buried here, at the historic whaling station, Grytviken. All of this, of course, is a mere amuse bouche for the great White Continent.
The Shackleton’s Discovery: Antarctica, South Georgia and The Falklands cruise departs November 16 and costs from £16,362pp. Excludes flights (swanhellenic.com)
How Tokyo can you go?
This trip is exceptional for several reasons. Not only is the cruise on board a handsome square-rigged tall ship, the Golden Horizon, but the itinerary calls at interesting unsung destinations in Japan, and includes a ride on the Trans-Siberian railway, from Vladivostok. Highlights include a meander through Matsushima – a scenic archipelago of pine-tree swathed islands – and visits to Sapporo in northern Japan, and Aomori, one of two prefectures straddled by the UNESCO-protected virgin beech forest, Shirakami-Sanchi. The ship’s 140 cabins all have sea views.
A 13-night Contrasts of Japan holiday departing from Tokyo on June 11 costs from £3,199pp, excluding flights but including transfers, plus drinks with meals (tradewindvoyages.com)
Explore paradise found
Can you improve on paradise? Apparently so. Aranui 5, a custom-built, dual-purpose passenger-cargo ship plying French Polynesia, has added the Austral Islands (the southernmost group in French Polynesia) to its impressive portfolio. The ship will visit coral-hooped Raivavae and the bay-scalloped island of Rapa (so far south that the next stop is Antarctica). In the Marquesas there is a new port of call on the island of Makatea, in the Tuamotu archipelago. Makatea’s cliffs rise 260ft above sea level, making it the second largest raised atoll in French Polynesia.
The 12-day Discover the Marquesas Cruise on board Aranui 5 costs from €4,580pp/£3,935. Price includes accommodation in a double stateroom (based on two sharing), all meals (including wine) and scheduled excursions. Excludes international flights (aranui.com)
Explore Greenland’s greatest hits
Adventure-cruise stalwart Quark Expeditions toured with locals and spent months poring over charts and satellite imagery of southern Greenland’s hauntingly beautiful fjords, alpine zones and glacial lakes to put this new itinerary together. The cruise to the “top of the world” is on board the new ice-class ship, Ultramarine. Determined to get passengers as involved as possible to this untamed wilderness, Quark is upping the ante with optional mountain biking, camping, alpine kayaking and heli-flights, using Ultramarine’s two twin-engine helicopters.
An eight-night Southern Greenland Expedition Voyage costs from £9,592pp departing on July 16, 2022 (discover-the-world.com)
Have a wizard time in Oz
When international flights resume, reuniting with friends and family in Australia will be a priority. But even those familiar with the continent may not have visited the island state of Tasmania, or considered the northwest’s spectacular Kimberly region. Next winter, Princess Cruises will offer departures from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth (Fremantle), Adelaide and Auckland. As well as a circumnavigation of Australia, there are one-way sailings between Australia and New Zealand , a new port call at Kuri Bay in the northwest for the Kimberley region, and cruises around Tasmania.
A five-day Tasmania cruise featuring scenic cruising around Great Oyster Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula, and port calls at Port Arthur and Hobart, costs from £554pp round-trip from Melbourne, departing November 20, 2022 (princess.com)
Splash out on the world’s rivers
Ocean-going world cruises have been popular for well over a decade but, until now, there hasn’t been a river cruise equivalent. Yes, you’ll have to wait slightly longer than the other cruises on this list, but in 2023 Uniworld will launch its inaugural Rivers of the World trip, a 46-night sailing on five rivers. Using a combination of five luxury ships, some touring on land and one European flight, the holiday will visit the Nile, the Venice Lagoon and Po river, the Danube, the Seine and the Douro. An added bonus are hotel nights in the lake town of Lugano (Switzerland), Milan and the Portuguese capital, Lisbon.
The Rivers of the World cruise starts at £31,499pp including unlimited premium wine, beer and spirits and a travel concierge, departing May 20, 2023 (uniworld.com)
The details
Check cancellation policies and Covid safeguarding procedures for adults and children with individual lines before booking. Some lines require proof of full vaccination before boarding. Flights are included, unless specified otherwise.
