Exciting Places Cruise Lines are Sailing to in 2022
Cruise lines have been working to make their future itineraries in 2022 and beyond more diverse and noteworthy than ever.
If there is one positive thing to come about from this temporary shutdown of the cruise industry, it is that cruise lines are shuffling the deck when it comes to their fleet. Itineraries are becoming more unique, even among some of the big-ship cruise lines. Ports of call, particularly for those lines with smaller ships, are becoming more interesting and often exotic. And that translates into new experiences and explorations for cruisers around the world.
Here are a few our favorite noteworthy new itineraries worth looking into for the 2022 cruise season:
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An Exploration of The Former Prussia
In the summer of 2022, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines sends its nimble 929-passenger Braemar on an itinerary that visits several ports of call in the historic region of Prussia that is situated on the eastern Baltic Sea.
The culturally-rich itinerary departs Edinburgh (Rosyth), Scotland on August 19, 2022 and sails for Szczecin, Poland; Gdansk, Poland; Baltyisk, Russia; Sassnitz, Germany; and Travemünde (for Berlin), Germany.
Braemar will also transit German's scenic Kiel Canal, and will also spend time cruising Poland's Oder and Swina rivers.
The itinerary allows passengers to visit the heart of one of the world's most prominent historic kingdoms, calling on ports that are still relatively unknown to many cruisers who have sailed the Baltic previously.
Braemar is the perfect vessel for this exploration, as it is small enough to transit the Kiel Canal and to dock in these off-the-beaten path ports, many of which are inaccessible to larger ships.
Silversea's First-Ever Expedition World Cruise
This one should have happened in 2021 but was postponed by the ongoing global health pandemic.
On January 25, 2022, Silversea sends its hybrid luxury-expedition vessel Silver Cloud on a massive journey around the world that will last until July and will rank as the first-ever expedition world cruise.
Silver Cloud travels through 107 ports in 30 separate countries and touches both Antarctica and the Arctic as it travels from Ushuaia, Argentina to Tromso, Norway.
Now for the bad news: this bucket-list journey is already wait list-only. Here's to hoping the line re-does this spectacular voyage in 2023.
Ponant's Journey to the North Pole
This one actually takes place in 2021, and for the true adventurer, is worth signing up for.
On July 24, 2021, French expedition line Ponant will send its brand-new, LNG-powered luxury icebreaker, Le Commandant Charcot, on a series of three 15-day voyages to the geographic North Pole.
A feat normally only accomplished by the bright-orange, nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Years of Victory (charted by Quark Expeditions), Ponant will become the first luxury expedition cruise line to bring passengers to the actual geographic North Pole, on a voyage sailing roundtrip from Longyearbyen, on the island of Svalbard.
Le Commandant Charcot departs for the North Pole on July 24, August 8, and August 23, 2021.
Bermuda -- from Florida
Plenty of ships sail to Bermuda each summer, but few do so from Florida. Cruises to the Atlantic island nation typically leave from only a handful of departure ports, like New York or Baltimore; or exist as an add-on stop on longer transatlantic crossings.
In 2022, Royal Caribbean is changing all of that when it deploys its 3,344-passenger Mariner of the Seas on a series of summer cruises to Bermuda from Port Canaveral (Orlando).
These eight-day voyages begin on May 15, 2022 and visit King's Wharf, Bermuda before setting sail for Nassau, Bahamas and Royal Caribbean's very own Bahamian private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
Sailings offer two full days in Bermuda; plenty of time to explore both the iconic town of St. George's and the larger capital of Hamilton.
Mariner of the Seas docks in King's Wharf, adjacent to the Royal Naval Dockyard, and just steps away from the Bermuda Maritime Museum and the historic naval ramparts.
Across the Atlantic with Carnival
Carnival Cruise Line rarely sails across the Atlantic, preferring to keep the majority of its fleet "close to home" in North America. But for those looking for some Fun Ship fun in 2022, there is the chance to sail from England to North America aboard what will be Carnival's newest vessel: the all-new Carnival Celebration.
Carnival Celebration makes its maiden journey across the pond on Sunday, November 6, 2022, sailing from Southampton, England to Miami.
Along the way, Carnival's newest ship will find time to stop in La Coruna, Vigo, Funchal (Madeira), and Santa Cruz de Tenerife before arriving into Miami. The 14-day voyage is also part of Carnival's Journeys collection, which offers additional fun perks and features not found on the line's shorter cruises.
South Africa & Namibia With Norwegian Cruise Line
Between January and December of 2022, Norwegian Cruise Line is sending Norwegian Jade on an entirely new mission: sailings from Cape Town, South Africa to Namibia and back.
Norwegian Jade's exotic voyages will include an overnight stay in Richards Bay, South Africa, to allow passengers to visit the legendary KwaZulu-Natal region and nearby Hluhluwe–Imfolozi Park, the only state-run park in the entire province where all Big Five game animals can be observed.
Norwegian Jade also visits South Africa's Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, and Durban, while calls in Namibia include stops in Luderitz and Walvis Bay. Namibia's second-largest city, Namibia is prized for its striking vistas of the Namib Desert and nearby Namib-Naukluft National Park.