Cruise lines are already looking to 2024 and beyond with new itineraries on rivers and oceans that will ensure your clients enjoy trips that will create memories to last a lifetime. The sooner you plan with your clients, the better the airfare, cabins and rates.
New Itineraries and the Return of Old Favorites
Seabourn is coming in hot with their 2024-2025 expedition cruises to the South Pacific, the Arctic and Antarctica, including their first itineraries to Australia aboard Seabourn Pursuit. The line’s two new purpose-built expedition ships, Seabourn Pursuit and Seabourn Venture, will be plying the oceans to get to some of the most remote corners of the earth.
Seabourn Pursuit is headed to Kimberley, Australia, a first for the company, between June and August 2024. Once there, clients will explore the Horizontal Waterfalls aboard Zodiacs, see ancient rock art, visit stunning gorges and much more. The new itineraries also include Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and on to the South Pacific from Chile to Melanesia between March and October 2024. Seabourn Venture, meanwhile, will spend another season in the chilly waters of the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Greenland, Iceland and the Canadian Arctic. Both ships will be sailing the Arctic at the end of 2024 and early in 2025.
Keep in mind these luxurious ships come with extraordinary service and every bell and whistle, including kayaks, Zodiacs, helicopters, submarines and incredibly knowledgeable 24-person Expedition Teams to guide your clients on unforgettable experiences. Each also boasts 132 oceanfront suites with verandahs.
Explora Journeys’ luxurious Explora I has also unveiled its new itineraries for autumn and winter 2024-2025, and they are open for booking now. The first of a planned fleet of six ships, Explora I will embark on 23 sailings and two “grand journeys” that can take your clients to 73 destinations across 24 countries. Some of these will be a first for Explora Journeys, including Macapa, Alter-do-Chao and Manaus in the Amazon and the Devil’s Island in French Guiana. These voyages follow the slow travel mode of exploration, with overnight stays included in some ports.
Standouts include the 8-night Journey to Trailing Whales and Falling Leaves which departs New York City on Oct. 8, 2024, sails to Boston, Portland and Halifax and ends up in Quebec City, taking clients on an unforgettable trip through the so-called Whale Corridors. The ship will also head to the Amazon on two separate itineraries, where torchlit kayak tours, forest trails and visits to tribal villages await. The “grand journeys” are 28 nights and 32 nights each: A Grand Journey to Amazonia & Tropical Isles and A Grand Translatlantic Odyssey in the Atlantic. Explora I has 461 luxury oceanfront suites, including 82 connecting suites that are perfect for unparalleled family trips.
Scenic’s new itineraries in the luxury river cruise department sail in 2024, with a 10-day Danube in Depth and an 11-day Iconic Danube with Prague ready to hit high on the list of client favorites. Both will take them on deep dives into the cultures, history and local flavors of the cities and towns that make up the ports of call, from Budapest to Nuremberg to the Czech Republic.
The company knows that the early bird gets the worm, so they offer savings of up to $1,500 per couple. If the booking is paid in full at least 12 months prior to selling (or within 72 hours of booking if within 12 months), your clients can pick from either free roundtrip economy airfare, a free land extension or an additional $2,000 per couple savings. Keep in mind if your clients want to visit France on the Scenic’s 8-day Highlights of Normandy and the Seine, 2024 is the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the Paris Olympics, so you might want to book early. Scenic also has two- and three-night extensions in Paris (one of 12 different city stays and extensions on its roster).
Scenic offers immersive experiences and exclusive events that include tons of local interactoin to make your client’s vacation a trip to remember, including shopping and cooking lessons with the chef, wine tasting in exclusive vineyards, kayaking the Danube, meeting with local businesses to learn how they make cheese and much more.
If your clients want to extend their time in Europe, ask about the Ultimate River Cruise Combinations, where you can set up six different 21- and 23-day voyages that take them through the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers or the Seine and Portugal’s Duoro.
For more information, visit scenicusa.com.
Ponant has taken exploration a step further in 2024 by joining forces with Smithsonian Journeys, the travel program of the Smithsonian Institution. This is their third year of collaboration, and their new itineraries include visits to Alaska, New Zealand’s Fiordland and the Mediterranean. The cruises will be joined by Smithsonian Journeys experts, who range from archaeologists and historians to anthropologists and scientists, adding another layer of wow to your client’s trip. The sailings also include more half- and full-day shore excursions, such as making pizza in Sorrento or visiting the new Grand Egyptian Museum after listening to an exclusive talk with an Egyptologist.
New on the roster: the 12-night Ancient Civilizations by Sea: Israel, Egypt, Cyprus, Greece, & Turkey aboard Le Champlain; the 7-night Mediterranean Island Voyage: Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, and Elba, aboard Le Bougainville; the 7-night Cultural and Natural Treasures of Japan by Sea, aboard Le Soleal; the 8-night Cruising Alaska’s Inside Passage, aboard Le Soleal; and the 7-night Ancient Wonders and Culinary Delights: Cruising Southern Italy and Sicily, aboard Le Bougainville.
The 2024 offer also brings back some 2023 favorites, including sailings to Panama and Costa Rica, a 7-night voyage through the Scottish Isles and Norwegian Fjords (that includes a train ride on the Flam Railway into the mountains of western Norway), and the popular journey through the Greek Islands with stops at a different island each day.
For more information, visit us.ponant.com.
