Oceania Set to Offer New Canada, New England & Iceland Voyages

If you’ve ever wanted to sail into the sort of far-flung, fjord-riddled places where puffins outnumber people and the word “breathtaking” stops being a travel cliché and becomes an involuntary reaction, Oceania Cruises may just be your vessel of destiny. This summer, they're taking to the cool, brisk waters of Canada, New England, and Iceland, the sort of places where the landscapes look like they were designed by a team of slightly overzealous Norse gods with a thing for drama.

Two ships will be roaming these waters: the Marina, a 1,250-guest floating temple to food, and the Insignia, a more modest 670-passenger vessel for those who like their luxuries served with a side of intimacy (and fewer people to fight for the good deck chairs).

The Marina, as it happens, was designed by foodies for foodies — which, if you think about it, is vastly preferable to being designed by, say, dentists. It was the first cruise ship to feature an actual hands-on cooking school at sea. Yes, you can learn how to flambé without setting your towel animal on fire. With four fancy restaurants (included, mind you), plus a wellness-forward place called Aquamar Kitchen—which sounds like something Gwyneth Paltrow might approve of—you won’t go hungry unless you actively try.

The Insignia, meanwhile, is the kind of ship that can sneak into picturesque ports like Eskifjördur, Iceland, which sounds like a sneeze but is actually quite beautiful. This is ideal if you’re into harbors where time slows down and the locals still wave at you without a hint of irony.

Itineraries span 11 to 19 days, which gives you ample time to develop a deep and meaningful relationship with your deck chair. Excursions include hiking on glaciers (actual glaciers!), contemplating volcanos from a suspiciously close distance, and wandering through cities where the buildings are older than most countries.

And then there’s Greenland, which is neither green nor particularly land-like, but utterly gorgeous. Take Paamiut Fjord: so remote that you half expect to find polar bears holding planning meetings on icebergs. You can spot humpbacks, orcas, and the occasional minke whale, all of which are very big and look mildly amused that you're floating past in a luxury ship eating gelato.

Speaking of gelato — and this is important — all sorts of things are included on these voyages. Specialty dining? Yes. Starlink Wi-Fi? Also yes. Laundry? That too. There’s even ice cream by Humphry Slocombe, a brand that sounds like it was invented by Roald Dahl but is in fact a real thing. Oh, and group fitness classes are free, which feels optimistic given how much cheese and wine will be on offer.

The Conde Nast Traveler editors have even chimed in with their “insider tips,” which is travel-speak for “go here, eat that.” These include such gems as climbing to the top of Mount Aksla in Norway for pancakes and a view, and visiting Dynjandi, an enormous Icelandic waterfall that apparently has seven tiers and more legends than a Tolkien novel.

Among the many oddly specific but tantalizing voyage names:

• Scottish & Nordic Voyager

• Vikings & Bon Vivants (which frankly sounds like a Viking brunch club)

• Far North Explorer

• Northern Vistas

• and the evocatively chilly Subarctic Scenes, which begins in New York and somehow ends in Reykjavik, which tells you everything you need to know about the temperature trajectory.

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All in all, it’s the sort of cruise where you get to feel both indulgent and adventurous — like someone who enjoys foie gras but isn’t above a brisk hike to a waterfall. And if you’re lucky, you’ll return with a camera full of puffins, a head full of volcanoes, and a waistline slightly more generous than when you left — which, let’s face it, is the mark of a trip well taken.