From time to time, I climb onto my cruise soapbox to tell you about some of my pet peeves. Always near the top of my list of things I would like to see more of are late-night departures and overnights in port.
While my preference is more overnights, even a late departure gives you a sense of how a city transitions from day to night.
In markets like the Caribbean, where ships speed through a seven-day schedule, that's rarely going to happen. However, in European cities such as Copenhagen, Venice, Barcelona and Amsterdam - to name just four where ships are making a unique one-way journey - there's an opportunity to see more of a city than a 10-hour stop allows - without having to pay for a night in a hotel. At European hotel prices, that's a good thing.
Where we see that extended-stay trend blossoming is in the Far East, with faraway destinations we might see only once in our lifetimes, such as China, Cambodia, Malaysia and Vietnam. You have a choice between ocean-going vessels and river cruisers, as is the case in Europe.
Also, the time to visit these countries is now. Vietnam, for one, is growing quickly, with sights set on being a developed country by 2020. According to a friend who sailed there last fall, the lure is to see it before the skyline changes for good.
Like slow cooking, slow cruising provides a chance to savour the best of these Far Eastern offerings instead of approaching them as just appetizers.
Here are a few of the cruises available:
? Take the Celebrity Millennium from Hong Kong with an overnight on April 11 during a 14day cruise. Destinations include Taipei, Nagasaki, and Busan and Jeju Island in South Korea. Here comes the best part: three days in Beijing, docked at Tianjin and finishing in Shanghai.
On the same ship, you can leave Singapore on Feb. 3, and this may whet your appetite for even more overnights. The Millennium sails a one-way cruise to Hong Kong with overnights at both ends as well as Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.
? Looking for something more upscale? How about an Azamara Club Cruises trip on board a boutique ship. On Feb. 3, the Azamara Journey leaves on a 17-night cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore with an overnight in Hong Kong, Halong Bay, Danang, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, two overnights in Bangkok (Khlong Toei, or Klong Toey) and another at the cruise's end in Singapore.
Do your homework before you leave and pick out some restaurants and entertainment that can round out your visit to this part of the world.
While many European brands charter river ships in this region, Uniworld's 15-day trip from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi offers opportunities to see the timeless wonders of the region by both land and /2 water. There are 2 1 in Ho days Chi Minh, then it's on to the River Orchid for a mostly Cambodian cruise taking in the history of Siem Reap province in the northwestern part of that country for a couple of days before flying on to Hanoi for an overnight stay.
Cruise growth in this part of the world means you will have many more choices over the next couple of years. For more details on these cruises visit:
? Celebrity Millenium celebritycruises.com
? Azamara Journey azamaraclubcruises.com
? Uniworld's River Orchid uniworldcruises.ca
Visit portsandbows.com for daily updates on the latest cruise news, best deals and behind-the-scenes stories from the industry. You can also sign up for an email newsletter on the site for even more cruise information. Phil can be contacted directly at [email protected]
