Andrea Zelinski
One way a cruise line can keep itself interesting when not pushing out a new ship is by spicing up its destinations.
If I’ve learned anything from speaking with cruise lines’ chief commercial officers and sales chiefs, it’s that new products and destinations give travel advisors one very good reason to reach out to clients.
For example, cruisers who frequent the Caribbean on big ships may be interested in the details of a new private island experience — of which there appear to be many. Carnival Cruise Line has just released details about its Celebration Key outside of Freeport, Bahamas, and Royal Caribbean International said Friday it would open not one, but two Royal Caribbean Beach Clubs by 2026.
Expedition lines are offering new products, too. Several expedition lines are promising new itineraries in 2025 in order to bring different destinations and experiences to guests. I’ve been working on a story about cruise itineraries out of Greenland (look for that next week), but here is a selection of a few expeditions that caught my eye for both culture and adventure.
Lindblad’s return to the Mediterranean
After a seven-year hiatus from the Mediterranean, the National Geographic Orion from Lindblad Expedition-National Geographic will return to the Med with four new summer itineraries sailing through the Balkans.
The cruises are mostly seven-day trips and are part of a larger lineup of 19 Med itineraries. One of the options is called Ancient Mediterranean Odyssey and explores Greece, Croatia and Albania with visits to Unesco World Heritage sites. The cruise begins from Athens and slips through the historic Corinth Canal before continuing up the Dalmatian Coast where the expedition leader will choose to call at a beach on one of two islands, Kefalonia or Zakynthos, before continuing north.
The line’s Treasures of the Adriatic cruise will focus more on Croatia and Montenegro. Sailing roundtrip from Split, Croatia, the Orion will cruise up the coast as far north as the old town of Zadar, Croatia and as far south as Kotor, Montenegro, which is nestled in a bay. Calls in between the two include Mljet National Park and Komiza, a town on the outermost Croatian island of Vis.
Other new itineraries include the Greek Isles Odyssey, calling only on Cycladic islands, including Santorini, Naxos and Paros. A 10-day cruise called Crossroads of the Ancient World will island-hop roundtrip from Athens to Delos, Patmos and Chios before reaching Unesco-listed Ephesus and Bodrum in Turkey.
Two options from Alaskan Dream Cruises
Closer to home, Alaskan Dream Cruises has introduced two new itineraries for the 2025 season, one with a focus on longer adventures when in port and the other offering more cultural connections.
The line is offering a seven-day cruise called Alaska’s Ultimate Adventure that sails between Sitka and Juneau, cutting through the Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound, Lynn Canal and other narrows of the Inside Passage. The ship’s expedition team will select a remote wilderness adventure partway through the cruise for a wilderness hike, beach trek or kayak paddle. The line says guests can opt for physical adventures each day, ranging from demanding hikes in the Tongass National Forest to long kayaking tours. In addition to wildlife-viewing opportunities, guests will visit the small town of Wrangell where they can look for ancient petroglyphs on the beach, hike to a waterfall or take a jetboat tour.
The other itinerary is called Wild Alaska Odyssey and provides more time in Wrangell. The ship either departs from or concludes from Wrangell (an airport there offers daily service from American Airlines), with calls in the Native village of Kake, home of the world’s tallest totem pole. The ship will cruise through Glacier Bay National Park and visit the Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness, with opportunities for wildlife viewing alongside Admiralty Island for bears and Frederick Sound for whales. The voyage will include two full days for wilderness exploration, like a remote hike and what the line calls “more unscripted adventure.”