Elite Traveler Summer 2024

Ocean Cruises’ Insignia

OCEANIA CRUISES’ KALEIDOSCOPE OF YOUR WORLD

Amazon rain forest

NEED TO KNOW Miami to New York, 200 days January 5, 2025-July 23, 2025 From $54,099, oceaniacruises.com BESTFOR Epicureans, art a fi cionados and consummate adventurers

SHORT AND SWEET Nature, science and wildlife enthusiasts enkindled by the vintage explorer spirit of yore can’t go wrong on board an HX (Hurtigruten Explorer) ship. Book the Pole to Pole Adventure: The Ultimate Bucket List Expedition Cruise, which sails for 96 fascinating days from Vancouver to Buenos Aires, spanning regions as diverse as lush junglescapes and iceberg-punctuated northern waters. From the decks of the MS Roald Amundsen (a hybrid ship sailed with sustainable electrical propulsion), you’ll have the chance to check both penguins and polar bears o ff your list as you sail through both the northern and southern hemispheres. Meet the Inuit people after traversing the storied Northwest Passage. From $71,154, hurtigruten.com Princess Cruises’s Island Princess will take romantics on an epic 116-day world cruise, its longest voyage yet. It fl aunts a globe encircling, 33,500-nautical-mile tour that visits 51 destinations in 26 countries and six continents. Choose between two round-trip options in January 2025, one departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and the other from Los Angeles. With a spa, pools, restaurants and other amenities, the World Cruise keeps the seduction theme alive as it drops anchor at sexy hotspots such as ports in Greece, Egypt, Montenegro, Italy, Mexico, Morocco, Hawaii, Bali and more. From $18,783, princess.com

As the name suggests, this extravaganza of a cruise is meant too ff er swanky sailors a mind-boggling array of sights, sounds, tastes and experiences. Incorporating the Amazon rain forest and the golden grasslands of South Africa as well as Asia’s bustling urban centers, exotic Indonesian islands and the otherworldly coast of Western Australia — among other hotspots — Kaleidoscope of Your World includes lesser-traveled ports of call such as the volcanic uninhabited island of Tristan da Cunha and the Indian Ocean’s Comoros. THESHIP Aboard Insignia , a 670-passenger vessel with 400 sta ff members, guests will revel in a residential ambience as sophisticated as townhouse living. Adorned with world-class artwork and replete with artful design details (from glassware to furniture), this Regatta Class ship features multiple dining venues, including four exceptional open-seating restaurants that require no surcharge, and a satisfying afternoon tea. Wine tastings, a buzzy casino, cabarets and nightly productions amuse daily, as well as educational o ff erings that include lecturers in fi elds such as history and local culture.

THE TOP SUITE Eachof Insignia ’s six glamorous Owner’s Suites encompass nearly 1,000 sq ft, complete with a private teak veranda, two fl at-screen televisions and a capacious bathroom, anchored by an oversized shower. In addition to stateroom amenities, Owner’s Suite privileges include free laundry service, priority 11am ship embarkation and luggage delivery, 24-hour butler service, complimentary in-suite bar (set up with six bottles of premium spirits and wine), luxury bath amenities and more. ITINERARY HIGHLIGHTS From Bali to Buenos Aires, the voyage stops at 89 spellbinding ports in 32 countries. An amalgam of multiple ‘once in a lifetime’ holidays in one cruise, the journey thrills with options as diverse as African safaris, rain forest hikes along the Amazon and snorkeling in the South Paci fi c. Exclusive shoreside events run the gamut from starlit dinners in Namibia’s ancient desert to wine tasting in South Australia’s Barossa Valley.

Photos Felix Lipov/Shutterstock.com, worldclassphoto/Shutterstock.com