Orient
Steering
Cruises in exotic Far East and Australasia waters are growing in appeal as more cruise lines send their showboats to China and other Oriental locations. Sara Macefield reports on cruising in the East and looks at another fast-growing sector – world cruises he Far East is a tantalisingly exotic option for passengers wanting to spice up their holidays and cruise off the beaten track. Few places on earth can rival this region’s rich kaleidoscope of colours and experiences; from ancient dynasties and age-old traditions to gleaming skyscrapers and futuristic designs that make up some of the world’s most striking cities. This is the perfect place to escape the crowds of the Mediterranean and Caribbean and absorb the contrasting countries and cultures of a region that still holds that special appeal. The beauty of cruising through Asian waters is that you can visit several places in one trip without having to endure arduous overland journeys. Stay on a ship, soak up the views and relish the chance to truly get away from it all on deserted islands or in tiny villages. Getting to the Far East may take longer than flying to Europe or the Caribbean, but the huge range of flights to the main cruising departure points of Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok has made it much cheaper and easier than it used to be. And you don’t have to restrict yourself to simply taking a cruise. It’s easy to combine voyages with land-stays as part of a longer holiday across Asia. Alternatively, why not spend a few nights in
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26 The Travel & Leisure Magazine
■ Seabourn is among cruise lines with Far East-based ships
Yachts of Seabourn
FAR EAST
■ Many cruises start or end in Sydney
the cities where the cruise starts or ends to really make the most of this exciting destination?
Where can you go? With more holidaymakers waking up to the appeal of cruising in the Far East, cruise lines have been quick to increase the range of sailings they offer. The result is that there has never been a bigger choice of cruises through Asia and the surrounding area with companies such as Princess Cruises adding more itineraries and others such as Yachts of Seabourn, Costa Cruises and Royal Caribbean International basing ships there. Asian-based cruise line Star Cruises has five ships offering voyages of two to five nights to Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. The route between Hong Kong and Singapore is probably the most popular and travellers can choose to sail north from Hong Kong or south from Singapore. It takes around two weeks to cruise between the two cities and itineraries can vary, but the
most common ones tend to take in the coast of Vietnam – a fascinating area to explore by ship and one of the Asian destinations seen as holding the most potential for cruising. Alternative routeings between the two cities can include calls at the oil-rich sultanate of Brunei; Sabah, on the tropical island of Borneo; Manila, the bustling capital of the Philippines; the idyllic Thai island of Koh Samui, famous for its beautiful beaches; and the tropical holiday isle of Hainan, known as China’s Hawaii. Some cruises which start and finish in Hong Kong cover the same territory, but others sail northwards from the city, calling at Taiwan and Japanese cities including Kobe, Yokohama and Nagasaki before finishing in the Chinese powerhouse of Shanghai – which is also a starting point for some cruises. Other voyages from Singapore offer a different flavour by sailing to Indonesia and calling at exotic islands such as Java, Bali and Komodo, famous for its deadly giant lizards, known as Komodo dragons. Such sailings can include calls in Malaysia, notably at the capital Kuala Lumpur and the historic Dutch trading port of Malacca.
ASIA, AUSTRALASIA AND BEYOND Cruise passengers keen to venture further afield can take longer cruises through southeast Asia to India, the Middle East or even the Mediterranean.
November/December 2009