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Princess eyes Australian growth Australian holidaymakers are flocking to Princess Cruises in droves, with the company reporting strong growth in the market, despite the presence of so much competition. SPEAKING to media onboard Diamond Princess in Sydney last Friday, Princess Cruises Commercial Director Alan Stuart said “it’s a very exciting time for Australian cruising”. “The growth has been very strong, and obviously that has brought in competition, so we’ve always got to be ahead of our game, not only in terms of product delivery but in terms of destinations,” he said. Currently three Princess vessels homeport in regional waters, Sun Princess, Sea Princess and Dawn Princess, plus the popularity of the cruise line with Aussies has also prompted regular guest appearance from the cruise line’s largest ship, Diamond Princess. “We’re really fortunate to have Diamond come in and join Sun, Sea and Dawn, and I’ll be putting my hand up for it to come more often than not in the future,” he said, adding that Princess Cruises is determined to build on Australia’s burgeoning love affair with cruising. “We’ve now got our own team in Australia, with its own sales department [which came into effect yesterday], to take us to that next step,” he said. “The challenges in this market, whilst they are challenging, are also very exciting,” he added. Meanwhile in terms of popular cruising spots, it seems Australians are not only falling in love with regional cruising around Australia, NZ and the Pacific, but also with voyages farther afield, with Stuart confirming that the company’s 104 night World cruise from Sydney in 2014 has proved a big hit with locals in particular.
The landmark voyage is the first world cruise departing roundtrip from Sydney to visit South America, and will include maiden calls in Peru, Ecuador and Easter Island. Sailing onboard Dawn Princess the cruise will also include an optional overland excursion to Machu Pichu as well as a voyage through the iconic Panama Canal. MEANWHILE, Stuart also confirmed that construction of Princess’ 17th ship, Royal Princess, is coming along to schedule, with shipyard workers putting the final touches on the lady before her big debut in June. The first Princess newbuild in five years, Royal will begin her life in the Mediterranean before heading to the Caribbean. To learn more about Princess Cruises see your local travel agent, or visit www.princess.com.
MSC’s Grand Voyages MSC Cruises has unveiled two grand voyage fly-cruise holidays including a 25-night Red Sea Renaissance Grand Voyage aboard MSC Armonia (from $4,369); and a 38-night Arabian Nights Grand Voyage aboard MSC Lirica (from $5,824pp). The fly/cruise packages begin with flights from Australia on 24 Oct 2013, and once in Europe, the Red Sea Renaissance cruise departs roundtrip from Venice to Kotor, Corfu, Dubrovnik, Heraklion, Marmaris, Port Said, Sharm el Sheikh, Safaga, Eilat, Aqaba and Sokhna. Meanwhile the Arabian Nights Grand Voyage begins in Genoa and calls at Civitavecchia, Messina, Marmaris, Limassol, Haifa and Zakynthos before returning to Genoa. The MSC Lirica then returns to Rome, before venturing to Valetta, Piraeus, Port Said, Muscat, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Fujayrah and Khasab. See msccruises.com.au.
Is Titanic 2 inappropriate? CUNARD President Peter Shanks has voiced his opinion on the creation of the Titanic 2, saying he does not think the ship is “appropriate”. “My personal view on the Titanic is that it was a tragedy”. “During the 100th anniversary of the Titanic we took a very low key approach to it, we talked about the Carpathia that rescued 800 people from the Titanic but we didn’t get involved in any of the commemorations,” he said. “From our perspective we don’t think it’s appropriate to go for a Titanic 2,” he added.
2013 Europe
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ON SELECT 2013 CRUISES
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Still time for Uniworld deals CRUISERS still have some time to make use of Uniworld’s program offering discounts of up to $1500 per couple off select departures across Europe and up to $650 per couple on select Asia departures, with the cruise line extending the deal until 31 March. As such, to take advantage of the deal, cruisers need to book and pay their deposit by 31 March, on itineraries ranging from eight to 27 days. Reduced prices start from $3,265pp for an eight-day Venice and the Po River voyage. See your travel agent for details.
Cruise Calendar Cruise Weekly’s cruise calendar details upcoming port calls of passenger cruise ships at various destinations in Australia. SYDNEY Marina Pacific Jewel Oosterdam Pacific Jewel Queen Mary 2
Wed 13 Mar Thu 14 Mar Sat 16 Mar Mon 18 Mar Tue 19 Mar
BRISBANE Pacific Jewel Sun Princess
Sat 16 Mar Mon 18 Mar
MELBOURNE Carnival Spirit Dawn Princess Marina Oosterdam
Thu 14 Mar Sat 16 Mar Sun 17 Mar Mon 18 Mar
DARWIN Sea Princess Radiance of the Seas Diamond Princess
Wed 13 Mar Thu 14 Mar Fri 15 Mar
HOBART Carnival Spirit Carnival Spirit Marina
Sun 17 Mar Tue 19 Mar Tue 19 Mar
Caledonian Sky makes maiden visit
CALEDONIAN Sky made its maiden visit to Sydney Harbour on Sunday following a 25-day cruise starting in New Zealand for passengers from the UK. The event was marked by Sydney Port Corporation's traditional presentation of a plaque to ship operator, Australian-owned APT. APT's General Manager Marketing, Debra Fox received the plaque and hosted groups of agents, media and staff on tours of inspection. “It feels like a private yacht or a fine country club,” she said. In June last year, APT invested in the Noble Caledonia cruise company and its specialists ships Caledonia Sky and Island Sky. Caledonia Sky is the main ship featured in
The stars come out to shine in Sydney onboard Celebrity Solstice LAST week Celebrity Solstice played host to celebrities and philanthropists alike at a glittering McGrath Foundation event to raise money for McGrath Breast Care Nurses in communities right across Australia. The evening began with pre-dinner drinks at the ship's Lawn Club, and was followed up with dinner in the ship's specialty dining restaurant, Tuscan Grille, where Foundation Friend and TV personality, Johanna Griggs, emceed as guests ate a sumptuous dinner, while ‘The Voice’ finalist Darren Percival crooned soulful tunes and entertained guests with skills not seen on TV, from beat-boxing to Louis Armstrong impersonations. Pictured (from left) is: Adam Armstrong (Commercial Director, Celebrity Cruises Australia), Kylea Tink (CEO, McGrath Foundation), Sara McGrath, Glenn McGrath AM (Chairman McGrath Foundation), Clare Sellers, Basil Sellers AM, Ken Moran (Board Director, McGrath Foundation), Tracy Bevan (Foundation Ambassador & Director), and Terry Brown (Board Director, McGrath Foundation).
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APT's Luxury Small Ship Expedition Cruises 2013-14, specifically created for the Australian and New Zealand market for cruises covering the regions of Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia's Kimberley coast, and Japan while the Island Sky offers a circumnavigation of Cuba. Each departure is a one-off, which the company says makes the APT expedition program the most specialised on the seas. Caledonia Sky is equipped with a fine dining restaurant, lounges and sun decks. It visits smaller ports where big ships cannot stop because of their need of greater facilities and infrastructure. Passengers can also undertake excursions at the same time because it has 10 onboard Zodiacs, with expeditions led by marine biologists, historians, geologists, anthropologists, explorers and botanists. Five different cabin styles are offered, and each suite is at least 216 square feet, which is almost twice the size of suites on standard big ships.
APT's newly acquired 110passenger expedition cruise ship has arrived in Sydney for the first time.
ily Lunch with a Chinese family
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And much more ... Conditions: Prices are per person twin ER & share ex. SYD, MEL, BNE, ADL, PER 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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Regional ports prepare for future Geelong, Cairns, Newcastle and Hobart are among the cities stepping up ship access, facilities and activities for cruise passengers. SMALLER cities around Australia are jumping on the cruise bandwagon with new ways to entice world-class ships, according to Cruise Down Under, an organisation representing regional ports and tourism bodies. Geelong, in Victoria, has committed $5m to the redevelopment of Yarra Street Pier to make the arrival and docking process safer and easier. At present, visiting ships use a swing mooring and have to tender passengers ashore. The proposal provides adequate berthing for large ships and involves dredging an approach channel to enable access to the new pier. The Royal Geelong Yacht Club has also pledged $2.5 million for the project, while the city's council is lobbying the State and Federal Government to fund the balance. The City of Greater Geelong anticipates the number of cruise ships visiting the region to grow to 25 annually by 2025. Cairns has also commenced a shipping channel expansion project, which will see shipping access to the port expanded to cater
for mega cruise ships up to Voyager Class by 2016. The project will widen the existing 90m channel to 140m and increase its depth from 8.3m to 9.4m, while also improving the wharf structure. In NSW, Newcastle Port Corporation recently completed a dredging program that has increased the depth of the cruise berth to 9.7m, which will allow the berth to be more accessible to the larger cruise ships now deployed to the Australian region. A new 'meet & greet' initiative this cruise season has also seen the introduction of an Art Bazaar held at Newcastle Museum specifically for cruise ship visits. In NT, Darwin has doubled its capacity to receive cruise ships, with a $21m infrastructure upgrade to the Stokes Hill Wharf, which is now able to accommodate ships up to 30,000GT and 200 metres long. Stokes Hill Wharf housed the original Darwin Cruise Ship Terminal until Fort Hill Wharf was opened in 2008. Passengers arriving at Stokes Hill Wharf can use a coach rank, shuttle bus pick-up and drop-off as well as the local restaurants and cafes. Tourism Victoria has also put together new itineraries in the Yarra Valley aimed at families and in Mornington Peninsula and Daylesford for high-end passengers.
3 2 5 7 + 2 / ( IF you love B.B King then Eurodam’s for you! The smooth sounds of the legendary B.B. King will soon be heard aboard Holland America Lines’ Eurodam, with the launch of the vessel’s new B.B. King's Blues Club. Between now and 20 June, the Club will transform Eurodam’s Queen's Lounge into a vibrant blues musical experience five nights each week, with guests entertained by an eight-piece band backed by a drummer, bassist, guitarist, sax player, trumpet player and Hammond B-3 organ player. The Club will also be decorated with portraits of King and other musical legends.
Dreaming in the Caribbean CARNIVAL Dream has had her 2014/15 Caribbean line-up out of Port Canaveral spiced up with new five, seven and eight night itineraries. Marking the first “short” Caribbean itineraries sported by one of Carnival’s Dreamclass ships, the two five-day voyages will depart between May 2014 and March 2015, and will call into ports including Key West, Nassau, Freeport and Grand Turk; whilst the new once-a-month four-port seven-day cruises will include stops at Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Thomas and Nassau. Meanwhile the eight-day itineraries include a three-port Southern Caribbean voyage which stops at Aruba, Curacao and Grand Turk; as well as an eastern Caribbean itinerary featuring visits to St. Maarten, Tortola, St. Thomas and Grand Turk. Pictured right: Carnival Dream
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APT MS Caledonian Sky- Transportation to Van Diemans Land by: Roderick Eime “Sit down now!” “Don't step onto the boat until you are told to do so!” “Give me both hands first!” Such are our stern orders as we prepare to go ashore at Maria Island, one of Tasmania's gruesome penal sites off the east coast of the 'apple isle'. Whoa-betide any clumsy lubber who should fail to observe these directions. No, we are not re-enacting a chapter from “For the term of his natural life” and our instructions are not being delivered by some savage cat-o-nine-tails wielding overseer, but rather our diminutive Zodiac driver keen to ensure her self-loading cargo is stowed promptly without incident. I shouldn't wince at the directness, as I'm sure the guests making this short journey 150 years ago received far less polite requests. I am aboard MS Caledonian Sky, formerly Hebridean Spirit, a recently refurbished expedition vessel and one of the eight compact Renaissance class ships that include the former Orion II, Island Sky and Sea Spirit. Most have had numerous names and lives with at least as many masters but they have proven themselves perfectly capable in delivering at the soft end of expedition cruising. Several of the expedition team I have met on previous ships, reinforcing the 'small world' of adventure cruising but my biggest surprise is to find Australian Capt Frank Allica back at the helm after last sailing under his charge on Orion II. “She's been much better maintained than Orion II,” Capt Frank tells me candidly as we sit for a coffee out on the sun-drenched Lido Deck, “and not had such a hard life.” His relaxed demeanour speaks volumes. The MS Caledonian Sky accommodates a maximum of 114 passengers in 57 spacious outside suites across seven categories, 23
Caledonian Sky in Coles Bay, Tasmania
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with private balconies. Many have walk-in wardrobes and some feature bathtubs, making them deserving of the 'luxury' title. There are two restaurants, a Club, small gym, library, clinic, salon and lounge/lecture room across five decks. The significance of this vessel's arrival in Australian waters is its new position in the Noble Caledonia fleet and the 85th anniversary of APT, the Australian family-owned business which bought a strategic stake in Noble Caledonia this year. Formed in 1991, Noble Caledonia operates river cruises, expedition cruises, small ship cruises and land tours in 15 world regions, including Antarctica and the Arctic with seven vessels hosting between 50 to 160 passengers. Noble Caledonia owns two vessels and operates the others on long-term charters, marketing its holidays to a predominantly UK clientèle. A point made clear by the make up of passengers aboard this itinerary, the Antipodean Odyssey, a journey beginning in Wellington NZ, crossing the Tasman and culminating in Sydney after visits to Hobart, Port Arthur, Wine Glass Bay, Maria Island, Flinders Island and Melbourne. From Sydney, she continues to Cairns, West Papua, Indonesia, Borneo, the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, Kamchatka, Alaska and Vancouver where she arrives in July. For comparative purposes, these itineraries are approx AU$750 per person, per night twin share (without airfares) and includes wine, beer and soft drinks with meals, all excursions, taxes and gratuities. Extras include premium drinks and minibar outside meal times, espresso coffee and Internet (GBP12 for 100mins). For details of future sailings see your ICCA agent, contact 1300 278 278 or see www.aptouring.com.au.
Guests explore Maria Island
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Zodiac operations at Flinders Island
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