By Maria Lenhart
Aerial view of Cape Town, South Africa
getty images
Already known for immersive itineraries in Asia and Africa, Oceania Cruises is raising the bar in 2024 and 2025 with new sailings that will feature a wider range of ports, including the coast of West Africa, and shore experiences. Departing in November and December on the 1,250-passenger Riviera are a 59-day cruise from Barcelona to Singapore, a 27-day cruise from Barcelona to Cape Town and a 32-day cruise from Cape Town to Singapore. The 400-plus shore excursions will fill any bucket list, including scouting for the “big five” on African safaris, spotting black lemurs in Madagascar and elusive leopards in Sri Lanka, snorkeling in the Seychelles, off-roading in the Namib Desert, visiting a cocoa farm in Ghana, taking a hands-on Thai cooking class in Phuket, and others. Providing a luxurious home base, the refurbished Riviera promises spacious staterooms and specialty dining orchestrated by a culinary team led by one chef per 10 passengers.
The Book of Kells Experience
Trinity college dublin
Trinity College Dublin is now offering an immersive experience showcasing the Book of Kells, a ninth-century illuminated manuscript containing the four Gospels of the Bible, and other historic treasures from Ireland’s oldest university. Located in a pavilion on the campus grounds, the Book of Kells Experience features 360-degree digital displays with stories and sounds tracing the history of the manuscript from its origins in Iona, Scotland. Also showcased are other manuscripts and books from the college’s Old Library collections, including the 1916 Proclamation of the Irish Republic. Along the way, visitors can interact with the animated sculptures of Ada Lovelace, Jonathan Swift, Rosalind Franklin and William Shakespeare and gain insight on how Trinity’s famous Long Room library, itself a popular visitor attraction, has existed from 1732 to 2024.
Starblaster outside the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind roller coaster at EPCOT
Disney
EPCOT’s multi-year transformation launched in 2020 is heading toward completion with the recent unveiling of “Luminous: The Symphony of Us,” a nighttime spectacular with fireworks, fountains, lights and music; and World Celebration Gardens, peaceful green spaces highlighted by a statue depicting visionary founder Walt Disney in a relaxed, seated pose. The park, formerly divided into Future World and World Showcase, now features World Showcase, World Celebration, World Nature and World Discovery, each with a distinct focus and new attractions, including Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. More changes are on the way, specifically two exhibition spaces opening in World Celebration later this year. According to Scott Mallwitz, executive creative director of Walt Disney Imagineering, the transformation marks a shift away from the park’s brutalist architecture into an open-space, celebratory environment more in keeping with today’s preferences.
Celebrity Ascent in the Caribbean
celebrity cruises
Celebrity Cruises recently took delivery of Celebrity Ascent, a ship appointed with new and expanded features from the line’s Edge Series and the widest selection of staterooms and suites in its fleet, including those for solo travelers. One exciting new option is a private event space for small groups, equipped with a karaoke lounge and sports simulator. Guests can now enjoy an expanded Resort Deck and Rooftop Garden with cantilevered float pools extending over the sea as well as the Magic Carpet, a bar and entertainment area on a floating platform that reaches up to 13 stories above sea level. The ship will sail in the Caribbean through late April before heading to the Mediterranean for voyages departing from Barcelona and Rome.