In the year ahead, you can taste wine in Bordeaux, dance New Year's Eve away in Budapest, or take in the temples of Angkor Wat on the gentle rhythm of a river cruise.
APT
APT sails into the Bordeaux region of France next year with a choice of five itineraries, such as the 11-day "Grand Bordeaux River" cruise that includes a three-night stay in Paris before a float along the Garonne and Dordogne rivers on the 74-suite MS AmaDolce. There are visits to historical towns and famous wine centres such as Pauillac, Blaye, Cognac, Libourne, Saint Émilion and Cadillac. Among shore excursions are a private wine-pairing dinner at Bordeaux's Château Pape Clément, a visit to a family-owned cooperage before a wine tasting in Ludon, and the possibility of doing a walking tour in the old market-town of Bergerac.
AVALON
The new 38-passenger, 60-metre ship Siem Reap splashes onto the Mekong River, and its cabins will have floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall panoramic windows that have retractable screen systems and doors that slide open to the balconies, and make the most of the passing scenery. The ship is a scaled-down version of Avalon's European Suite Ships, though kitted out in contemporary Asian style. It's compact enough to sail into both Siem Reap and Ho Chi Minh City, avoiding the long road transfers normally involved at either end of this 12-night river journey through Cambodia and Vietnam, the highlight of which is surely the temples of Angkor Wat.
EVERGREEN
Evergreen Tours has done well with its expansion into river cruising and has been expanding both its number of ships and the tour options available. Among its new land-cruise itineraries for next year is a 17-day 'Best of Switzerland & Rhine River' trip that includes an eight-day cruise on the Emerald Star from Amsterdam to Basel, followed by a land tour that takes in some of Switzerland's most scenic highlights: Geneva, Lausanne, Chillon Castle and Montreux, and a trip on the Golden Pass train for panoramic alpine views. There's free time to explore Interlaken and Lucerne before finishing in Zurich. It's a fine example of the increasing number of cruise and land tour combinations being offered by river-cruise companies.
SCENIC
Scenic Azure arrives in Portugal's Douro Valley and will sail 11-day 'Unforgettable Douro' itineraries round trip from Porto into this famous wine region. There are no overnight sailings on the 11-day return journey from Porto down to Vega de Terron over the Spanish border, so passengers will be able to enjoy all the scenery as the ship meanders by the Douro River's terraced vineyards and historic towns and villages. The ship offers Scenic's all-inclusive experience you'd expect on all its Space-Ships, including butler service, full-size private balcony suites and a choice of dining options: a dégustation at Table La Rive, fine dining at Portobellos and more casual fare at River Cafe.
TRAVELMARVEL
The new 36-suite ship RV Princess Panhwar launches in Myanmar on a signature 15-day "Majestic Burma" cruise from Yangon to Mandalay on the Irrawaddy. Public areas aboard the new four-star vessel include an air-conditioned lounge on the sun deck, a main restaurant, and a spa and massage facility. The cruise takes in all of the fascinating highlights of Asia's latest emerging destination, including Shwedagon Pagoda, a journey by horse drawn cart to the "Leaning Tower" of Inwa and two venerable monasteries, and an exploration of Bagan, one of the world's most spectacular archaeological sites. The cruise can also be extended for a three-day visit to Inle Lake.
UNIWORLD
SS Maria Theresa, which launched earlier this year, is already sailing the classic "European Jewels" voyage from Budapest to Amsterdam. But coming soon on the new luxury ship are some interesting seasonal cruises. A "Christmas & New Year" cruise between Budapest and Passau in Germany celebrates Christmas Eve with an organ concert in Passau and New Year with a gala dinner and ballroom dance in Budapest, and also takes in the seasonal delights of Vienna, Salzburg and Bratislava. Meanwhile, a "Tulips and Windmills" cruise will sail from Amsterdam to Antwerp in Belgium and take in spectacular spring gardens at Keukenhof, historic windmills at Kinderdijk, picturesque Dutch villages and the ancient towns of Bruges and Antwerp.
VIKING
Viking has two new Rhine itineraries that showcase the region during springtime. An eight-day "Legends of the Rhine" journey between Amsterdam and Frankfurt sails through the famous Rhine gorges and stops at Cologne, but also focuses on World War II history with shore excursions to Remagen, site of Operation Market Garden, and to the War Resistance Museum at Nijmegen. Meanwhile, a 10-day 'Rhine Rhapsody" cruise starts in Paris before embarking on a float along the Rhine, Main and Moselle rivers, stopping off at historical towns such as Trier, Rüdesheim, Cochem and Strasbourg. The journey finishes in Basel in Switzerland which, although it has a long history, is also gaining a reputation for contemporary architecture and some of the continent's best art museums.
