Giants of the Deep: Vesterålen Whale Watching Adventure from £2656

Departing Bergen July 31, this 12-day trip with Hurtigruten from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to the Vesterålen Islands with two nights in Andenes for a whale-watching safari.

Just an hour north-west of Andenes is Bleik Canyon, part of the continental shelf and home to a rich supply of deepwater squid, cuttlefish and plankton; the staple diet of the sperm whale.

Accompanying this tour is marine biologist and lecturer, Professor Boris Culik, who has taken part in over 20 expeditions to study whales and other mammals in their natural habitat.

The trip costs from £2656 per person, including the eight-night voyage on a full board basis, one night in Bergen and two nights in Andenes on a B&B basis, whale-watching and tour lecturer and tour guide, based on two sharing. Flights are extra.

For more info, visit http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or contact the adventure-cruise specialist of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Whale Watching with Lindblad

Perhaps nowhere else on earth can you observe grey whales and dolphins as closely as in Baja California on Lindblad Expeditions Sea of Cortez cruise. But this expedition cruise is far from your ordinary whale-watching Baja cruise. With 30 years exploring Baja California, the company have the most experience revealing the remarkable magic of “Mexico’s Galapagos.”

For nearly 50 years, they've been revealing the world's wonders to guests through expedition-style travel. They send guests on nimble expedition ships, accompanied by expert naturalists and other specialists, including National Geographic photographers, for life-changing encounters with beauty, wildness and the seldom-seen.

From their comfortable and intimate 62-guest expedition Baja cruise ship, you’ll explore further in Zodiacs and by kayaking the azure waters. Join an expert Expedition Team of naturalists and an undersea specialist. Their leadership will ensure you have the best possible adventure travel experience in Baja California, and beyond.

Join them where the desert meets the sea. And where, every winter, they help turn curious vacation-goers into lifelong explorers.

For more information, contact the UK's leading adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd or visit Lindblad at www.expeditions.com

Whale watching in Alaska with Royal Caribbean

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Here's a 'cool' offer to highlight the start of the 2011 Alaska cruise season - a nine-night Alaska Southbound voyage on Royal Caribbean’s chic Radiance of the Seas from just £1,895 per person (based on two people sharing an inside cabin).

During the cruise, guests will also get to join Royal Caribbean's Alaska's Whales & Rainforest Trails shore excursion in Juneau, an unforgettable experience into south-east Alaska's whales and wilderness on this exclusive eco-tour.

Juneau is a place of diverse natural habitats, from valley glaciers to temperate forests and natural fjords. There is the chance to take in the superb vistas of the Mendenhall Glacier and hopefully spot Humpback Whales.

Price includes return flights from London Heathrow, one night’s hotel accommodation pre-cruise, and a seven-night Alaska Southbound cruise on Radiance of the Seas, departing Vancouver and calling at Ketchikan, Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway and Hubbard Glacier, before arriving in Seward for the flight home; meals and entertainment onboard and all relevant cruise taxes/fees.

For more information, visit Royal Caribbean or contact the UK's leading cruise specialist travel agents of The Cruise Line Ltd.

From Whale Watching to Staying in a Fisherman's Cabin!

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Fancy seeing nature's gentle giants, the sperm whale, in their natural habitat and under the Midnight Sun? Exploring small fishing villages whilst staying in a traditional fisherman's 'Rorbuer'? Or taking a voyage that combines Norway and Spitsbergen and the chance to see Polar Bears?

All this, and much more, is now possible with new itineraries introduced for 2011 by Hurtigruten, which aim to bring passengers even closer to all that Norway has to offer. Alongside the traditional daily departures from Bergen that travel up and down the coast, the new voyages offer something a little different, combining time onboard and time on land.

Giants of the Deep - Vesterålen Whale Watching Adventure (from £2380pp)
This 12-day trip combines a voyage from Bergen to Kirkenes and back to the Vesterålen Islands with two nights in Andenes for a whale-watching safari. This is the first time Hurtigruten has offered whale watching in the Summer. Just an hour north-west of Andenes is Bleik Canyon, part of the continental shelf and home to a rich supply of deepwater squid, cuttlefish and plankton; the staple diet of the sperm whale.

The trip departs on 31 July, 2011, and includes the 8-night voyage on a full board basis, one night in Bergen and two nights in Andenes on a B&B basis, whale-watching and tour lecturer and tour guide (based on two sharing and price includes early booking discount if booked by December 21; flights are extra).

Classic Norway and Spitsbergen (from £2814pp)
A new 11-day itinerary combining the coast of Norway and the north west of Spitsbergen with internal flights between. This trip takes in northern Spitsbergen, including Ny Ålesund, the world's most northerly permanent occupied settlement and hopes to cross the 80th parallel to visit Moffen Island.

There will be the chance to see a wealth of different wildlife and animals, including, hopefully, the Polar Bear. Four dates are available on July 25 and August 1, 8 and 15, 2011, and the price includes 10 nights full board on the ship, flights between Kirkenes and Longyearbyen and from Longyearbyen to Oslo (based on two sharing).

Themed Voyages with experts - these once again feature prominently, with themes including Polar History, Edvard Grieg, Birds of the Nordic Coast and Norway's National Day. Also new for 2011 is a New Year themed voyage that includes celebrating seeing in the New Year actually on North Cape, with prices from £1328pp.

For more information, look up http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or the dedicated Hurtigruten section of The Cruise Line Ltd.

You can also learn more about Hurtigruten cruises at The Cruise Show at Birmingham NEC on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia next March (26-27).

Whale Watching - With a Difference

It should be fairly clear by now that we are big fans of adventure cruising here at Time Spent At Sea, hence we're always pleased to see new initiatives and offbeat cruises that focus on this growing trend (like the Adventure Cruise Collection, which we've featured several times).

The latest news to arrive in our Inbox comes from Orion Expedition Cruises in Australia, and highlights a wonderful opportunity to go whale-watching. Here's what they say:

Late July through to September in the Kimberley is prime time to view pods of migrating whales. And, what better way to see the largest humpback whale population in the world heading north from the Antarctic to rest and calve than from onboard the luxury expedition cruise ship, Orion?

With 3,000km of undeveloped shoreline and over 1,000 rarely visited islands, this land, so ancient it pre-dates the existence of fossils, ranks as one of Australia’s, and the world’s, truly remarkable destinations.

Join Orion’s specialist Expedition Team to view pre-history Gwion Gwion and Wandjina rock art, land on remote islands and beaches, explore gorges, venture into a labyrinth of waterways in search of saltwater crocodiles or climb to the plateau next to the highest waterfall in the Kimberley, King George Falls.

With embarkation/debarkation in Darwin or Broome, Orion’s 10-night voyages combine the contrasts of exploring the ancient and magnificent Kimberley wilderness, incredible at-sea experiences and the historic pearling town of Broome with its cafes and art galleries. All this plus the chance to see migrating humpback whales, estimated to exceed 20,000 individuals, breaching, tail slapping and blowing.

Orion offers seven 10-night Kimberley voyages between 20th July and 16th September 2010 starting in either Darwin or Broome and visiting, typically, King George River and Falls, Vansittart Bay, Hunter River (for Mitchell Falls), Montgomery Reef and Raft Point, Talbot Bay/Horizontal Waterfalls, Cape Leveque and the Lacepedes.

Prices start from £5,325 per person, cruise only, based on twin share. Price includes 10 nights onboard accommodation, 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. Also included is one night’s accommodation in Broome pre- or post-cruise plus a complimentary Bungle Bungle sightseeing flight.