JMAK= : ( ( . / < Tuesday 10 July 2012
Pacific Pearl gets new lick of life In time for summer, P&O Cruises is adding an ice-cream parlour, 10 interconnecting cabins and new carpets for the whole ship. THE superliner will go into dry dock next month for minor refurbishments that are expected to please many families. First on the agenda is addressing the important issue of ice-cream on Pacific Pearl with the establishment of a New Zealand
QE2 will be a hotel in Dubai QUEEN Elizabeth 2 will become a 300-room floating hotel docked permanently at Dubai’s Port Rashid. The former Cunard queen, now owned by Istithmar World, has spent the past few years docked at Port Rashid whilst plans were made and debated for her future. According to a statement by Istithmar World, despite her conversion to a floating hotel, QE2 will retain her original furnishings, art and historical artifacts. “Our vision is to enhance the facilities on board but retain the very strong sense of history that is a fundamental part of her attraction,” the statement added. It is now expected that QE2 will open her doors for hotel business in around 18 months.
Last Minute Deals This weekly column highlights hot deals on cruises departing soon – ideal for our spontaneous readers. Check out this week’s cruise bargain: Eight-day Prague to Budapest cruise onboard MS Avalon Vista • From: $6,139pp • Departs: 23 August 2012 • Visits: Nuremberg, Regensburg, PassauLinz, Melk, Vienna and Budapest. • Includes: Return airfares, seven-night cruise, one night accom in Budapest, three nights accom in Prague, and two night Dubai stopover • Contact: www.ecruising.travel
Natural Ice-cream Parlour. Previously, passengers could only buy cones at the Chocolate Café, but the new dedicated venue will serve 16 flavours including P&O’s own invention, chocolate hokey pokey. The interconnecting cabins to be installed on Pacific Pearl will be configured as quadquad, twin-quad or twin-twin bedding to suit different travelling parties. Sture Myrmell, VP of hotel operations for Carnival Australia, which operates P&O, said he expected the new cabins would appeal to immediate and intergenerational families travelling together, as well as groups of friends. “The interconnecting cabins make it easier to cruise together, and we expect they’ll be a hot item for bookings on the Christmas cruise and January school holidays cruises around the Pacific Islands,” he said. The new interconnecting cabins on Pacific Pearl go on sale today. Myrmell said this would offer “the perfect opportunity for friends and family to get organised so as not to miss out over peak holiday times”. Other improvements on Pearl include the laying of new carpets throughout the ship and smaller touches in the Marquee, Mix and Orient Bars, mini suites and balcony cabins. The routine dry dock will take place from 6-21 August, when no cruises are scheduled for the ship. The new cabins and ice-cream parlour are in line with additions made earlier this year to P&O’s Pacific Dawn. Pacific Jewel is also expected to have an icecream parlour installed this year.
TODAY’S ISSUE OF CW Today’s issue of CW features four pages of all the latest cruise news, plus check out p5 for details about a special Lands of Time cruise from Oceania Cruises onboard Marina in September.
Scenic halves single supp SCENIC Tours is enticing cruisers to book a holiday on one of its recently released 2013 river cruise itineraries, by offering 50% off the single supplement cost of selected departures for a limited time only. The single traveller price on the 15 Day Jewels of Europe River Cruise starts from $9,590pp, and prices for the 14 Day South of France River Cruise start from $12,895pp. Prices include a cruise on board a Scenic ‘Space-Ship’ with unlimited beverages, all meals, private butler service, all excursions, events and entertainment, Wi-Fi, airport transfers and all tipping and gratuities.
Cheap Island Escape airfares ISLAND Escape Small Ship Cruises is offering return flights to Vanuatu from $199 for guests who book a ‘Vanuatu Islands of Discovery’ cruise (priced from $2,495pp), departing in August, before 31 July 2012. Meanwhile, the cruise line is also promoting its new six-day Tonga – Just Beyond Paradise cruise (priced from $2,295pp) by also offering $199 flights to Nukualofa for September and October departures booked before 31 July. To sweeten the Tonga deal, Island Escape will also throw in two nights free accommodation at the Scenic Hotel, Nukualofa. See your travel agent for details, or visit www.islandescapecruises.com.
Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: info@cruiseweekly.com.au
Page 1