Check out our pick of up-and-coming ports, to offer both new-to-cruise and seasoned clients something fresh
1. Best for fall foliage: Japan
No, it’s not New England, but rather Japan, where cruise lines are extending seasons into autumn, when the leaves are at their colourful best. Princess Cruises has added 11 voyages of between nine and 22 nights on Diamond Princess, including two nine-night Circle Japan round-trip sailings from Yokohama, which depart on October 25 and November 3.
Seabourn has four cruises on Seabourn Quest timed to coincide with the fall foliage, including a 12-day sailing from Yokohama to Kobe departing October 12, which includes a maiden call in Akita. Norwegian Cruise Line, meanwhile, has introduced an 11-day voyage from Yokohama to Incheon in South Korea, departing November 3, which includes calls at Osaka, Okinawa and Nagasaki.
2. Best for discovery: Colombia
Move over Mekong, there’s another adventurous river voyage for passengers to discover as AmaWaterways launches on the Magdalena River in Colombia in March, initially with one ship but ramping up to two by June. The company will be the first to operate overnight cruises on the waterway.
The seven-night sailings between Cartagena and Barranquilla will include tours that cover everything from street jazz in the island town of Mompox to dinner ashore in El Banco accompanied by a cumbia music and dance show.
Other options include birdwatching in Magangué and tours of Cartagena’s colourful Getsemani district (pictured), while every cruise will feature mardi gras-style performances in Barranquilla.
3. Best for winter: The Med
Sun-loving Brits might crave the Mediterranean in summer, but it can get so busy that it’s hard to appreciate the sights. Cue Windstar, which tested the waters for the Med in winter a couple of years ago and found sailings were in so much demand, it has expanded capacity for 2025-26, adding overnight stays in Nice, Dubrovnik (pictured), Venice, Barcelona, Malaga and Livorno (for Florence).
Windstar’s Star Legend, which holds just 312 passengers, offers an intimate alternative to the bigger ships. It’s not the first line to extol the virtues of the Med out of season. MSC Cruises and Viking operate year-round sailings, while Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises are extending the traditional season into autumn. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, meanwhile, will offer its first Med fly-cruises for 17 years from September to November next year.
4. Best for adventure: British Isles
It’s not often ‘UK’ and ‘hot’ appear in the same sentence, but they will in 2025, as expedition lines bring adventure sailing to these shores. In place of penguins, polar bears and ice-filled waters, Silversea and HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) will take passengers island-hopping around Britain’s coast and through the Hebrides on no-fly voyages that promise everything from wildlife and birdwatching to puffin spotting, cruises on inflatable boats and hikes ashore.
HX will operate out of Greenock (Glasgow), while Silversea is sailing between Portsmouth and Leith (Edinburgh), calling into both much-loved and little-known islands including Guernsey, the Isles of Scilly, the Shiant Islands, Farne and Lindisfarne (pictured). Atlas Ocean Voyages and Swan Hellenic are also tapping into ex-UK expeditions in 2025.
5. Best for long-haul: Australia and New Zealand
Things are hotting up in Australia and New Zealand for 2025, as companies launch long cruises for passengers to make the most of their journey Down Under. Topping the chart is Coral Expeditions, with a 60-day voyage around Australia that sets sail on October 17.
For those with less spare time, Holland America Line is operating a 28-day Collectors Voyage in December that ticks off New Zealand and Australia’s south coast. Also in December, AE Expeditions will be offering an 11-day cruise around Tasmania on new ship Douglas Mawson, giving wildlife lovers the chance to spy sea eagles, parrots, fur seals, wallabies and dolphins.
If clients move quickly, Azamara’s new 14-night New Zealand Intensive Voyage in January is the perfect introduction to the destination.
PICTURES: Shutterstock/Mariano Luis Fraga, Alexey Fedorenko, Tony Martin Long, Blanscape; Coral Expeditions
