Cruise Routes

16/10/2026

What’s it like onboard MS EUROPA 2? Come and take a look with Martin. 👀

Our Director Martin Johnson steps aboard Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ luxury ship for a full tour, exploring its restaurants, lounges, OCEAN SPA and suites. There’s even a golf simulator at sea.

Whether you’re considering a voyage or simply curious about life onboard, join Martin for a closer look at the spaces and details that make this ship distinctive.

Watch the full tour: https://youtu.be/SIrS9z8JdvY?si=n4pqBNTMHZoTHXB5

Step aboard MS EUROPA 2 with Cruise Routes’ Director Martin Johnson...

10/10/2026

A shared passion for exploration, discovery and the natural world 🗺️📚

We’re delighted to announce our new partnership with Gilbert White's House & Gardens in Hampshire – a place where curiosity about the natural world has inspired generations of explorers.

From Gilbert White's pioneering observations of British wildlife to Captain Lawrence Oates’ Antarctic expedition, the stories told here reflect our own passion for exploring and understanding the world around us.

🐧We’re proud to be sponsoring 𝗘𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗿𝘀, an exhibition exploring the lives of emperor penguins and the challenges facing their future in Antarctica, running from 𝟲 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝟮𝟬 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲.

If you’d like to know more, please get in touch. You can read more about our partnership here 👇
cruiseroutes.com/gilbert-whites-house-partnership/

08/10/2026

GALÁPAGOS DAY 🌎🐢 🦎

How close can you really get to the wildlife of the Galápagos?

Our Marketing Executive – and keen photographer – Lewis Freeth recently found out, exploring the islands with Lindblad Expeditions aboard the 48-guest National Geographic 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘐.

Marine iguanas basking across black lava. Giant tortoises roaming the Santa Cruz highlands. Seabirds nesting on North Seymour. And wildlife encounters that continued from Zodiac, kayak, glass-bottom boat and beneath the water while snorkelling.

What made the journey even more memorable for Lewis was Lindblad’s expedition team – sharing their knowledge with plenty of humour and helping him understand more about the wild landscapes unfolding around him.

To celebrate Galapagos Day, Lewis shares some of his amazing photos and offers insights to what it’s really like to explore this remarkable archipelago by small expedition ship.

Read Lewis’s story here: cruiseroutes.com/galapagos-cruise-national-geographic-lindblad/

22/09/2026

🦏 𝗛𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝘆 – 𝗺𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝗴 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗶𝗴) 𝗳𝗶𝘃𝗲 🦏

This World Rhino Day, we’re celebrating one of the planet’s most recognisable animals – and the wild places they still call home.

There are just five living species of rhino, found across Africa and Asia. And while some require a fair bit of luck to encounter, others can become part of a wider cruise adventure.

🌍 White Rhino – Southern Africa
The largest of the five, weighing more than two tonnes. An African cruise can be paired with time on safari for the chance to see one. Fun fact: they can run at around 30mph.

🦏 Black Rhino – Eastern & Southern Africa
Recognisable by its hooked upper lip, used for browsing leaves and shrubs. Cruises around Africa can also be combined with stays in rhino country.

🇮🇳 Greater One-Horned Rhino – India & Nepal
Sail the Brahmaputra through Assam and you can visit Kaziranga National Park, an important stronghold for these armour-plated giants. Fun fact: they’re excellent swimmers.

🇮🇩 Javan Rhino – Indonesia
One of the world’s rarest mammals. You can explore Indonesia by ship, but seeing a Javan rhino is another matter – even researchers often rely on camera traps.

🌳 Sumatran Rhino – Indonesia
The smallest of the five, with two horns and reddish hair. They’re extraordinarily elusive and surprisingly vocal, communicating with whistles and squeaks.

World Rhino Day is a good reminder that exploration isn’t simply about seeing somewhere new. It’s about understanding the wildlife, landscapes and habitats that make each place what it is.

18/09/2026

🇳🇿 New Zealand – but not as you know it.

With more than 15,000 kilometres of coastline, some of Kiwi land's most interesting places are found at the water’s edge, and others are only really accessible by sea. 🌊

So, what can exploring New Zealand by small ship look like?

🏔️ Fiordland – sail beneath sheer mountains, rainforest and waterfalls through Milford, Doubtful and Dusky Sounds.

🐧 The Subantarctic Islands – venture hundreds of kilometres south to remote islands where wildlife vastly outnumbers people.

🌿 Stewart & Ulva Islands – walk through quiet forests filled with native birdlife.

🐋 Kaikōura – look out for whales, dolphins, seals and seabirds where mountains meet the ocean.

🛶 Marlborough Sounds – explore a maze of sheltered waterways, forested peninsulas and islands.

And there’s more than one way to do it. From true expedition voyages with Zodiacs and remote landings to smaller ships combining exploration with a little more comfort aboard.

Read our new guide to New Zealand small ship cruises and four rather different ways to explore. 👇

🔗 cruiseroutes.com/new-zealand-small-ship-cruises-guide/

11/09/2026

Hosted in the High Arctic: Svalbard 🐻‍❄️

871 nautical miles. Beyond 80° North. Eight nights exploring one of the wildest corners of the Arctic.

This spring, our Product Executive Michelle hosted a small group of Cruise Routes travellers aboard Quark Expeditions' 𝘖𝘤𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘌𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘳 – and Svalbard gave them plenty to talk about.

🐻‍❄️ Multiple polar bear sightings, including a mother and cub
🦭 Walruses resting along the shore
🦅 Thousands of seabirds filling the cliffs at Alkefjellet
🛶 Zodiac cruises, kayaking and time ashore
🧊 A journey to the edge of the Arctic sea ice
🥶 And, for the brave, a polar plunge…

Wildlife is never guaranteed in Svalbard – and that’s rather the point. Weather shifts, ice moves and animals appear where they choose. On this voyage, though, the Arctic was feeling rather generous.

And because this was one of our Hosted Departures, our travellers had Michelle alongside them throughout – sharing the adventure, helping with the practical details and making sure everyone was free to experience Svalbard in their own way.

Read Michelle’s story and discover what unfolded in the High Arctic. 👇

🔗 cruiseroutes.com/hosted-in-the-high-arctic-svalbard

03/09/2026

🚢⛴️ Meet Hapag-Lloyd Cruises 𝙈𝙎 𝙀𝙐𝙍𝙊𝙋𝘼 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙈𝙎 𝙀𝙐𝙍𝙊𝙋𝘼 𝟮 – two ships that prove you don’t need an expedition vessel to explore somewhere properly.

With a maximum of just 400 guests on EUROPA and around 500 on EUROPA 2, their smaller size opens up interesting routes, smaller harbours and less obvious ports that much larger ships simply can’t reach. 🌍

The two ships have distinct personalities, too. EUROPA offers a more intimate, classic style of small-ship cruising, while EUROPA 2 is its more contemporary counterpart, with light-filled spaces and generously sized suites.

And where can they take you? Quite a long way. 📍

🌸 Japan in spring
🦘 Australia & New Zealand
🌍 Mauritius to Cape Town
🇧🇷 Across South America
🏔️ Deep into the Norwegian fjords

Whichever route you choose, expect plenty of space, thoughtful service, good food – and time to actually experience the places you’ve travelled all that way to see.

Our advice? Choose where you want to explore first. Then decide which ship feels most like home along the way.

🔗 Read our latest article on these two vessels here: cruiseroutes.com/hapag-lloyd-europa-europa-2/

27/08/2026

Think you know Antarctica? There’s much more beyond the Peninsula... 🇦🇶

Venture further and you’ll find the shifting pack ice of the Weddell Sea, emperor penguins at Snow Hill Island, the rarely explored waters beyond the Antarctic Circle, and the remote Ross Sea – reached from the other side of the continent. 🧊

Our latest blog explores four very different ways to experience Antarctica, including voyages with Quark Expeditions, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, PONANT and Heritage Expeditions. 🚢

And if emperor penguins are high on your list? We explain which expeditions give you the best opportunities to see them – and why, in Antarctica, there are never any guarantees.

🔗 Read the full blog here: cruiseroutes.com/beyond-the-antarctic-peninsula

19/08/2026

🦧📸 Today is International Orangutan Day.

Seeing an orangutan in the wild is one of Southeast Asia’s most unforgettable wildlife experiences.

In our latest blog, we head into orangutan country to explore the rainforests of Borneo, the conservation work helping protect these remarkable great apes, and the expedition cruises that journey into this extraordinary part of the world.

From Camp Leakey in Tanjung Puting National Park to the forests of Sabah and Sarawak, these voyages offer the chance to experience orangutans as part of a much richer journey through remote islands, local communities and remarkable landscapes.

Read the full story and discover the cruises taking you into orangutan country →

https://www.cruiseroutes.com/where-to-see-orangutans-in-the-wild/

Discover where to see orangutans in the wild, learn why their conservation matters, and explore extraordinary expedition cruises through Borneo and Indonesia.