WATERTOWN, NY (September 3, 2024) – World’s Greatest Cruises, a locally-produced lifestyle and travel series, is back with Season 2 – premiering on WPBS-TV Wednesdays at 7:30 pm, starting September 11, 2024.
World’s Greatest Cruises “celebrates the wonder of exploring the world by water.” In each half-hour episode, viewers sail on a unique itinerary, experiencing spectacular scenery, maritime traditions, nature and wildlife, local people and cultures – best discovered by ship.
Hosted and independently produced by award-winning Canadian travel journalist and cruise expert, Lynn Elmhirst, World’s Greatest Cruises celebrates the romantic traditions, fascinating ships, and transformative destinations of modern-day cruising – a style of travel that continues to grow in popularity. The series also explores new trends in cruising – river cruising on iconic waterways, expedition or polar cruising to remote corners of the world, ‘yachtsmans’ itineraries, private islands, and innovations that have transformed cruise travel.
“Nearly ¾ of the surface of the earth is water,” says Lynn Elmhirst, producer and host of World’s Greatest Cruises, “And so many of the world’s great cultures and civilizations grew up from the oceans, seas and rivers. World’s Greatest Cruises celebrates our ages-old connection to the waves, and instinct to explore our world by water. It is truly one of the most authentic ways to discover the history, people and natural wonders of the world.”
Season 1 of World’s Greatest Cruises, which launched in 2022, has reached audiences in over 60 markets nationwide on PBS stations. In Season 2, viewers will experience fresh episodes showcasing a range of ships navigating rivers, seas, and oceans across the globe, including the Arctic and Antarctic, the tropics, Europe, and the Americas.
SEASON 2 EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS
In Search of Emperor Penguins on an Antarctic Expedition Cruise (Wednesday, Sept. 11 at 7:30 pm)
Host Lynn Elmhirst sails aboard the Scenic Eclipse to the bottom of the world, where zodiac landings take her to breeding colonies of several types of penguins. But it takes a helicopter tour off the ship to attempt a distant ice landing in search of the largest, rarest and most elusive penguins: Emperor penguins. She also encounters elephant seals, learns the secrets of ice from an expert – and drinks cocktails made with Antarctic glacier ice! And takes a South ‘polar plunge’ into icy Antarctic waters!
Yachtsman’s Ports on a Caribbean Cruise (Wednesday, Sept. 18 at 7:30 pm)
Host Lynn Elmhirst goes off the beaten path, sailing aboard the mega-yacht Emerald Azzurra on a ‘yachtsman’s itinerary’ of the Caribbean. She discovers smaller islands where larger ships can’t sail: from exploring a natural wonder seaside maze of boulders and caves on British Virgin Gorda, to hiking in a tropical park, tasting the abundant local lobster in Tortola, and qualifying as a rum master in St. Kitts, she cruises the Caribbean in a new and intimate way, with marina days and the yachting lifestyle on board, and a private beach barbecue on a picturesque shore.
Christmas Market River Cruise on the Rhine (Wednesday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 pm)
Host Lynn Elmhirst celebrates holiday traditions in their birthplace sailing on the Viking Sygyn along the Rhine River through Switzerland, Germany and France. She discovers the world’s largest Christmas store, full of hand-made ornaments, and talks with its founder about the spirit of the season; explores Christmas markets, each with its own unique character, from quaint mediaeval towns in the Black Forest, to an urban winter festival market in Cologne. On board the river cruise ship, she tries her hand at traditional baking and blowing glass Christmas ornaments with a local artisan glassblower.
Iceland & Greenland Cultural Expedition Cruise (Wednesday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 pm)
Host Lynn Elmhirst discovers hands-on over a thousand years of human stories of seafaring cultures while sailing aboard the Seabourn Venture in Iceland and Greenland: fermented shark on a quirky food tour of Reykjavik, an entire walrus skull carved by an indigenous Greenlandic artisan, kayaking in the waters where the vessel got its name, walking in the footsteps of Erik the Red in the world heritage site of his settlement in Greenland, and participating in the cruise line’s own culture and traditions: caviar sail away parties at a glacier, a pop-up champagne bar on a zodiac in an iceberg field, and a polar plunge into the Arctic Ocean!
The South of France on a Rhone River Cruise (Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 7:30 pm)
Host Lynn Elmhirst sails through one of the most beloved destinations in the world aboard the Emerald Liberte on the Rhone River, passing through three famous wine regions, and experiencing over 2000 years of history. She discovers renowned wines and wineries, scenic sailing past chateaux and riverside vineyards, tastings of famous local delicacies, and the chance to burn off some of the indulgence with hikes of storied vineyards and e-cycling tours along the riverbanks and into medieval villages of one of the most picturesque regions of France.
Exploring the Great Lakes on an Expedition Cruise (Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7:30 pm)
Host Lynn Elmhirst is cruising close to home, sailing aboard the Viking Octantis on an expedition cruise of the newest – and nearest – expedition cruising frontier. This cruise sails from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and calls in Mackinac Island, Michigan, famous for its historic, summer resort and horse-drawn carriage lifestyle, en route to Canadian waters. Lynn explores North America’s “Inland Seas” via zodiac and kayak tours of the forested and rocky shoreline. She discovers natural wonders, explores under the surface in one of the cruise ship’s two submersibles, and delves into local indigenous and fur trader history in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Natural Wonders of Greenland & Iceland on an Expedition Cruise (Air Date TBA)
Host Lynn Elmhirst explores Arctic fjords, glaciers, icebergs, waterfalls, volcanos and geysers sailing aboard an expedition cruise on the Seabourn Venture. In Iceland, she takes the only tour inside a glacier in the, sips champagne during a tour of Arctic waters on one of the ship’s submarines, watches as expedition crew members map uncharted waters of a Greenlandic bay and send the data back to the captain on the ship’s bridge for real-time navigation use, and is inducted into the Order of the ‘Bluenose,’ the cruise line’s ceremony for first-time sailors crossing the Arctic circle.
Wine and Culinary Rhine River Cruise (Air Date TBA)
Host Lynn Elmhirst tastes and sips her way through 4 countries sailing aboard the Viking Sygyn along one of the main maritime transportation routes in Europe. She learns how to make Switzerland’s famous cheese fondue, meets a female winemaker in France’s Alsace region, visits the ‘Cathedral of Wine’ at the oldest Riesling winery in the world, where there’s a tasting by candlelight! On board the river cruise ship, she learns how to make ‘spirited’ local Rudesheim coffee, toasts an Oktoberfest dinner and wonders at the sight of over 30 castles along the riverbanks of the ‘Romantic Rhine.’
The White Continent: an Antarctic Expedition Cruise (Air Date TBA)
Host Lynn Elmhirst learns that the so-called ‘White Continent’ is actually rich with color, textures, sounds and tastes while sailing aboard the Scenic Eclipse. She boards zodiacs to colonies of seals and penguins, thriving in the icy desert climate, walks off the ship onto ‘fast ice,’ kayaks among vivid blue icebergs, flies high above glaciers in one of the ship’s two helicopters, and boards the ship’s submarine to see wildlife under Antarctic Ocean waves. On the bridge with the ship’s captain, she also learns about navigation in icy waters.
A Legendary Transatlantic Crossing (Air Date TBA)
Host Lynn Elmhirst sails on British cruise line Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 on the legendary route between New York and Southampton, England, following in the wake of celebrities, royalty and VIP’s in the golden era of ocean liners. It’s an entire week at sea with no ports of call, instead immersed in quintessential British lifestyle: ship-wide afternoon tea, pub lunches, Royal Mail, the biggest library and planetarium at sea, and gala evenings. She visits with the kennel master and some four-legged passengers in the only kennels at sea! In London, Lynn drops into the only studio in the world still hand-making globes.
The series is available to stream on demand with added member benefit, WPBS Passport. Visit https://watch.wpbstv.org/show/worlds-greatest-cruises/ to watch online or download the free PBS app.
About Host and Producer, Lynn Elmhirst
Veteran travel and cruise journalist and editor, TV producer, and on-camera host Lynn Elmhirst brings her expertise and passion for cruising to PBS viewers of World’s Greatest Cruises. Lynn has in-depth knowledge, and access to the most compelling and transformative cruises as a result of a 20-year love affair with cruise travel storytelling. For years, Lynn has been telling the stories, following the trends, meeting the change-makers, and experiencing in person the most interesting developments and one-of-a-kind experiences in cruise travel. Lynn began her media career at Canada’s public broadcaster as a news reporter, anchor and producer. Since moving to independent production, Lynn has written / produced / hosted hundreds of hours of travel and cruise television and digital video content. Travel TV programs produced by Influence Entertainment Group, Lynn’s media company, have aired in countries around the world. Lynn’s digital travel content has been published in major international online channels and syndicated to the digital channels of thousands of travel agencies across North America. Lynn’s also editor of travel trade publications. An award-winning travel video producer, Lynn is an accredited member of the Travel Media Association of Canada and DOC, the Documentary Organization of Canada. World’s Greatest Cruises is the culmination of Lynn’s passion to share her expertise and the best of cruise travel with PBS viewers, who get to come along on her marine adventures as ‘armchair travelers.’ Learn more at WorldsGreatestCruises.com, Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin.
About WPBS
WPBS is a PBS station serving approximately 600,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario via cable, satellite, Internet and over-the-air distribution. WPBS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inspire diverse communities with exceptional and trusted content across multiple platforms. Its vision is to be the premier provider of relevant public service media that instills wonder and curiosity across generations and cultures. More information about WPBS, including a full channel listing, is available at wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Download the free WPBS Mobile App to follow WPBS on the go.
