NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

Cruising: A whole new world

By Beth J Harpaz
AAP·
13 Apr, 2017 01:00 AM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

The Azamara Journey in Fiordland. Visits to Gisborne, Nelson and Stewart Island are being added to Azamara's New Zealand itineraries. Photo / Pamela Wade

The Azamara Journey in Fiordland. Visits to Gisborne, Nelson and Stewart Island are being added to Azamara's New Zealand itineraries. Photo / Pamela Wade

Tomorrow’s ships won’t just take you to your journey’s end, they are a destination for ‘meaningful experiences’, writes Beth J Harpaz.

A demand for more in-depth experiences - from learning how to scuba dive to dining in a private home once in port - are shaping what's new in the cruise industry this year. Cruise passengers can also look forward to more Alaska trips, a few precious sailings to Cuba and potentially game-changing new technology.

HIGH SEAS, HIGH TECH

Princess Cruises will debut a coin-sized medallion in November aboard the Regal Princess that could dramatically change guest experiences. Passengers will carry or wear the medallion, which will direct them to their cabins, unlock their doors as they approach and alert crew members to their schedules and preferences - whether it's a class they've signed up for or a favourite cocktail.

The medallion will also streamline the process of getting on and off the ship.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

ALASKA

Alaska expects 1.06 million cruise passengers this year, which would break its 2008 record of 1.03 million visits. The Alaska Travel Industry Association says larger ships are bringing more visitors, and destinations like Sitka, Juneau and Icy Strait Point have extended piers to accommodate bigger vessels. Smaller ships are simultaneously expanding services, specialising in more remote destinations the bigger ships can't reach.

Holland America Line marks its 70th year of exploring Alaska with the redeployment of its Oosterdam ship from Europe to Alaska. Seabourn, a small-ship line, returns to Alaska in June for the first time in 15 years. Lindblad launches a new ship, National Geographic Quest, whose itineraries will include Alaska.

Carnival Miracle will do a 14-day round-trip to Alaska from Long Beach, California, which will include Carnival Cruise Line's first call at Icy Strait Point. Crystal Cruises, which last summer sailed the largest luxury passenger vessel through the Northwest Passage, offers a repeat trip from Anchorage on August 15.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In 2018, Norwegian Cruise Line will launch Norwegian Bliss, a ship that has been custom-built for Alaska trips.

NEW EXPERIENCES ON BOARD AND ON SHORE

Royal Caribbean is the only cruise line offering scuba-diving certification through the Professional Association of Diving Instructors. Passengers begin the course at home online, continue lessons in a ship pool and finish with four mandatory open-water dives in ports of call.

Carnival Cruise Line is offering longer sailings of nine to 15 days with options for more immersive and adventurous experiences beyond beaches and bars. Passengers might visit a school in Mexico or get a home-cooked meal at a private house in Jamaica. "People are looking for meaningful experiences," said Carnival spokeswoman Jennifer De La Cruz.

Discover more

Travel

10 of the world's most bizarre micronations

17 Feb 02:12 AM
Travel

When there's no doctor on board

22 Feb 08:00 PM
Travel

Cruise that prevents you from overeating

10 Apr 04:01 AM
Travel

Oasis of style in the desert

09 Apr 09:00 AM

MSC Cruises launches a wellness experience in April with personalised health assessments and fitness programmes, along with a Weight Watchers cruise from Miami to the Caribbean in May.

Princess is expanding Discovery at Sea offerings for kids with new programming such as MythBusters science activities and destination-themed programmes on culture and nature. Princess also has a new show, Born to Dance, produced with American composer Stephen Schwartz, paying tribute to Broadway's greatest choreographers and dancers.

Holland America, owners of the Nordam are introducing food programmes linked to television cooking shows.
Holland America, owners of the Nordam are introducing food programmes linked to television cooking shows.

Holland America Line's new programmes include cooking shows and workshops in partnership with America's Test Kitchen, plus Rijksmuseum at Sea, with interactive displays about the award-winning Amsterdam museum as a tie-in to the cruise line's Dutch heritage. HAL has also just rolled out a partnership with BBC Earth, with games, activities and live concerts during screenings showing wildlife and wilderness series.

Norwegian Cruise Line has opened a new private destination in southern Belize called Harvest Caye, with a beach, villas for daily rental, a lagoon for canoeing and kayaking, and Flighthouse with a zip line, ropes course and more. The port also makes it easy for guests to explore Belize on shore excursions.

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 this year offers trans-Atlantic cruises themed on space exploration and fashion.

Disney Cruise Line will offer Marvel Day at Sea featuring Marvel Comics characters in activities, shows, parties and films on seven sailings on Disney Magic from New York City from September to December.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

CUBA

Long-term prospects for travel from the US to Cuba remain uncertain under the new presidential administration.

But for now, a number of cruises are scheduled until June.

Havana is on the itinerary for sailings from Florida in April and May aboard Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas, and in May on Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Sky.

The Fathom brand continues seven-night sailings to Cuba every other week through May.

NEW ZEALAND

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The industry's presence in our waters continues to grow, with Azamara Club Cruises announcing its 2019 itineraries will include first-time visits to Gisborne, Nelson and Stewart Island.

Its 16-night New Zealand Intensive voyage from Auckland to Sydney sets sail on January 22, 2019, with foodie stops in Wellington and Nelson on the way to Rakiura.

NEW SHIPS

In November, Royal Caribbean debuted the world's largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, with a 5479-passenger capacity, two, 10-storey enclosed dry slides and an escape game room.

This year Viking Cruises adds two ocean-going ships, Viking Sky and Viking Sun, with the Sun embarking on Viking's first world cruise, 141 days long, in December.

Viking is also adding two new river ships to its fleet, Viking Herja and Viking Hild.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Crystal Cruises launches two river ships this summer, Crystal Bach and Crystal Mahler, and is debuting AirCruises on a private Boeing that will take guests around the world, starting with a 27-day, $227,000 trip.

Silversea Cruises launches Silver Muse in April with eight dining venues, including a jazz club and Hot Rocks, where guests can cook their own meal tableside. Silversea's refurbishment of Silver Cloud as an ice-class expedition ship will be completed in November, in time for 11 Antarctic and eight Arctic trips in 2018.

In July, American Queen Steamboat launches American Duchess, the first contemporary boutique paddlewheeler built for Mississippi River cruises.

- AAP

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Travel

Travel

'Covered with bites': Auckland hostel issued cleansing order for bedbugs

04 Jul 05:00 PM
Travel

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

03 Jul 08:00 AM
Travel

Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

03 Jul 06:30 AM

One pass, ten snowy adventures

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

'Covered with bites': Auckland hostel issued cleansing order for bedbugs

'Covered with bites': Auckland hostel issued cleansing order for bedbugs

04 Jul 05:00 PM

An enforcement officer confirmed the presence of bedbugs at the accommodation.

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

Cemeteries worth making a stop at in Europe

03 Jul 08:00 AM
Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

Husband’s oversight grounds Auckland woman’s 60th Hawaii holiday – but he still goes

03 Jul 06:30 AM
The Kiwi still teaching Aussies to wave after 30 years

The Kiwi still teaching Aussies to wave after 30 years

03 Jul 05:31 AM
Your Fiordland experience, levelled up
sponsored

Your Fiordland experience, levelled up

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP