Happy New Year!

By guest blogger Steve Newman

A happy New Year to you all!

Well I guess like me you are looking forward to a new year of cruising opportunities. I am lucky enough to be going to Antarctica with Hurtigruten this month, one of my dream destinations for quite a few years now.

Browsing through all the brochures that have popped though my letterbox, I was struck by Silversea’s Alaska and Pacific Coast offerings, even though any ship with more than 100 guests on board is not my cup of tea really! Eco/adventure cruising is more my style and the hot spots this year are likely be Australia, New Zealand, Polynesia and the Far East. In fact, if you get a chance, do have a look at the Adventure Cruise Collection brochure from The Cruise Line.

So where would I like to visit this year? Well, being a fanatical bird-watcher and naturalist, my number one all-time spot is the Galapagos Islands. Companies such as Haugan Cruises, Lindblad Expeditions and Ecoventura all offer excellent options. If, however, you would prefer to do your wildlife watching from the deck clutching a gin and tonic, then some of the larger cruise lines such as Celebrity offer this as a choice.

The problem is there is just SO much to see. But the incredible scenery you find around the Thailand coast when onboard wind powered vessels like Star Clippers (above), Paul Gauguin and Windjammer have a definite appeal.

Where ever you go, I hope you have a fantastic time and do keep coming back to these pages to find a bargain - or your dream cruise in 2011.

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