8 exciting new cruise ports to explore
Wallace Immen reports on this year's top new cruise destinations
Durres, Albania: Here’s your chance to see Adriatic beach resorts that for years were heavily guarded enclaves of the country’s elite. Albania second-largest city is a handy jumping off point for tours of the coast and castle tours. Who’s visiting: Holland America LineReuters
Kangaroo Island, Australia: Most often visited as a day trip from Adelaide, the South Australian island will see cruise ships anchor on its coast for bird watching, viewing of seal colonies and, of course, close encounters with kangaroos. Who’s visiting: Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Silversea Cruises
Klaipeda, Lithuania: This port and resort on the Baltic Sea has been controlled by Teutonic Knights, the Duchy of Prussia, the Kingdom of Prussia, the Third Reich and the Soviet Union. Buildings dating back as early as the 13th century. Who’s visiting: Crystal CruisesJulius Kielaitis
Lome, Togo: In addition to colonial buildings and bustling bazaars, tiny Togo is home to a “fetish market,” which sells traditional remedies and voodoo charms and potions for those who’d like to freak out customs agents. Who’s visiting: Princess CruisesReuters
Mgarr, Malta: The fishing town on the east end of the lesser known Maltese island of Gozo has a 250-year-old fort built by the Knights of St. John. It’s quiet and little changed because it’s been well off the usual tourist routes. Who’s visiting: Seabourn Cruise LineAlexander Maksimenko/Getty Images/iStockphoto
Petersburg, Alaska: Petersburg got its start in the 1890s as a cannery on an island along Alaska’s Inside Passage and it’s still an uncrowded frontier outport. There’s a fleet of charter salmon fishing boats and guides for bear watching Who’s visiting: InnerSea Discoveries; American Safari CruisesKLAS STOLPE/The Associated Press
Qaqortoq, Greenland: The pristine air alone is an attraction of this Thule community of about 3,000 in South Greenland. It’s an experience in Inuit culture, with arts and crafts, fishing, hiking, dog sledding, kayaking and whale watching. Who’s visiting: Oceania Cruises
Xiamen, China: One of those amazingly fast-growing but lesser-known megalopolises in China, the city also known as Amoy (population 3.5 million) has bustling street markets and galleries featuring crafts and oil paintings. Who’s visiting: Azamara Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Silversea CruisesIngram Publishing