Cruise

W E E K L Y
Tuesday 17 December 2013

Antarctica: the new Christmas cruise

Is this the next big destination for the festive season or the ultimate last family holiday?
ITS an unbeatable White Christmas on the white continent surrounded by ice and snow and many Australians are snapping up this once-in-a-lifetime experience. More than 10 cruise lines are visiting the region this month, while short-term visitors such as Seabourn, sailing to Antarctica for the first time this year, have timed voyages for a landing on Christmas Day. Even APT, which specialises in every other continent, predicts Antarctica will become its top new Christmas destination. Our 20-day Antarctic Complete itinerary is attracting a lot of interest, said Debra Fox, general manager marketing. Departing 27 December 2014, it incorporates a land journey through South America with a small-ship expedition cruise through South Georgia and the Falklands. Long-term experts, Australias Aurora Expeditions, has also moved away from the classic Antarctic Peninsula expedition at this time of year, instead responding to the increased demand for cruises via South Georgia. Over Christmas and New Year 2014/15, Aurora offers an 18-day expedition that visits both South Georgia and Antarctica, departing from Punta Arenas, Chile, including a flight to Puerto Williams, where passengers embark the Polar Pioneer and return to Stanley in the Falkland Islands for a flight back to Punta Arenas or Santiago (priced from US$13,660 per person triple-share). Christmas has definitely become a favourite time for our passengers to experience Antarctica; particularly families, with many touting it as the last family holiday, Lisa Bolton, ceo, Aurora Expeditions, told Cruise Weekly. Extended annual leave, the good Aussie dollar and visiting mid-season when wildlife is flourishing, are all factors that influence people to take a Christmas cruise. Other ships operating in the Antarctic this festive season include Silverseas Silversea Explorer, One Ocean Expeditions Navigator/ Akademik Ioffe, Heritage Expeditions Spirit of Enderby, Lindblad Expeditions National Geographic Explorer and Orion, Quark Expeditions Ocean Diamond, Sea Spirit and Sea Adventurer, Hurtigrutens Fram, G Adventures MS Expedition and Compagnie du Ponants LAustral and Le Soleal. Several other lines visit as part of a larger South American or world voyage itinerary.

Merry Christmas from CW

CRUISE Weekly would like to wish all of our readers a wonderful, joyous, merry and safe Christmas and New Year holiday season, with today the final consumer edition for 2013. We will be back in 2014 with a new format but the same promise to keep you up-to-date with the latest goings-on in the cruise industry from all around the world. See you next year!

Arabian nations join for cruise

TOURiSM organisations in Oman, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have partnered with Costa Crociere and MSC Cruises and embarked on a six-city roadshow promoting cruising as a means of travelling and visiting the region. Events were held promoting the available cruise berthing facilities in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jeddah and Riyadh from 25 Nov to 03 Dec, showcasing state-of-the-art cruise infrastructure in the region.

RCI Voyager double upgrade

ROYAL Caribbean International has released a double-upgrade offer on Voyager of the Seas 11-night Fijian Adventure cruise, departing from Sydney on 13 Jan 2014. Staterooms are priced from $1,373pp twin share, with bookings available until limited cabin inventory is sold out. See your travel agent for more information.

Four new ships for American

STRONG ongoing growth for American Cruise Lines has seen the line announce plans to build four new riverboats to be placed into service gradually over the next four years. Each of the vessels - all un-named at present - will offer capacity for up to 200 passengers and features larger staterooms with private balconies and spacious lounge venues, similar to facilities available on the lines new Queen of the Mississippi flagship. Construction has commenced on the first two ships, with plans to commence operations on the first in the second quarter of 2015. At least one of the new build vessels will be deployed on the Columbia and Snake Rivers travelling from the western coast to the Idaho border, built especially for northwest sailings. Other vessels will be positioned on the Mississippi River to facilitate capacity increases.

Sea Siren competition winners

FOUR winners have been selected in the Sea Siren Cosmetics / Cruise Weekly competition which took place in the 03 Dec edition of CW. Congratulations to Meagan MacDonald, Susan Connolly, Cassandra Jennings and Laurel Seitzinger, who have each won one of Sea Sirens new premium quality nautically-themed nail polish collections - www.seasiren.com.au.

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Tuesday 17 December 2013

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Cruiseco launch Mekong brochure

Early birds savings are on offer for Vietnam and Cambodia river cruises in 2014/2015.
THe Australian company is celebrating its first year of sailing on the Mekong since its custom-built ship, Cruiseco Adventurer, debuted in October 2012. Cruisecos national marketing manager Amber Wilson said the sleek 60-passenger ships popularity had continued to grow due to its itineraries and included shore excursions. Many of the smaller ports that we visit are not locations which have been visited hundreds of times before by other tourists and, as a result, our guests discover something that is off the beaten track and truly special. The Cruiseco Adventurer has more than 50 fly, cruise and stay itineraries with 11-night packages from Siem Reap - Saigon or vice versa. Early birds savings offering up to $500 off are now available for booking. Prices start at $3,999 per person twinshare including return economy airfare from Australia to Saigon via Singapore and return from Siem Reap; two nights in the deluxe Caravelle Hotel Saigon; and two nights in the Raffles Hotel dAngkor Siem Reap; seven nights aboard the luxurious Cruiseco Adventurer; onboard dining and local beer; local spirits and soft drinks; sightseeing with local guides; onboard entertainment; and onboard gratuities plus all transfers and taxes. All customers booking with Cruiseco receive Qantas Frequent Flyer points. See www.cruising.com.au or (02) 9492 8520.

P&O Cruise customiser launch

A NEW online portal allowing P&O Cruises passengers to log in and access a range of tools relevant to their upcoming sailing has been launched by the Australian cruise brand. Dubbed Cruise Control, the new system replaces the former Cruise Personaliser and offers multiple features including social media interaction enabling passengers to connect & meet with fellow travellers before casting off. The system also offers e-ticket generation, an interactive cruise planner and a system for passengers to advise any dietary requirements. Cruise Control has been optimised for access on tablet devices, with P&O Cruises senior vice president Tammy Marshall labelling the portal as a dynamic and user-friendly for passengers. Its many new features resonate so closely with the actual cruise experience that our guests will almost smell the tang of the salt air and the sights and sounds of our colourful destinations from the moment they start clicking, Marshall said.

Cruise Calendar
Cruise Weeklys cruise calendar details upcoming port calls of passenger cruise ships at various destinations in Australia.
SYdNEY Sun Princess (WBCT) Tue 17 Dec Pacific Jewel (WBCT) Wed 18 Dec Voyager of the Seas (OPT) Wed 18 Dec Pacific Pearl (WBCT) Thu 19 Dec Rhapsody of the Seas (OPT) Thu 19 Dec Silver Shadow (WBCT) Fri 20 Dec Radiance of the Seas (WBCT) Fri 20 Dec Carnival Spirit (WBCT) Sat 21 Dec Celebrity Solstice (OPT) Mon 22 Dec Oosterdam (WBCT) Sun 22 Dec Seabourn Odyssey (WBCT) Mon 23 Dec BRISBaNE Sea Princess Silver Shadow Seabourn Odyssey Pacific Dawn MELBOURNE Dawn Princess Silver Shadow FREmaNtLE Astor PORt DOUGLaS Pacific Dawn YORKEYS KNOB Pacific Dawn HOBaRt Dawn Princess Dawn Princess Celebrity Solstice BURNIE Dawn Princess Tue 17 Dec Wed 18 Dec Sat 21 Dec Sat 21 Dec Sat 21 Dec Sun 22 Dec Fri 20 Dec Wed 18 Dec Tue 17 Dec Tue 17 Dec Thu 19 Dec Fri 20 Dec Sun 22 Dec

Onboard credit through GPT

GRAND Pacific Tours is offering up to US$400 onboard credit to spend aboard Celebrity Solstice on a range of all-inclusive combined land and cruise itineraries in New Zealand. The offer applies to four different itineraries, with prices starting from $3,449pp twin share. For more details, phone 1800 622 768.

P O R T H O L E
ONE ship, two ship, big ship, Fun Ship. The quirky humour of childrens author Dr Seuss will soon be available on Carnival Cruise Lines after the company signed a partnership with Dr Seuss Enterprises. To be rolled out across the entire fleet beginning from next year, Carnival Seuss at Sea will see a range of programs developed encompassing dining, entertainment & family offerings including the Green Eggs and Ham breakfast complete with moose and goose juice. The Cat in the Hat, Sam, Thing One and Thing Two will also make appearances. Movies based on Dr Seuss books will be screened, while a selection of the books themselves will be available to enjoy. For younger children, Seuss-themed play zones will be rolled out in Kids Clubs, with interactive reading activities hosted on a number of occasions throughout the cruise. The program will be rolled out first to the Carnival Splendor vessel in Feb next year, and on Australias Carnival Spirit by spring. Future ships to be delivered such as the Carnival Vista will also offer the program.

Culinary skills on global cruise

FOUR renowned chefs, each exhibiting a Michelin-starred culinary standard will design and create a variety of menus & dishes during Seabourn Sojourns 116-day 2014 world cruise, scheduled to depart Los Angeles on 04 Jan. Each will participate at different times in the lines Culinary Conversations feature, which allow guests to socialise with & learn cooking tips directly from the experts. The chefs scheduled to take part in the cruise are Bernd Siener, Christian Lohse, Andrew Fairlie and Heiko Antoniewicz. Seabourns own executive chefs also typically have backgrounds in Michelin-starred restaurants so they are thrilled at the chance to meet and learn from another chef who shares their passion for cooking, Seabourn president Richard Meadows said. Specialist cooking demonstrations will also be conducted by the expert foodies.

Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: info@cruiseweekly.com.au

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Aboard SeaDream II
by: Roderick Eime
Built: 1985 Gross Tonnage: 4,260

VITAL STATISTICS

Refitted: 2002 Passengers: 112

Location: Yangon, Myanmar SEADREAM Yacht Club (SYC) [www.seadream.com] knows exactly what theyre about. The company launched with two identical vessels just a couple of weeks before the calamitous 9/11 event and founder, Norwegian-born entrepreneur Atle Brynestad, thought he was doomed. But against all predictions, not only did SYC survive, it flourished. Ive had my eye on these ships (whoops, yachts) for years and when their ground-breaking Asian itineraries were announced, I pounced. It was a bit of a risk for the regular Mediterranean and Caribbean-operating line, which had come under increasing (gentle) pressure from their growing legion of repeat guests to find new playgrounds to explore. Long time SYC Club Director, now Business Development Director Asia, Thailand-based Richard Jones, was behind the push and with his extensive knowledge of the region, oversaw the 13 new itinerates that include major ports such as Yangon, Singapore, Hong Kong, Phuket, Langkawi, Bali, Bangkok and Cairns. After this exploratory season, SYC will return to Asia for the 2015-16 southern summer, but will only travel as far south as Bali. Constantly lauded by the cruise industrys independent arbiter, the Berlitz Guide, SYC has consistently ranked at or near the top of the tables for Boutique Ships category (50 250 passengers) against some pretty stiff competition. Chatting to some of the repeat cruisers, many of whom count their days aboard in the hundreds, it keeps coming back to service. Being treated like royalty with your every need predicted, without being

fawned over or stifled. Our sommelier, Frank, a dashing and lively Hungarian of some ten years standing with SYC, would address us cheerfully with How ya going mayte then proceed to elaborate on the salubrious wine list for the evenings fine dining menu. Another of the things that topped many repeat cruisers favourite things was the all-inclusive beverages. Super quality wines, aperitifs and spirits are there for the asking. Okay, if you want Dom Prignon, theres a surcharge but the included drinks would satisfy most discerning tastes and many a late night was had at the Top of the Yacht Bar in entertaining company. SYC might sound like a retirement plan for well-heeled and sozzled seniors, but my experience did not support that myth. Most passengers were middle-aged or older couples, some with tight families in tow enjoying some true luxury time together. Active types can utilise the water sport toy box with jetskis, snorkelling, kayaks or hobbycats and when aboard, theres a golf simulator to keep you swinging, although the a/c needs a tweek to keep it comfortable. To find fault with this well-oiled offering is to appear churlish, but if pressed I would say the bathrooms are a bit tight (especially if youve been enjoying the cuisine) and more simple, included shore excursions would be nice, such as a city walk led by one of the crew or staff. The shore-ex on my itinerary were all add-ons ranging from Shwedegon Pagoda ($49) to Bagan by air ($795). The only included tour was a tender visit to the Sea Gypsy village. Voyages are typically 7-days, with some 10 to 14 also on offer. Brochure fares are around $1000pp/day but substantial discounts can be had for early bookings. For more information and reservations, contact SeaDream specialist Cruise Express [http://www.cruiseexpress.com.au] on 1300 766 537.

Caviar in the surf, an SYC tradition

SeaDream II at anchor near Phuket

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One of SeaDream IIs staterooms

Publisher/Managing Editor: Bruce Piper Editor: Louise Goldsbury Production Editor: Matt Lennon Contributors: Roderick Eime, Guy Dundas and Olivia Archbold Email: info@cruiseweekly.com.au

Cruise Weekly is Australias 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

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Cruise Weekly is a publication of Cruise Weekly Pty Ltd. All content fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in the preparation of Cruise Weekly no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent investigation of the matters canvassed. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Bruce Piper.

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