A Cruise for Every Month of 2017

Are you planning to take a cruise in 2017? Here's an outline of some sailing highlights per month to inspire you.

January

Seabourn's new Seabourn Encore has recently been delivered, but its official inaugural sailing is scheduled for January 7, 2017 immediately following the ship's christening by godmother Sarah Brightman. Onboard for the cruise will be special guest Tim Rice as part of the luxury line's Seabourn Conversations enrichment program.

February

Viking Cruises continues to expand its ocean fleet with the launch of its third vessel, the Viking Sky, setting sail first on February 25, 2017 on an 8-day Mediterranean Getaway from Rome to Barcelona. Guests will have the chance to see what makes the Venice-class ship so special from the comfort of its double-decker Explorers' Lounge observation venue as the ship cruises into off-the-beaten-path ports like Tunis and Palma de Mallorca.

March

Not forgotten is Viking Cruises' river fleet as the company also will christen another two of its acclaimed Longships on March 9, 2017: the Viking Herja and Viking Hild. Following the event, both riverboats will depart on the line's 12-day Paris to the Swiss Alps itinerary covering the countries of France, Germany and Switzerland.

April

The latest luxury ship from Silversea Cruises, the Silver Muse, is scheduled to set sail on April 10, 2017 roundtrip from Monte Carlo. The vessel is based on the current Silver Spirit flagship but offers an array of additional culinary venues for even more dining diversity. The inaugural sailing is now waitlisted, but there may be last minute openings. If not, the ship will only just be beginning its new career.

[READMORE]READ MORE: Cruising To Cuba: What Comes Next?[/READMORE]

May

Many mainstream cruise lines recently received approval to sail to Cuba roundtrip from the U.S., but they are only going to Havana. Only Pearl Seas Cruises has raised the bar by heading to four Cuban ports-of-call from and returning to Florida. The intimate 210-guest Pearl Mist will visit Havana, Cienfuegos, Santiago de Cuba and Trinidad beginning in January and going through May 2017.

June

A new expedition ship is coming online next year from Lindblad Expeditions in the form of the National Geographic Quest. The adventure vessel will first embark on June 26, 2017 on a 15-day cruise from Seattle, Washington to Sitka, Alaska via British Columbia and the Inside Passage.

July

UnCruise Adventures is now sailing to Costa Rican and Panama, and the 62-guest Safari Voyager can take you through the legendary Panama Canal from a unique small ship perspective roundtrip from Panama City or from San Jose to Panama City or vice versa. Trips range in length from 7 to 15 nights and feature expedition adventures conveniently off the vessel itself.

August

Holland America Line recently introduced its new Denali Square dining and shopping complex at the entrance to Denali National Park. Those travelers who fancy a Land+Sea cruise-tour featuring the new facility in Summer 2017 need look no further than the premium cruise company for the best of both Alaskan worlds.

[READMORE]READ MORE: More Cruise Ships Plan to Take Advantage of the Newly Expanded Panama Canal[/READMORE]

September

While not embarking until December 15, 2017, if it's not already sold out by then, September may be the last chance to consider booking Viking Ocean Cruises' second new ship for the year, the Viking Sun, on its 120- or 141-day world cruise beginning in either Miami or Los Angeles. Leading up to the longer sailing will also be a series of four 8-day roundtrips from Miami including an overnight stay in Havana, Cuba.

October

Following the success of "Star Wars Day at Sea," the Disney Cruise Line will host "Marvel Day at Sea" starting on October 6, 2017 aboard the Disney Magic roundtrip from New York City. Along for the ride will be the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, Thor and more, and activities including Marvel Cinematic Universe film screenings and character meet-and-greets will be crowned by a special themed fireworks deck party.

November

Besides the new Silver Muse coming out, Silversea Cruises anticipates reintroducing the Silver Cloud as part of its expeditions fleet come November 2017 as well. The newly ice-class-strengthened ship will then head to the polar regions with only 200 guests onboard catered to by 222 crew members for the ultimate in adventure travel paired with pampering.

December

Set to launch year-round from Miami starting on December 1, 2017, the new MSC Seaside will sail roundtrip to the Caribbean on a ship specifically designed for warm-weather cruising with an al fresco boardwalk and lots of deck activities including an extensive aqua park and the first water slide boarding at sea.

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