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Sherry: time to improve Qld ports Carnival chief Ann Sherry has called for action on the “significant challenges” facing ports in Brisbane and Cairns. THE full potential of Australia’s cruise industry will not be realised until problems at Queensland’s two main cruise ports are addressed, according to Ann Sherry, CEO, Carnival Australia. “Infrastructure gaps at Brisbane and Cairns have become more obvious as a result of cruise industry growth, combined with the
The Captain scrubs up CAPTAIN Cook Cruises Fiji has announced the completion of a soft refurbishment of all outdoor and indoor furnishings onboard the MV Reef Endeavour. As a result of the makeover, the vessel now sports new modern furniture around the pool, new sun lounges on B deck and on the sun deck, as well as new carpet and furniture in the ship’s lounge and dining areas. In addition, Endeavour’s staterooms now feature new linen. The mini-makeover follows Endeavour’s extensive renovation last year which saw the installation of several new suites, the creation of interconnecting family rooms, and a refurbishment of the ship’s spa and gym. “These rebuilds and refurbishments complete a whole new experience for our many repeat passengers and give something exciting and unique for passengers embarking on their first cruise,” said Jackie Charlton, CEO, Captain Cook Cruises Fiji. For more details on the ship and its Fijian itineraries, see your local travel agent, or visit www.captaincook.com.au.
trend to larger cruise ships,” Sherry told Cruise Weekly. “If unaddressed, these gaps will constrain further growth and limit cruising’s economic contribution.” The Brisbane facility is “too far up the river”, thus limiting access by superliners, she said. “Brisbane needs a dedicated deepwater cruise terminal to accommodate an increasing number of larger ships. “The cruise port is also the most expensive in Australia, despite its size restrictions.” Cairns, on the other hand, “works effectively, unlike many ports in Australia”, Sherry said. “Unfortunately, most ships can’t get into the port until it is dredged.” Carnival Australia supports current plans to dredge Trinity Inlet to enable larger cruise ships to dock in the heart of Cairns. “Current arrangements at the Yorkey’s Knob anchorage are suboptimal to Cairns realising its full potential as a cruise destination and for the real value of cruising to be captured,” Sherry said. “Cairns has great potential as a key destination in northern Australia linking through to destinations to our north, including Papua New Guinea.” Sherry acknowledged that some progress had been made by state and local government authorities, which “recognise and value cruising’s contribution to the economy, jobs and to businesses through the ‘multiplier effect’ of cruising.” Sherry also emphasised that improving facilities in Queensland was important from a national perspective because the state was “part of an itinerary package” for visiting international ships. “Australia’s cruise destinations depend on each other to get it right on infrastructure,” she said. “Upgrading port facilities would help ensure Australia remains attractive and competitive as a cruise destination. “This is increasingly important as we see cities in Asia, such as Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore, investing strongly in cruise infrastructure,” she added.
TODAY’S ISSUE OF CW Pictured above: new deck furniture onboard MV Reef Endeavour
Today’s issue of Cruise Weekly features four pages of all the latest cruise news.
Princess honoured by ports THE ports of San Francisco in the USA and Victoria in Canada have bestowed Princess Cruises with awards for the cruise line’s environmental efforts. San Francisco awarded Sea Princess and Sapphire Princess its Cruise Ship Environmental Award for the pairs reduction in air emissions, advanced wastewater management, and recycling and disposal programs; whilst Victoria bestowed Golden Princess, Island Princess, Sapphire Princess and Sea Princess with its Ogden Point Eco Award for using low sulfur fuel.
RCI in the Tony Awards AS a result of a new partnership between Royal Caribbean International and the Tony Awards, the cast of Oasis of the Seas’ Hairspray will perform a number in the ship’s Opal Theatre as part of the Tony Awards program. “We couldn’t be more excited to partner with the Tony Awards to give the audience a taste of our genuine Broadway productions, which include Saturday Night Fever, as well as the Tony award-winning musicals Hairspray and Chicago: The Musical,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO, Royal Caribbean International.
AMA’s French inspiration CRUISERS looking for French itineraries will be thrilled to learn that AmaWaterways has unveiled two new 2013 itineraries: Paris and Normandy, and The Jewels of France. “These itineraries take our guests through the heart of France,” said AmaWaterways Founder Rudi Schreiner. “From the design of the French balconies onboard our ships to the locally-sourced ingredients, menu selections and wines, AmaWaterways combines old-world French charm with a luxury travel experience,” he added. The Paris and Normandy itinerary is a sevennight cruise which takes place onboard the AmaLegro down the Seine River, taking guests to Paris, Vernon, Giverny, Rouen, Les Andelys, Conflans, Barcelona, Perpignan, Arles, Avignon, Viviers, Tournon, Vienne, Treveux and Lyon. Meanwhile the new Jewels of France itinerary includes seven nights on the Rhone and seven nights on the Seine and begins with three-nights in Barcelona before boarding AmaDagio to cruise through France’s wine regions, and then disembarking in Lyon to travel to Paris to board the AmaLegro for cruising in northern France.
Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: info@cruiseweekly.com.au
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Coral Princess launches new voyages The Australian small-ship line has announced its 2013 schedule, including an inaugural expedition to the Spice Islands and New Guinea. NEXT year, Coral Princess Cruises’ 72passenger Oceanic Discoverer will spend almost a month exploring the remote regions of Indonesia and PNG. Departing from Darwin, the new 25-night itinerary covers the Tanimbar and Spice Islands before a five-day exploration of the ‘Four Kings’ of Raja Ampat. The cruise continues into the Northern Hemisphere and Mapia Atoll and then returns to the West Papuan provincial capital of Jayapura, and onwards to Wewak. Exclusive to Coral Princess Cruises, guests will spend two nights cruising 100 kilometres up the Sepik River, before exploring the east coast of Papua New Guinea, including Lababia, Tufi and the Trobriand Islands. According to Coral Princess Cruises Founder and Managing Director, Tony Briggs, who
Captain Cook returns to Sydney CAPTAIN Cook returned to Sydney Harbour last Wednesday, scoring himself a front row view of the Transit of Venus, an event which he first witnessed in Tahiti in 1769, and after which he received orders to find the ‘Great South Land’. Cook enjoyed the prime viewing position for the transit onboard Captain Cook Cruises’ Red Rocket which pulled up a pew in Sydney Harbour for the event. During the transit, which commenced at 8.16am and ended at 2.44pm, the Captain remained silent, as unlike his 1769 self, his 2012 form was actually made of wax and crafted by the experts at Madam Tussauds. The Captain is pictured on a Red Rocket below.
recently returned from a fact-finding visit to the area, the new program is “the most comprehensive expedition ever undertaken in the region”, and the company’s “most ambitious yet.” “I’m excited that this expedition enables guests to experience one of the world’s emerging regions, in the comfort and unrivalled style they have come to expect from a Coral Princess Cruises expedition,” Briggs said. Prices for the ‘Spice Islands, Raja Ampat and New Guinea’ circle expedition start at $18,990 per person. A limited number of staterooms are also available on a shorter 13-night leg from Darwin to Wewak and a 12-night itinerary from Wewak to Cairns. The company’s newly released 2012-13 brochure also includes a series of PNG expeditions from Cairns and Rabaul, as well as two 13-night itineraries through the Melanesian archipelagos of New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and PNG. To celebrate the brochure launch, Coral Princess Cruises is offering discounts of up to 25% for past guests, or 15% for first-time travellers on their 13-night Melanesian expedition from Rabaul to Noumea, departing on 11 November 2012. Prices start at $8,242.50pp for past guests. For a limited time, single travellers are also being offered the opportunity to join the same expedition without the need to pay a single supplement. To book, call 1800 079 545 or visit www.coralprincess.com.au.
Half board with Hurtigruten NORWEGIAN cruise line Hurtigruten is offering special half-board fares on a selection of its 2012 Autumnal voyages. The half-board fares include accommodation, breakfast and dinner daily, leaving cruisers free to explore the local fare and get their own lunch whilst on land each day. The half-board fares are priced from €711 (approx AU$898) for a six-day Classic Voyage South from Kirkenes to Bergen between 15 August and 14 September 2012; and from €801 (approx AU$1,012) for a seven-day Classic Voyage North between 15 September and 31 October 2012. See your travel agent for details, or call 1800 62 267.
Cruise Calendar Cruise Weekly’s cruise calendar details upcoming port calls of passenger cruise ships at various destinations in Australia. SYDNEY Pacific Pearl
Thu 14 June
BRISBANE Pacific Dawn Pacific Sun
Thu 14 June Sun 17 June
Fred Olsen Cruise Lines app FRED Olsen Cruise Lines has launched a new app for use on iPhone and iPad devices. The app allows cruisers to search for departures throughout 2012, 2013 and into early 2014; view full cruise details; check real time cabin pricing and availability; research vessels; and view destination highlights. The new app is available to download for free at the Apple App Store.
Moana’s two Panama transits PAUL Gauguin Cruises’ newest vessel, m/v Tere Moana will host two Panama Canal Transit cruises next year, a 14-night voyage departing 05 January, and a 13-night cruise departing 24 February 2013. The voyages will take guests to the Caribbean, Cartagena and Panama, and are priced from US$5,485pp (approx AU$5,550). For details see your travel agent.
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: 25-nights Sydney to Beijing onboard Dawn Princess • From: $4,379pp • Departs: 27 July 2012 • Visits: Darwin, Singapore, Koh Samui, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Nha Trang, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Tianjin. • Includes: One-way flight from Beijing to Sydney, cruise accom, 2-night Hong Kong stopover, 3-nights in Beijing • Contact: www.ecruising.travel
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Cruisers still love Greece
Savona port extension
GREECE is still the third most popular European nation for cruising, despite the country’s current economic meltdown, according to representatives of the European Cruise Council (ECC). Speaking at a Forum in Athens ECC representatives described Greece as “a key cruise destination in Europe”, confirming that the estimated 4.7m passengers which visit its ports, make up 17% of the European cruise market. Despite the continued success of cruising in Greece, the ECC representatives warned that Greece now faces some “potential obstacles to future growth”, including ports infrastructure, and berth allocation. “We are keen to fully engage in technical round table discussions and consultations to let cruise tourism keep growing and play its part in the Greek economy’s recovery,” the spokesperson said.
WORK has begun to double the capacity of the Savona Palacrociere terminal in Costa Cruises hub of Liguria in Italy. Costing Costa Crociere €9 million to build, the terminal will double Costa’s capacity in Savona, and will measure around 3,500-square metres. According to reports, the terminal will be connected to the existing facility, but it will feature its own facilities such as waiting, transit and baggage areas. It is expected the terminal will take 15 months to build, and will be completed and ready to take passengers in September 2013.
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Carnival CEO plans to rough it IN the lead-up to the seventh annual St Vincent de Paul CEO Sleepout, Carnival Australia staff got behind their CEO, Ann Sherry, who plans to participate in the uncomfortable evening, by organising a special High Tea Bake Day (pictured below). The profits from the High Tea event, which doubled as a Queen’s Jubilee celebration, will all go towards St Vincent de Paul’s charity work, with Sherry now in preparation to take part in the 21 June CEO Sleepout. “If you are going to sleep out on the street you might as well do it in the coldest part of the year and on the longest night of the year,” Sherry said. “We live in such an affluent community and we are in the business of creating great experiences for people but at the same time we know there are others in our community who find themselves sleeping on the street for a whole lot of reasons. “I have seen people who are clearly living in the backs of their cars with their kids and I just think that’s not right, so the more money we can raise the better our community is for it,” she added. For more information on CEO Sleepout for Vinnies: www.ceosleepout.org.au.
3 2 5 7 + 2 / ( SEE the world at home. Google is inviting armchair travellers to see the world close up, with its new World Wonders Project. Launched last week in partnership with UNESCO, the World Monuments Fund, Getty Images and Ourplace, the World Wonders Project aims to preserve world heritage sites using technology. As such, the program utilises Google’s Street View technology to photograph and map some of the world’s most culturally significant sites, and allows users to explore and navigate their way through them. As such, visitors to the site can search wonders by location, and after selecting one can then use their computer mouse to guide themselves step by step around the sites as if they were there themselves. See www.google.com/worldwonders.
Quark increases Antarctica ANTARCTIC cruise specialist, Quark Expeditions, has reported a 10% increase in cruise passengers visiting the Antarctic for the 2011-12 season. The increase flies in the face of a drop in overall visitors to Antarctica (to 26,519 between November and April 2011/12, down 22% on 2010/11 figures) following the introduction of stricter fuel regulations which caused several companies to pull their vessels out of the region.
Costa says thankyou ADDRESSING a public meeting held in the Italian city of Genoa titled ‘Thankyou for Shipping’, Costa Cruises Chairman Pier Luigi Foschi thanked all those who helped and supported the cruise line in the wake of the Costa Concordia disaster, including authorities, the cruise industry and the cruising public. Despite an initial slump after the tragedy, the cruise line’s booking volumes have shown some considerable improvement as cruisers return to the Italian cruise line in droves, with Costa clocking a 28% year-on-year increase in cruise bookings during April and May 2012, compared to the same time last year.
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Cruises for young people by: Louise Goldsbury As a cruiser under 40, I am often asked if cruises are fun for young people. YES! You just have to know which are the most suitable ships and itineraries, so these are my tips, especially designed for young Australians. 1. Stick to short The longer the cruise, the “longer in the tooth” the passengers are. Choose itineraries under 10 nights for local departures and seven nights for overseas. Your best bet is to take a short sampler cruise, from one to three nights. 2. Reach the beach The South Pacific will attract a more younger crowd than New Zealand. Why? NZ cruises last 14 days and appeal to retirees. South Pacific cruises are geared towards beach-lovers, with an emphasis on water-based activities such as snorkelling. Most young people seeking adventure in NZ fly there. 3. P&O and Royal Caribbean So, you don’t want to cruise with “oldies”? What about teenagers and children? Or people your age but with kids? On your average superliner, 300-400 will be children (more around Christmas, less outside of school holidays). Accompanying them will be their parents and perhaps their grandparents. This leaves a few hundred childless couples and singles (from 20-somethings to seniors). If you’re happy with a mixed bag, you’ll enjoy these cruise lines. It won’t be one big party, but there is fun to be found, and the ships are not full of drunken hooligans, despite what the media portrays. 4. Voyager and Spirit Deserving separate mention, Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas and Carnival Cruise Lines’ Carnival Spirit come to Sydney this
Choose a beach cruise
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
summer, and both are introducing special features and facilities to attract a younger, active crowd. You will still find a majority of families, but I’m putting my money on plenty of people in their 20s and 30s. Off icially, Carnival Cruise Lines describes its target audience in Australia as “sociable, open-minded couples and families who are youthful in spirit, adventurous and enjoy trying new experiences”. 5. Captain Cook Cruises in Fiji I have heard great things about Fiji Sailing Safaris. Past passenger and Cruise Weekly adventure cruise columnist Rod Eime confirms it is “def initely” a good option for under-40s. Although the company no longer markets this itinerary, it still offers four-night and sevennight Fijian cruises. For more information visit Captain Cook Cruises’ website: captaincook.com.au. 6. Americans afloat If you can afford a trip to the US, take a Caribbean cruise with Carnival. Depart from Fort Lauderdale, Miami or New York. Do not go for longer than a week and do not go via the Panama Canal (popular among the over-70s). Or explore the world’s largest playground at sea, with the most onboard bars, nightclubs, pools, spas and top-notch entertainment: Allure of the Seas. 7. Finding youth No matter which ship you’re on, there will be someone your age somewhere. I’ve tracked them down on river cruises in Europe and Asia (easy when there are only 150 passengers) and Azamara Club Cruises (mid-size, upscale ships that are popular with younger travellers in the Med). Linger where they are most likely to be: the bars and casino – after the “seniors” have gone to bed.
Hang out at the pool bar
Publisher/Managing Editor: Bruce Piper Editor: Louise Goldsbury Assistant Editor: Amanda Collins Contributors: Roderick Eime and Chantel Long Email: info@cruiseweekly.com.au Cruise Weekly is part of the Travel Daily Group:
A couple on a Fiji ‘safari’
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