JMAK= : ( ( . / < Tuesday 2 April 2013
First steps for ‘European Rivalution’ Australia’s Evergreen Tours is preparing for the launch of two ships with features never seen on Europe’s rivers. Less than a year before the official launch, the progress of Evergreen Tours’ innovative new river vessels is on schedule. Glen Moroney, the company’s managing director and owner, recently laid the keel of Riva Royale at the De Hoop Shipyard Lobith in
Cruise Calendar Cruise Weekly’s cruise calendar details upcoming port calls of passenger cruise ships at various destinations in Australia. SYDNEY Carnival Spirit Rhapsody of the Seas Pacific Pearl Celebrity Solstice
Tue 02 Apr Wed 03 Apr Sat 06 Apr Mon 08 Apr
BRISBANE Dawn Princess Celebrity Solstice Pacific Dawn
Tue 02 Apr Fri 05 Apr Sat 06 Apr
DARWIN Coral Princess Ocean Princess Sun Princess
Thu 04 Apr Sat 06 Apr Sun 07 Apr
Northern Holland. Respecting shipbuilding traditions, Moroney placed a coin under the block at the keel-laying ceremony, marking the first milestone in the ship’s construction: the assembly of the hull on the slipway. Riva Royale is set to launch in March 2014, as the first of two new ships for Evergreen Tours, a sister company of Australian-owned and operated Scenic Tours. The second ship, Riva Princess, is due to enter service in April 2014. “Our deluxe, next-generation Riva ships feature the latest technology and innovations never before seen on Europe’s rivers,” said Angus Crichton, Evergreen Tours gm. “The 24 square-metre all-weather pool, which converts by night into a cinema, will delight our guests, while the Royal Concerto one-bedroom suites with separate bedroom and lounge will be enormously popular for Evergreen guests who are looking for something special.” Crichton said the 2014 prerelease brochure had “broken all records and there is more exciting news to come”. For details, see www.evergreentours.com. ABOVE: Evergreen Tours owner & managing director Glen Moroney (right) laying the ship’s keel alongside De Hoop Shipyard director of operations, Johan Fasel.
Grand Turk is a turkey PASSENGERS on Bahamas cruises will miss out on the capital of Turks & Caicos after more ships cancelled visits this week. Carnival, Holland America and Princess Cruises have ditched port calls to the Grand Turk port following a recent gastrointestinal outbreak on the island. Cruise ships stopped sailing to Grand Turk two weeks ago, with the ban now appearing set to continue indefinitely. The three lines have replaced it with Nassau and Freeport or extra sea days, and passengers will receive refunds for taxes paid on the Grand Turk visit.
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Athena renamed and moved to Russia Classic International Cruises’ seized ships have been sold, while its founder’s sons have held on to Princess Daphne. After withdrawing at the last minute from its Australian season, the Athena has emerged on the other side of the world as the Astoria. The CIC ship, which has been laid up since its arrest in September 2012 in France, will soon be moved to Lisbon, Portugal, where it has been bought by local entrepreneur Rui Alegre. From July, the rebranded ship is expected to be chartered to Russia’s Royal Caravella Cruise Lines and based for four months in Crimea, Ukraine, for cruises to the Black Sea, Mediterranean and Adriatic coast. Cruise Weekly found the “cruises in Slavic style” advertised on the line’s website, which is promoting “complete Russian language service on board”. Astoria is not to be confused with Astor, the very similar ship that is to be based in Fremantle next season, filling the gap left behind by the ex-Athena. According to the ‘Ships and the Sea’ blog, Athena is among four ex-CIC vessels that have been sold by creditors to Mr Alegre. Arion was relocated to Lisbon earlier this month after it was released from foreclosure proceedings, with Princess Danae soon to follow, while Funchal is undergoing a major refit after two years out of service. The fifth ship, Princess Daphne, has been bought back by Emilios and Alexander Potamianos, who took over CIC after their father, the now-defunct company’s founder George Potamianos, died last year. According to the Portuguese blog, the brothers are now debt-free and plan to
relaunch the old-style vessel. A new cruise management company, Portuscale Cruises, has also been formed, with an office in downtown Lisbon employing four former CIC employees, while four “owning companies” have been set up in Madeira to take ownership of one ship each. The majority of CIC’s staff and the ships’ crew are still unemployed and owed wages. In November 2012, the five vessels were seized due to unpaid bills by the European division of CIC, leading to the voluntary administration of CIC Australia a few days before Athena was set to sail to Fremantle for the 2012-13 summer season. More than 5,000 Australians booked on 20 Athena cruises are seeking refunds for paid deposits of 40%.
New Century vessel into China CENTURY Cruises has launched its newest vessel - the 398-passenger Century Paragon, on the Yangtze River in China. The new ship will operate three-night cruises from Chongqing to Yichang on Tuesdays, with four-night reverse journeys departing Fridays. A sister ship, the Century Legend, will be launched in May, taking the line’s fleet to seven.
3 2 5 7 + 2 / ( THOSE who say “getting there is half the fun” weren’t travelling on this voyage. Passengers aboard a £48 per person ferry journey between Tyneside in the UK to Amsterdam were delayed by bad weather and rough seas to the point where they were only able to spend six minutes in Amsterdam before having to start the trip home. What should have been an overnight trip turned into a 30-hour ordeal as the ship arrived 13 hours late at its Dutch destination. After their six-minute holiday, passengers were then bused to the Hook of Holland for the return trip via Harwich in Essex, which arrived back in the UK on Monday morning. “We spent about six minutes in the ferry terminal car park in Amsterdam before they took us onto coaches,” one passenger said. Citing safety as its number one concern, the cruise company offered everyone the chance to take the trip again at a time convenient to them, hopefully with a longer layover.
Princess 30-year savings Arrive in Fremantle with Astor Coral CELEBRATING its 30th anniversary this year, CRUISE Abroad has released a special 39-day fly/cruise package offering passengers to be aboard the Astor as it arrives into Fremantle for the first time, departing on 03 November. Priced from $4,999pp departing Perth, the deal includes flights to Rome and a 36-night sailing back to Fremantle, with one night in the Italian capital prior to the cruise departing. Packages departing other Australian cities are also available - phone 1300 669 369 for details.
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Coral Princess Cruises has released a special “Birthday Celebration Sale”, offering 30% discounts on its 3, 4 and 7-night Great Barrier Reef cruises, departing from Cairns. The savings are open for Australian and New Zealand residents, and cabin prices start from $1,082 per person twin share for the threenight voyage, with fares inclusive of all meals and activities including onshore excursions. To be eligible for the saving, bookings must be made before 31 May, for departures up to and including 31 December 2013. See www.coralprincess.com.au to book.
Guaranteed Inclusions ns
Costa rescues Albanian sailors
4 and 5 star accommodation on International airfares and taxes rade “Boutique Lifestyle” Upgrade es on all Yangtze River cruises ily Lunch with a Chinese family Cruise on Victoria Katarinaa And much more ... Conditions: Prices are per person twin share ex. SYD, MEL, BNE, ADL, PER ER & includes taxes and fuel surcharges, valid for departures from valid Nov’12 to Jun’13 ’13 and seasonal surcharge apply. Please check with Helen Wong’s Tours for exact departure eparture p dates. Prices & taxes are current at time of brochure printing 15 Sep ’11. and are subject j to availability and change without notice otice at time of booking. All other conditions as per p Helen Wong’s Tours current brochuree range. 3251 Lic.No.2TA4103
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TWO Albanian fisherman have the 927passenger Costa Cruises to thank for their rescue, as they were picked up 15-miles off the coast of Albania after their ship lost power. The Costa Voyager was en route to its maiden call in the Albanian port of Durazzo when it spotted the men, who had been missing for two days, according to the local coastguard, with the rescued sailors disembarking on arrival.
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Ocean versus River Cruising by: Louise Goldsbury THE managers of Australia’s most popular cruise companies explain the benefits of the two main types of cruising. OCEAN “The big plus with ocean cruising is its exceptional value for money. Whether you choose the Mediterranean, Caribbean or even the waters of South America, you have plenty of options on a cruise ship, from dining, the entertainment and activities, to the overall facilities. There is so much to do. Little wonder ocean cruising is rapidly growing in popularity around the world.” - Lynne Clark, managing director Australia/New Zealand, MSC Cruises. “Ocean cruising can take you to all seven continents, from the polar circles to classic capitals. New destinations are always on offer and are timed to suit the season, from Japan in cherry blossom bloom to New England in autumn. Smaller ships make a feature of sophisticated dining and butler service, while days at sea offer seasoned travellers sought-after relaxation.” - Karen Christensen, general manager Australasia, Silversea. “The magic of ocean cruising is that the ship is very much a part of the destination as well as the transportation. Having more passengers on larger vessels creates a more diverse product, from the food and beverage to the accommodation – inside, outside, balcony, deluxe. That diversity allows it to be more relevant to more households because you’ve got the spread of price.” - Gavin Smith, managing director Australia, Royal Caribbean Cruises.
More facilities at sea
Cruise Weekly is Australia’s favourite online cruising publication. In production since 2007, Cruise Weekly is published each Tuesday, with a further travel industry update each Thursday. Cruise Weekly is free and is sent to subscribers via email as an Adobe Acrobat PDF document. Sign up for a free subscription at www.cruiseweekly.com.au. PO Box 1010, Epping, NSW 1710 Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221
RIVER “Try travelling for two weeks in Europe, going to all the destinations that you would see on a river cruise and paying for all your hotel nights and your food and sightseeing and drinks and tips in those destinations. River cruising’s value is unbeatable, without having to rough it with a backpack on your back. The big difference from ocean liners is that we are not making any money out of you when you’re onboard.” - Teresia Fors, managing director Australia, Viking River Cruises. “River cruising combines the benefits of a relaxed pace of journey while still being able to properly discover the destination. A river cruise is like a floating five-star hotel with the need to only unpack once. Meanwhile, you are able visit to all the small towns that ocean cruising cannot access, and enjoy the cultural sightseeing of the destination.” - Glen Moroney, managing director, Scenic Tours. “River cruising passengers are, on average, one of 130 passengers on board, as opposed to one of thousands, so the level of service is unparalleled, staff know you by name and bartenders and waiters know your preferences and dislikes after the first day. Passengers enjoy the lack of hassle and high level of hospitality and luxury that comes with such a high staff to passenger ratio. You can step off board and find yourself in the centre of some of the greatest capital cities of Europe. - John Molinaro, general manager, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection.
Better views by river
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