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Alaska breathes adventure – its scale and isolation making free-spirited travellers' pulses race. One minute watching eagles wheel in blue skies, the next humpback whales dive into even bluer seas, Alaska cruises drift from mountains and ice fields to fjords and forests. Board a smaller vessel to get close up to tucked-away glaciers and inlets.

A melting pot of cultures, landscapes and cuisines, the Far East spices up cruising. Your stint at sea is bound for Thailand’s golden temples and Vietnam’s jasmine rice paddies, Hong Kong’s silk-strewn markets and the fiery fervour of Bombay. From tried-and-tested favourites like Beijing’s Great Wall to buried treasures like Langkawi’s tiny islands in Malaysia, the Orient entices.

Far East Cruises Cruiselines

Costa Cruises ~ Holland America Line ~ P&O Cruises ~ Princess Cruises ~ Regent Seven Seas Cruises 

Cruise Season

While most Far East cruises sail in the winter (November-March), some cruises in Asia are available year round. Cruise and stay options are cheaper in summer (May-September), as hotel prices fall off season.

Insider Cruise

Independent travellers board cruises in Asia to Vietnam to see Ho Chi Minh City’s boulevards, plus Nha Trang’s secluded bays and silvery towers. Some Far East holiday itineraries include tear-shaped Sri Lanka, Japan’s Nagasaki and Mumbai – a heady mix of bhajis, bazaars and Bollywood.

New to Cruise

Essentials for first-timers on a Far East cruise are Beijing’s snaking Great Wall, Bangkok’s incense-filled wats, Phuket’s golden beaches and Singapore’s modern malls. The streets teem with bicycles in Shanghai, home to the Jade Buddha Temple.

Ports of Call

Cruises in Asia stop off in bustling Bangkok to glimpse the Golden Palace’s spires and stupas, before travelling to Hong Kong’s web of shops and skyscrapers framed by Victoria Peak. Offbeat antidotes for a cultural overdose are Malaysia’s powdery beaches and Vietnam’s hidden rainforests.

Top Trends

An up-and-coming Far East holiday hotspot is Myanmar (aka Burma). The country that was once off limits is home to the beautiful Rivers Yangon and Ayeyarwady.