Doc Dancing to Bali, Borneo & Singapore with Orion Expedition Cruises

It's amazing how much my mood improves whenever cruise documents arrive in our mailbox! I was out running errands the other day when my cell phone rang. It was my husband announcing that the docs for our upcoming Orion Expedition Cruises voyage had arrived! Yay! I couldn't wait to get home and read through all the materials.


If you want to take a peek at Orion's document folder, watch the short video I made. (Note that I misspoke in one section. I refer to Sarina Bratton as Orion's founder and managing editor...she's actually the managing director not editor! Sorry!)

This cruise, Camp Leakey Faces in the Forest, embarks Bali, sails the southern and western coastlines of Borneo, and disembarks in Singapore and it's one that we've been looking forward to for a long time. We fell in love with Bali last September when we visited to celebrate our anniversary and my husband's birthday. We've also had Borneo on our "must visit" list since we are very keen on seeing endangered orangutans in their natural habitat.


I've been enamored with orangutans ever since I read Dr. Birute Galdikas' memoir, Reflections of Eden: My Years with the Orangutans of Borneo. Dr. Galdikas is to the red ape what Dian Fossey was to mountain gorillas and Jane Goodall is to chimpanzees. She is the foremost authority on orangutans and is the founder of the Orangutan Foundation International. She also founded Camp Leakey in 1971 at Tanjung Puting National Park and has been researching the red ape there ever since. This Orion expedition is named after her camp.


Camp Leakey is a place where scientists can research the behavior and ecology of wild orangutans and travelers can visit to interact with these apes as well as many other animals like pygmy elephants, proboscis monkeys, and macaques.

Sarina Bratton, founder and managing director of Orion Expedition Cruises, spent several years researching and developing a series of Borneo cruises. The voyages are unique...mixing the best a luxury expedition ship can offer with calls on very off-the-beaten path destinations. There are five different Borneo-centric voyages and each one of them is special in its own right. They're so unique that some travelers have booked them all back-to-back.


Camp Leakey Faces in the Forest 10-Night Itinerary

• Embark from Benoa, Bali (we'll spend a few pre-cruise days at the St. Regis Bali)
• Sea day
• Two full days at the Tanjung Puting National Park (Kalimantan) for a visit to Camp Leakey
• One day at Gunung Palung National Park (Kalimantan)
• One day in Pontianak (Kalimantan)
• Two days in Kuching (Sarawak)
• One day at Bako National Park (Sarawak)
• Sea day
• Disembark in Singapore (our post-cruise stay will focus on the InterContinental Singapore)

Access to the Internet will be sporadic throughout the trip but I'll be blogging, tweeting, and posting photos whenever I can. In the meantime, I'll spend the next few weeks telling you more about this expedition cruise.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for Luxury Cruise Bible

Three Exotic Cruises on My Hit List

One of my favorite bloggers, Gary Leff of View from the Wing, often talks about aspirational travel. His focus is on frequent flyer miles and back in July he talked about why he loves spending his own miles on first class travel to places like Southeast and Central Asia.




His blog post got me thinking about the cruises I prefer and which are still on my wish list. Many are "aspirational" because they either focus on far-away ports of call, wildlife sightings, or the chance to meet and talk with the great thinkers of our time. 




Here are a few cruise itineraries that I'm looking forward to...

Orion Expedition Cruises

Camp Leakey: Faces in the Forest Bali – Borneo – Singapore Itinerary

Orion II

2011: September 30 and December 29

2012: January 8, February 17, August 14 & 24, October 2 & 12

This itinerary travels between Bali and Singapore with seven days spent in Borneo in search of wild and ex-captive orangutans.

Compagnie Du Ponant Yacht Cruises

Male, Maldives Roundtrip

Le Ponant

2012: January 11, 18, 25, February 1, 11, 18, 25, March 3

The Maldives have been calling my name all year and the toughest question has been, which atoll should be home base during our vacation. Compagnie Du Ponant Yacht Cruises has solved that dilemma with its series of cruises that visit the following atolls: Mulaku, Thaa, Dhaalu, Faafu, South Ari, North Ari, and South Male.

Anantara Cruises

Chao Phraya River, Bangkok, Thailand

Anantara Dream

In July 2011 Anantara took over Manohra Cruises, a specialty travel company sailing two refurbished 100-year-old rice barges down Bangkok's Chao Phraya River. I'd book the two-cabin Anantara Dream for an ultra exclusive two-night experience.




What cruises are you most looking forward to? I'd love to hear about them! 

—Andrea M. Rotondo for Luxury Cruise Bible

10-Night Mexican Riviera Cruise with Crystal Symphony for $1,995

It's that time of year again... cruise lines are reviewing their fourth quarter bookings and are tweaking rates to spur last-minute bookings. Here's a terrific deal to Mexico's Riviera from Crystal Cruises.

Sun-Kissed Shores (Voyage 1230)

December 11–21, 2011

Crystal Symphony

Rates form $1,995 per person

Los Angeles – at sea (2 nights) – Puerto Vallarta – Cabo San Lucas – 

Topolobampo – Loreto – La Paz – at sea (2 nights) – Los Angeles

Despite so many sea days (of which I'm not a huge fan), I like this itinerary because Crystal is offering so many strong shore excursions. My picks include a sea lion encounter, whale photo safari, sea kayaking, and a Mexican fiesta with traditional clambake.

For more information, talk with your travel agent or contact Crystal Cruises.

—Andrea M. Rotondo for Luxury Cruise Bible