Arctic to Antarctic cruise lets guests customize their vacation

Norwegian Coastal Voyage is offering segments of 23, 31 and 44 days from New York and 19, 27 and 40 days from Pt. Canaveral, Florida on its new 67-day "Longitudinal World Explorer Cruise" this fall. Passengers will be joining what is believed to be the cruise industry's first Arctic-to-Antarctica itinerary aboard the world's newest and most innovative exploration ship, the 318-passenger MS Fram. Disembarkation for New York and Pt. Canaveral guests is offered in Callao, Peru, Valparaiso, Chile, or after spending three days exploring the "White Continent," in Ushuaia, Argentina. Fares range from $3,799 to $15,899 per person, double occupancy for staterooms and $8,499 to $30,199 for suites. Rates include a series of in-depth exploration lectures, expedition guides and all meals on board. From Savannah to the white continent After beginning in Iceland and making its way along the coasts of the UK, Canada and New England, the MS Fram, picks up guests in New York on Oct. 9 and Pt. Canaveral on Oct. 13, visiting Charlestown, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia in between and its final U.S. port Key West, Florida. From Key West, the ship heads to the warm, sunny weather and tropical waters of the Caribbean, transits the Panama Canal and then skipping winter by crossing the Equator, makes it way along the western shores of South America to Antarctica and the Chilean Fjords. Examples of just a few of the highlights include the Mayan ruins and fresh water lagoons of Belize City; the crystal clear waters of San Andres Island, Colombia, part of a World Bisophere Reserve; an eye-level view of the "mules" and canal operation during the Panama Canal transit; the archaeological sites of Peru; Arica, Chile, with its 8,000-year history of settlements; Puerto Natales, gateway to Torres del Paine National Park; and, of course, penguins in Antarctica; and the crossing of the Drake Passage. Over 60 optional excursions! With 63 optional excursions offered after departing New York, the choices run the gamut lunch with an astronaut at Kennedy Space Center; kayaking the mangrove creeks of Key West; cave tubing in Belize; dolphin encounters; tour of a banana processing plan; cave exploration in Panama in dugout canoes; a full day exploration of the Ecuadorian city of Quito; touring a private Moche culture excavation site; exploring any of a dozen national parks and preserves; a visit to a Chilean ghost town; fly fishing in a forest preserve; wine tasting in Chile's Elqui Valley; a photo safari to the Osorno Volcano; and the highlight, at no charge, the incredible vista, icebergs, penguins and wildlife of Antarctica. "Norwegian Coastal Voyage is uniquely positioned to offer this exclusive voyage of discovery combining our company's extensive experience in expedition cruising, a purpose-built luxury exploration cruise ship; an experienced crew familiar with the unique ports you'll visit on this journey, well-thought through shore excursions and experts and lecture sessions on the world's most pristine destinations such as Antarctica," says Hans Rood, president of Norwegian Coastal Voyage. Guests will be hard-pressed to find a greater variety of seasons and scenery or uniqueness of ports of call, many that larger cruise ships cannot visit, on any other single itinerary. Most calls are nine to 12 hours in length, plenty of time for independent exploration or tours. The ship's size makes it easy to dock in the center of many of these towns and cities with easy on/off capability. And for those unusual ports of call where docking is not offered, the MS Fram offers landings with comfortable PolarCirkel tenders specifically designed to visit off-the-beaten-track destinations. Countries with port calls include U.S., Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Antarctica and Argentina. The 12,700-ton eight-deck ship, the first built exclusively for sailing in the challenging and sensitive maritime environment of Greenland from May-September, makes significant use of that country's culture as inspiration for design while incorporating a striking Scandinavian feel. The ship boasts excellent conference and meeting facilities, an Internet caf , a large glass-enclosed observation salon offering panoramic views of the outside scenery, restaurant with ocean views, wellness center with saunas, work-out room and two glass-screened heated outdoor whirlpools. Norwegian Coastal Voyage, or also know as Hurtigruten, is a world leader in exploration cruising, sailing to the most remote of destinations including Antarctica, Greenland and the Arctic's Spitsbergen. Information, brochures and reservations can be obtained from Norwegian Costal Voyage Inc., (800) 323-7436 or (212) 319-1300; fax (212) 319-1390; for brochures (800) 666-2374; 24 hours a day; www.norwegian coastalvoyage.us.