Destination-oriented Oceania Cruises is known for longer cruises with overnights in intriguing destinations and as much time as possible in port.
Among the line’s offerings during the next year is a dream trip combining ancient Egypt, Israel, Rome and Byzantium; a circle of South America that sails from the sophistication of Rio to the mountains and forests of Patagonia; and a journey through the Greek islands, Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Istanbul, Turkey.
The Nautica’s 14-day Roman Revelations cruise sails June 27 from Barcelona, Spain, to Istanbul, sampling the richness of Roman, Minoan and Byzantine cultures, with opportunities to visit Nazareth and Galilee in Israel, and the Sphinx and the pyramids in Egypt. Passengers will be able to visit bazaars and marketplaces and can shop for hand-blown glass, textiles, carpets and antique jewelry. Ports of call include La Goulette, Tunisia; Valletta, Malta; Aghios Nikolaos, Crete; Alexandria and Cairo, Egypt; Haifa and Ashdod, Israel; Limassol, Cyprus; and Kusadasi, Turkey, with an overnight in Istanbul at the end. This itinerary is priced from $4,599.
Nautica also sails the 12-day Aegean Adventures itinerary from Istanbul to Athens, Greece, with two fall departures that vary only in offering an overnight in Athens or a separate day each for Delos and Mykonos, Greece, departing Sept. 21 and Oct. 29. Both cruises overnight in Istanbul and call in Kusadasi and among the Greek Isles in Rhodes, Delos, Mykonos and Santorini. A visit to Katakolon opens the door to Olympia, where the Olympics were originally held, in addition to Corfu’s monasteries and palaces, the Palace of Knossos on Crete and the walled delight of Dubrovnik, Croatia, with pricing from $2,499.
Guests who board the Insignia on Feb. 22, 2010, for the 40-day Grand Circle of South America will travel from Buenos Aires to Rio de Janeiro by way of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and the Caribbean Sea, visiting ports in Uruguay, Argentina, Chile (and two days among the spectacular Chilean fjords), Peru (with two full days in Lima), Ecuador, Panama (with a canal crossing), Colombia and Aruba, Grenada, Devil’s Island and Brazil, with pricing from $9,249.
For a shorter taste of South America, Insignia departs Jan. 3 and 22 on the 19-day South American Splendors cruise between Rio de Janeiro and Valparaiso. The trip explores the contrast between the spectacular scenery of Patagonia and its bottom-of-the-world mystique and cosmopolitan centers including Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires. Insignia calls in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Montevideo, Uruguay; the Falkland Islands; Ushuaia, Argentina; and Punta Arenas, Laguna San Rafael, Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Montt, Chile. This cruise starts at $4,299.
www.oceaniacruises.com
