Sailing in place: The pleasures of single-country cruises

Remember "If this is Tuesday, it must be Belgium"? That age-old, whirlwind travel agenda still works for some people, including cruise passengers who like their seagoing venture to be a panoramic glimpse of a region. On cruises in Europe or South America they may wake up to a different culture, and country, each day.

But what about those of us who may want to savor just one place? Who want to spend an entire week cruising in Italy, for example?

There are a few such options, of course, if you want to cruise around the Hawaiian Islands or or bask in the warm waters off Bermuda or the Mexican Rivera — regions essentially unbounded by geographic neighbors.

Hawaii is practically Norwegian Cruise Line's own private oyster, with its fleet of U.S.-flagged vessels offering year-round Hawaii itineraries exclusively.

A handful of cruise lines dote on Bermuda's British heritage and deposit passengers to the island's renowned pink-sand beaches, while many more lines lure winter vacationers to the sun-drenched Mexican Riviera.

Then there are Alaskan cruises, which travel the geographically and culturally similar coast of British Columbia and Alaska, focusing on the little towns, glaciers and wildlife of the 49th state.

But aside from those few areas, single-destination sailings nowadays are rare. But they are worth ferreting out. The rewards can be unique. Coupled with onboard enrichment, such cruises can make for a truly memorable experience.

For example, years ago, we took an 11-day cruise that called exclusively at cities in Vietnam. Experiencing the S-shaped nation from top to bottom — from Ha Long Bay in the north to Saigon in the south and even an overnight excursion inland to Hanoi — let us get to know the Southeast Asian country. On occasion, the same Vietnamese guides traveled with us from city to city, sharing their personal lives in a nation that was only just beginning to open to western tourism.

Similarly, we enjoyed a Lindblad itinerary, dubbed "Impressions of a Swedish Summer," where, on a tiny ship, we sailed exclusively in the Swedish Archipelago — cruising by day and staying on land each night and, on occasion, even cycling from one town to the next.

While it's harder to find such itineraries today since mass-market cruising has boomed, there are some cruises that offer an extensive exploration of a single country ... or close to it.

• In Australia, Silversea has you hopping the continent, exploring Australia's eastern, western and southern regions. The line's 14-day Aussie-only voyage on Silver Cloud departs Sydney in February and calls in places such as Hobart and Devonport (Tasmania), Kangaroo Island, Adelaide and near Perth.

• Star Clipper Cruises has seven-night Italy-only sailings aboard the 228-passenger Royal Clipper, the largest fully rigged sailing ship in the world. The upscale yet informal vessel sails roundtrip from Civitavecchia (near Rome) and calls at Ponza, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi, Taormina (Sicily) and Lipari, and floats past the Stromboli volcano for a close-up view.

• Silversea Cruises seems to have the lion's share of unique single-destination sailings. In June, you can board the Silver Whisper in Barcelona, Spain, and spend most of the eight-day cruise in literally one place: seven days and six nights docked in Valencia for the line's front-row seat at the America's Cup races.

• For Brazil buffs, a 14-day cruise on Silversea's Silver Wind begins in Manaus and cruises the Amazon River and Breves Narrows, a waterway flanked by jungle walls that is too slender for most other ships. Port calls include Santarem, Belem, Natal, Recife, Salvador and, of course, Rio de Janeiro.

• Seabourn Cruise Line also has an all-Brazil adventure — a 13-day cruise in February on Seabourn Pride from Rio to Manaus, with calls in Salvador, Natal, Fortaleza, Alter do Chao, and the Anavilhanas Islands.

• While not technically a single-country voyage, Silversea's 14-day cruise in July sets out from Copenhagen, Denmark, but focuses almost totally (11 days) on fjord-bound Norway. Silver Wind passengers will visit Stavanger, Flaam, Alesund, Geiranger, Trondheim, Honningsvag (North Cape) and other ports before returning to Denmark.

Similarly, Costa Cruises offers several "Norway only" cruises, as does MSC Cruises.

• In the polar region, consider Cruise North Expeditions, an Inuit-owned cruise line that sails in the Canadian Arctic and focuses solely on that territory. In fact, after a short flight from Montreal, these cruises actually begin deep in the Arctic. Cruise North's charter vessel sails with local Inuit on board to further immerse you in the culture of the region.

• If including river and canal cruises, the horizon broadens considerably, and passengers can sail exclusively in any of several European countries, including France, Germany and The Netherlands.

One such journey, offered from Norwegian Coastal Voyage, plies Sweden's historic Gota Canal between Stockholm and Gothenburg. The canal is a chain of lakes, locks and rivers offering coast-to-coast connection between the Baltic and North Seas. Norwegian Coastal Voyage also has Greenland-only sailings.