The Art of Japan With Orion

Orion Expedition Cruises has released details of an exclusive eight-night Art of Japan voyage featuring visits to some of the most culturally significant high points around the Inland Sea of Japan.

Departing Busan, South Korea, on April 19, the itinerary has been tailored especially for art lovers and those with a curiosity about Japanese art seeking to better understand and experience the breadth of the country's art culture, including some fine collections of Western art.                         

Developed in conjunction with the Art Gallery of New South Wales, this tour embraces ancient Shinto shrines, exquisite formal gardens, art complexes and museums, samurai culture, medieval castles and contemporary architecture. From the floating red shrine of Itsukushima to collections of Claude Monet, the formal gardens of Korakuen and the contemporary art of Tatsuo Miyajima, this Art of Japan voyage onboard Orion II promises to be an artistic revelation.

The voyage visits Sakai Ko, Honshu Island; Hagi, Honshu Island; Hiroshima; Miyajima, Inland Sea; Uno Ko, Honshu Island; Naoshima, Honshu Island; and Takamatsu, Shikoku Island; before arriving at Kobe, Japan. Prices start from £3,825 per person (a saving of £670) including eight nights onboard, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury adventure cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Luxury Goes Exploring With Regent

Demonstrating the line’s claim that ‘luxury goes exploring’, Regent Seven Seas Cruises has revealed their new programme from November 2012 to June 2013 featuring new ports of call, new itineraries and unique and adventurous sailings as they launch the latest edition of their impressive Cruise Atlas.

Regent is once again raising the bar on its already extensive all-inclusive offering, adding a 1-night pre-cruise hotel package on ALL of its 2013 cruises. The new 2012/2013 itineraries can be viewed online now at www.rssc.com and are already available to book as of this month. All past guests will automatically also receive a copy of the new Atlas.

Highlights of the programme include:

· Seven Seas Voyager sailing a new 17-night cruise from Hong Kong, with visits to Hiroshima (Japan) and Inchon (S Korea), as well as overnight stays in Keelung, Osaka and Beijing and a two-night overnight stay in Shanghai, departing February 27, 2013. Fares for a Deluxe Balcony suite start from £7,679 per person.

· Seven Seas Voyager sailing a new extended ‘World Voyage’ from the Mediterranean through the Indian Ocean, Asia and Australia, exploring the wonders of Indonesia, China, Vietnam, Japan and South Korea. Ranging from 7 to 143 nights, guests can choose an individual sailing, an extended combination of sailings, or construct their own combination. Fares for a Deluxe Balcony suite on a 54-night sailing from Bali to Singapore start from £20,239 per person.

· Seven Seas Mariner returning to South America, offering a selection of single voyages of 12, 14, 22 or 24-night voyages that can be combined to create longer cruises or a 72-night full circumnavigation of the continent.

For the latest info and to book, see this link with luxury cruise experts The Cruise Line Ltd.

Orion Offers Samurai, Sake and Soba

Orion II (above) the new ship from Orion Expedition Cruises will be making her inaugural voyages to Japan in June and July. The ten-night Inland Sea of Japan voyages live up the promise of a path less travelled, with the specialist expedition team introducing guests to insider experiences, many of which are exclusive to Orion.

Guests will cruise the moat surrounding imposing Matsue Castle; learn to make Soba noodles; stroll the main street of Sakaiminato with hundreds of bronze statues depicting animated cartoon monsters and enjoy a visit to Sakai's Sake brewery to sample their fine rice wine.

Other experiences include traditional drumming with Japan's best Taiko drum troupe, Kodo, and a trip in a Taraibune - round barrel boats traditionally used to collect abalone and other molluscs from narrow coves.

Orion’s three 10-night Inland Sea of Japan voyages depart July 8, 18 and 28. The voyages start in Aomori and visit Sado Island; Kanazawa, Honshu Island; Sakai Ko, Honshu Island; Busan, South Korea; Nagasaki, Kyushu Island; Uwajima, Shikoku Island; Hiroshima, Honshu Island; Miyajima; and Uno Ko, Honshu Island before finish in Kobe.

The July 18 voyage is in reverse. Prices are from £4,770 per person including 10 nights on Orion II, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes.

For further information, visit http://www.orionexpeditions.com/ or contact the UK's leading adventure cruise experts of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Orion Expeditions - Responsible Award Winners

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Orion Expedition Cruises, the leading operator of five-star expedition cruising in the Australasian region, has been named “Best Responsible Cruise Operator” at the 2010 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards which took place at World Travel Market in London this week (World Responsible Tourism Day).

Thousands of tourism organisations and travel experiences were nominated by the public in just 13 categories, with the central tenet being that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people. The awards recognise individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive contribution to biodiversity conservation.

Orion Expedition Cruises operates the 106-passenger expedition vessel Orion (above) in the Kimberley region of Australia, the Australian Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and the Sub Antarctic, Melanesia, the Spice and Forgotten Islands and Antarctica. In May 2011, Orion Expedition Cruises will increase the size of its fleet with the addition of a second specialist expedition vessel, Orion II.

Based on thorough research, and following the success of Orion’s recent voyages, Orion II will be based in south-east Asia, offering a wide range of expeditions that will include Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Borneo, the Inland Sea of Japan and the Russian Far East.

For further information, visit http://www.orionexpeditions.com/ or the UK's specialist adventure cruise experts, The Cruise Line