Scenic has unveiled its new 2016 European river-cruise season, with old favourites and some new journeys. The company is adding two new river cruise ships to its European fleet next year when the Space Ships Scenic Azure and Scenic Amber start sailing the Main, Rhine and Danube. Scenic has also launched an eight-day Iconic Danube river cruise from Passau in Germany to Budapest, plus new land itineraries and city extensions which include a nine-day Bel Viaggio from Nice to Rome, an 11-day Alpine Escapade from Munich to Zurich, and a three-night stay in Copenhagen.

Phone 13 81 28. See scenic.com.au

Standing tall

Tall-ship sailing specialist Star Clippers has started building a fourth ship. The new vessel, not yet named, will be the company's biggest and most ambitious and will set sail in mid 2017, carrying 300 passengers, measuring 8770 tons and powered by more than 6350 square metres of sails. The new ship will be a five-masted, square-rigged barque and a near-replica of France II, commissioned in 1911 and then the largest square-rigger ever built. The new ship will also be the largest ship of its kind afloat today.

Phone 1300 295 161. See starclippers.com

Sailing south

Next year, Hurtigruten will double its capacity to Antarctica when MS Midnatsol, currently operating in Norway, heads south to the White Continent, and provides an enhanced entertainment program, including an interactive science lab and dedicated activities for younger guests. It will sail from Punta Arenas and explore the Chilean fjords, Strait of Magellan, Cape Horn and Antarctica, while Hurtigruten's other ship MS Fram continues operating from Ushuaia, with sailings including the Falkland Islands and South Orkney Islands. The 500-passenger Midnatsol will be the largest passenger vessel offering landings in Antarctica.

Phone 1800 623 267. See discovertheworld.com.au

ANZAC spirit

Cruise Express has two new cruise-tours to the battlefields of Normandy and the Western Front, with Anzac Day 2016 spent on the Somme in France. Both 23-night tours depart Australia on 21 April 2016 and feature a 14-night river cruise from Amsterdam to Budapest with Avalon Waterways, preceded by seven nights in France and Belgium, with one tour heading to the Normandy Beaches and the other offering extended stays on the Somme and in Bruges. Both tours take in Paris and Keukenhof garden in the Netherlands, famous for its spring bulbs.

Phone 1300 764 509. See cruiseexpress.com.au

Port pleasures

SeaDream Yacht Club has a beauty of a cruise next year, with a 10-day itinerary on mega motor-cruiser SeaDream II sailing between Rome and Venice, with five overnight port stays in Italy, Montenegro and Croatia. Overnight stays are unusual on cruises. The cruise departs Rome on July 23, 2016 and visits Capri, Amalfi, Taormina and Kotor in Montenegro. It also makes calls at Dubrovnik, Korcula and Hvar in Croatia before sailing into Venice.

Phone 02 9958 4444. See seadream.com