I have sailed on 130 cruises. Here are my 10 most unforgettable moments at sea

Whoever thinks cruising isn't cool has never sailed on a ship with its own helicopter. Scenic Eclipse has two, turning any cruise into a James Bond adventure. During a voyage along WA's coast, I climbed aboard one of its sleek black helicopters and lifted off from the ship's helipad. Soaring across the Indian Ocean, spotting humpbacks below, we reached the Pinnacles in Nambung National Park. From the air, the thousands of limestone spires looked like a desert of tiny gravestones. As we swooped back to base, the pilot altered our route to avoid a military control zone, adding a touch of intrigue before we touched down on the yacht in cinematic style.

Bergy bits scatter across the sea like icy breadcrumbs. Then a frozen palace silently drifts past your window, appearing as a mirage from a polar planet. After crossing the Drake Passage, this is your ethereal reward for reaching the Antarctic Peninsula. In the Arctic, similar encounters occur in Greenland's Ilulissat, Svalbard's fjords, Canada's Iceberg Alley and Alaska's Glacier Bay. According to Scenic Eclipse Captain Torry, the icebergs are biggest in East Antarctica and the Ross Sea, reached by expeditions from New Zealand or Tasmania. No matter where you find them, these colossal sculptures are unforgettable sights.

Whales bring everyone rushing on deck, from the minke to the rare blue whale. Orcas steal the scene with their black-and-white markings and pointy dorsal fins that slice menacingly through the water. Dolphins are the reliable crowd-pleasers, showing up almost anywhere in the world. Polar bears are a different matter, proving difficult to spot against a snow-white backdrop. Seabirds are another cruise-specific quest, especially penguins. I've ticked off 16 of 18 species, leaving just the Humboldt and African penguins on my list. Luckily, cruises can take me to see both.

Departing from Athens on my first-ever cruise, SeaDream squeezed through the Corinth Canal, dwarfed by sheer rock walls rising 80 metres above sea level. Only six decks high, our yacht looked like a toy in this enormous trench before emerging into the gulf. The Panama Canal was the opposite experience. Onboard Holland America Line's much larger Statendam, the locks felt very snug as the 30-metre-wide ship inched its way between the concrete. From my cabin, the walls seemed close enough to touch as the ship was guided through this great feat of engineering. Other scenic transits include the Kiel Canal, which links the North Sea and Baltic Sea through the German countryside, and Scotland's Caledonian Canal, where cruises pass mountains, forests and the famous Loch Ness. One day I will make it to the Suez Canal, in Egypt, where ships cross the desert between the Mediterranean and Red Sea.

Cruising between the northern and southern hemispheres is a rite of passage for cruise passengers. King Neptune, often played by the captain, initiates pollywogs (first-timers) as shellbacks (veterans) upon reaching Earth's midpoint. On my Swan Hellenic cruise from Indonesia to the Philippines, people had to kiss a dead fish and do a shot of aquavit. On Seabourn, somewhere between Tahiti and the Cook Islands, we were covered in paint and dunked in the pool. With the ship slowed down, the air heavy with humidity and this silly maritime tradition, normal life pauses at zero degrees latitude.

In the Arctic, you may get your nose painted blue in a ceremony. Like the equator, this invisible circle is located in several countries so ships can cross it in Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Finland, Sweden, Russia, Canada or Alaska, USA. Passengers receive a certificate to commemorate the occasion of travelling where few people go.

At exceptionally picturesque sites, when nobody else is around, the captain might spin the ship to give everyone a panoramic view. It's an extremely slow-motion rotation rather than a high-speed doughnut. Fjords are my favourite settings for this move, such as New Zealand's Milford Sound or the Norwegian Trollfjord. The bigger the ship, the more impressive the twirl.

Departing from the busy port of Rotterdam, Crystal Serenity backed away from the dock for a whole 45 minutes before reaching a clear, wide space to turn 180 degrees into the waterway. Watching it glide backwards with calm precision was a reminder that big cruise ships are surprisingly nimble. Sydney offers a shorter glimpse of this manoeuvre when ships reverse out of Circular Quay. However, some larger vessels back into the berth stern-first on arrival so that they face the correct direction for a safe departure.

Landmarks have an exciting kind of magic when viewed from a ship. The Statue of Liberty is more than a monument; she welcomes you to NYC. Everyone crowds the railings and takes photos, sharing the memory. Among other magnetic sail-by sights are Rio's Christ the Redeemer, Cape Town's Table Mountain, London's Tower Bridge, San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour skyline.

Australians, let us rejoice, because the world's most spectacular port is in our great land. Passing the Sydney Opera House should make every Aussie feel proud and every tourist feel privileged. When cruising to or from White Bay, head out on the top deck to see how close it gets under the Harbour Bridge. If your cruise starts in Sydney, enjoy the sail-away past the eastern suburbs and northern beaches before exiting through the heads to the Pacific Ocean. If your cruise ends in Sydney, wake up early to witness the sunrise arrival as the city sparkles in the dawn light. For all the extraordinary places that ships can take us, we can enjoy one of cruising's best moments on our doorstep.