north & central america | regions


legendary marine conservationist, will sail a nature and wildlife-packed Costa Rica and The Panama Canal itinerary, departing April 20 2023. In addition to taking in the national parks of Manuel Antonio and Corcovado in Costa Rica and Coiba in Panama before culminating in Cartagena, Colombia, it features a daylight Panama Canal crossing and some optional extensions, including a seven-night Tortuguero National Park, Arenal & Monteverde excursion (from $2,285 per person). Star Clipper and Star Flyer, each holding


166 guests, feature plentiful seven-night winter itineraries in Central America, taking in Costa Rica, Panama and Nicaragua. This winter’s program, from December 2022 to March 2023, features a number of the line’s popular, expert-led yoga-themed sailings out of Costa Rica and St Maarten, featuring daily yoga classes. Another safe bet for wellness-loving clients looking to cruise in Central America and beyond is Scenic Eclipse II, with its dedicated yoga and Pilates studio and extensive spa facilities. Azamara’s Out of This World Wonders: A Central


America & Panama Canal Cruise, aboard Azamara Onward, departs Fort Lauderdale on January 5 2024 for Lima, Peru and features the Panama Canal alongside stops at Puerto Limón, Costa Rica and Cozumel, Mexico.


Great Lakes The U.S. enjoys excellent options of navigable rivers such as the Mississippi. Operators plying this and other notable U.S. waterways such as the Columbia, Ohio and Snake Rivers include American Queen Voyages, whose characterful small ship sails regular itineraries such as its nine-day Memphis to New Orleans and round-trip New Orleans sailings. AQV also features expedition vessel Ocean Victory and a duo of lake and ocean vessels, Ocean Navigator and the recently refurbed Ocean Voyager, offering everything from Alaska and British Columbia sailings to itineraries focusing on Central America; Canada and New England; and the Great Lakes. The recent growth of small-ship expedition cruising


has created a boom time for cruising the Great Lakes, where highlights range from spying wildlife such as eagles to exploring former mining towns and navigating the Soo Locks linking Lake Superior with Lake Huron and the lower Great Lakes and onwards to the Atlantic. Operators plying this vast watery wonderland spilling across the US-Canada border for 2023/4 include Hurtigruten and Viking Expeditions. Options aboard the 189-cabin Viking Octantis,


Above: Corcovado National Park on the Osa Peninsula of southwestern Costa Rica


whose selling points include The Laboratory, its excellent ‘citizen science’ space, include eight-day Great Lakes Explorer sailings from Milwaukee to Thunder Bay. With departures offered from May 2023 to July 2024, an added bonus is the optional


pre- and post-cruise extensions in Chicago and the ‘polar bear capital’ of Churchill, Manitoba. Hapag-Lloyd is another line offering extensive Great


Lakes sailings for 2023, with options like Milwaukee- Toronto and Milwaukee-Windsor (Detroit), sitting alongside east coast ones such as Boston-Toronto.


On to Canada Small-ship cruises are a good bet for clients looking to discover western Canada’s remoter regions such as the Gwaii Haanas archipelago and explore its inland waterways. Prime picks include Maple Leaf Adventures, which offers boutique expedition cruises of British Columbia and Alaska on three small vessels: the sailing ship Maple Leaf; the catamaran Cascadia; and Swell, an historic tugboat that takes 12 guests. In the case of Alaska, Windstar Cruises’ expert-led Signature Expeditions program, focused solely on the largest state in the U.S., is another great bet for clients looking to get off the beaten track. Alaska and British Columbia cruises out of


Vancouver or Seattle are another west coast classic. Typically offered from May to September, key players include Holland America Line which augments the epic scenery and coastal capers with land excursions to points of interest such as Juneau and Skagway. Few cruise destinations are as evocative as the


Northwest Passage, however. This bucket-list staple sees clients seize the short summer window when the route is navigable to follow in the footsteps of intrepid Victorians such as Franklin. Such sailings feature everything from visits to remote destinations such as Beechey Island to sea kayaking excursions. Of note for solo travelsers, Aurora Expeditions’ Go


Solo and Save promotion scraps single supplements on 2023 expeditions such as its 30-day Complete Northwest Passage aboard new ship Sylvia Earle, departing Toronto, Canada on August 24 2023 and culminating in Anchorage. Scenic Cruises has packed its second upscale


discovery yacht, Scenic Eclipse II with everything from onboard submarines and helicopters to kayaks and standup paddleboards, backed by luxurious creature comforts such as butler-serviced suites. Polar expert Quark Expeditions is another good


example, having installed two helicopters on board its vessel Ultramarine. Used for both flightseeing and immersive excursions such as ice sheet landings and heli-trekking it’s a very welcome addition on sailings such as its nine-day Arctic Express Canada, departing Calgary, Canada on September 2 2024. More bells and whistles await on Silversea


Cruises’ new expedition vessel Silver Endeavour. Launched in fall 2022 and billed as ‘the most luxurious expedition ship ever built’, it features a 10-day round-trip cruise out of Pond Inlet, Nunavut departing August 10 2023.


Worldwide Destination Guide 2023/24 | ASTA | 117


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