cruise weekly for 200912cruise lines’ norwegian breakaway. “norwegian breakaway is being...
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Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 1
Thursday 20 September 2012
ALL THE CRUISE NEWS Today’s trade issue of Cruise Weeklyfeatures four pages jam packed with all thelatest cruise news.
Maxeine to explore Cosmos
CONGRATLATIONS to the winner of CW’sGlobus Celebrity Photo competition, MaxeineMcKeon of Harvey World Travel Erina Group. Maxeine took home the prize for a photo ofherself and the iconic American astronaut BuzzAldrin who was the second man to walk on themoon and the lunar module pilot of Apollo 11. “It’s not every day you meet someone thathas walked on the moon who is an Americanicon,” said Christian Schweitzer, Globus familyof brands marketing manager. “Buzz has experienced the Cosmos and nowMaxeine will as well, winning the Route 66tour next year,” he added.
Venetian cruise protests PROTESTERS at the port of Venice delayedthe departure of three cruise ships, CostaFascinosa, MSC Opera and MSC Musica, lastSunday, with a protest against the increasingnumber of large ships which are coming intothe city. The aptly named group No Big Ships, took 70small boats into the water during the protest,with the Fascinosa, Opera and Musica havingto delay their departure due to “safetyconcerns” posed by the protesters vessels.
Cruiseco to launch in UK AUSSIE cruise company, Cruiseco, is set tolaunch in the UK, with former Royal Caribbeanhead of sales Mark Walter to lead the operation. “Cruiseco will bring a completely freshapproach to the UK cruise market by re-invigorating independent agents and offeringcruise lines new routes of distribution,”Cruiseco founder Steve Lloyd told media. “Our ABTA and ATOL applications are welladvanced, commercial terms have been agreedwith a good base of cruise lines and we’ve paida significant sum for www.cruising.co.uk to sitalongside the .com.au site,” he added.
Celebrity breaks Aus sales recordsThe Australian office of CelebrityCruises is celebrating its mostsuccessful week and expects tobreak more records this month. A SERIES of campaigns by the brand’s localoffice has led to a spike in bookings forCelebrity Solstice, which is predicted tocontinue throughout this month. According to commercial director, AdamArmstrong, last week was the best ever forCelebrity Cruises in Australia, with Solsticeleading the charge. “As a relatively new brand to Australians, we’redelighted that both agents and the cruisingpublic have embraced Celebrity Solstice,” he said. “We actually expect to break the recordagain over the next two weeks.” After the success of National Cruise Weekearlier this month, Celebrity is now offering alocal seven-day sale on local Solstice cruises,which will be followed by a sale on allinternational sailings next week.
From this Sunday, passengers who book by29 Sep on any Celebrity Cruises sailingworldwide – including Europe, the Caribbean,Alaska, Asia and Australasia – will receive up toUS$300 onboard credit and half-price deposits. There are also free flights available onselected New Zealand and Asia sailings. The international sale allows Australian andNew Zealand clients the opportunity to sail onthe line’s newest ship, Celebrity Reflection,which left the Meyer Werft shipyard inPapenburg, Germany this week. The fifth and final ship from the acclaimedSolstice Class, Reflection is a slightly largersister to Solstice. When Solstice arrives in Sydney for the first timein Dec, it will be the newest and most moderncruise ship ever to be based in Australasia. For details, see www.celebritycruises.com.au.
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Thursday 20 September 2012
CruiseNews &Views
Singapore Conference This week’s column is “live fromSingapore” where I have been attendingthe Cruise Shipping Asia-PacificConference. As the event has been held within thenew Marina Bay Cruise Terminal it makessense to comment on this amazingdevelopment that has been constructed bythe Singapore Government at a cost inexcess of S$350 million. In case you haven’t looked lately theSingapore dollar is close to parity with theAustralian dollar so this is a hefty longterm investment that will likely take manyyears to show a return. So what’s a lousy $350 million when youcan now showcase one of the mostspectacular cruise terminals ever to bebuilt! Let there be no mistake, this is one veryimpressive structure that is sure to ratevery highly with future cruise passengersembarking and disembarking in this greatcity.So what about the conference? With Asia on our immediate doorstep asa cruise destination, both regions will playa joint role in the future growth of ourindustry. Already we are seeing many itinerariesthat combine Australia and Asia as part ofworld cruises, repositioning cruises andeven round trip voyages so it is importantthat both regions collaborate in manyareas. Travel Agent education andunderstanding of cruise is a long waybehind Australia and New Zealand butbased on the sheer size of the populationthere is every chance that growth out ofthis region as a source market, will be a lotfaster than what we have seen over thelast five years. Only time will tell if the Asian market isprepared to embrace the style of cruiseproduct on offer today, or will cruise linesneed to make wholesale product changesin order to meet the cultural differencesfound throughout Asia?
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CIC rejects claims of foreclosureDespite the arrest of Athena inEurope this week, the Australianseason is expected to operateas scheduled. THREE Classic International Cruises ships wereallegedly detained on the weekend over unpaidfuel bills and crew wages, but the company insiststhe financial situation will soon be resolved. CIC’s Australian spokesperson confirmed toCruise Weekly today that the 550-passengerAthena would return to Perth in December forits four-month season. The statement from the cruise line said:“Although Athena was arrested last weekendfor no payment of a fuel account, which theowners and bank are solving, reports thatAthena’s season in Australia this summer willnot go ahead are incorrect. “CIC will be operating the full program ofitineraries as scheduled, commencing with theline voyage to Australia departing 12November 2012 from Marseille.” CIC said that Athena is “being prepared forscheduled dry docking in Marseille”. According to French newspaper ‘La
NCL New York Rockettes MEMBERS of the iconic New York precisiondance company, the Rockettes, have beennamed as the Godmothers of NorwegianCruise Lines’ Norwegian Breakaway. “Norwegian Breakaway is being designed asNew York’s ship and we want everyone toknow that this is the “must-sail” cruise shipfrom New York in 2013 and beyond,” saidKevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chiefexecutive officer. “I strongly believe that the Rockettes, one ofthe most beloved and recognizable New Yorkicons, are the perfect choice to serve as theship’s Godmothers,” Sheehan added. Breakaway will be christened in New York on08 May 2013, becoming the largest vessel tohome port from New York year round. As part of the partnership, two of the Rocketteswill travel on the vessel’s first six cruises, andthen on the first cruise of every month. Whilst onboard, the Rockettes will offerspecial fitness classes, photo opportunities,meet and greet speaker series and more. The Rockettes also will be showcasedonboard with a historical retrospective in theship's library and featured beverages.
Provence’, Athena and CIC’s Princess Danaewere held in the Port of Marseilles on Monday,by order of court, over the unpaid bills. Princess Danae was also detained threeweeks ago in Dublin due to alleged non-payment of 120,000 euros in bunker fees, butwas later released. Also allegedly arrested, in Kotor,Montenegro, is CIC’s Arion, rated in the ‘2013Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising’ as theworld’s worst performing small ship. Other media reports claim that World CruisesAgency, which trades as Classic InternationalCruises, clarified that Portugese bankMontepio had decided to cease funding theships for the rest of the season. Athena cruises remain for sale on the CICwebsite. The ship is due to arrive in Australia on 18December to commence a four-month seasonof sailings from Fremantle and Adelaide beforereturning to Europe in April 2013.
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Thursday 20 September 2012
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APT travel Expos NEXT month APT has organised to run aseries of expos which canvass its Asia,Australian Outback, Africa, Canada-Alaska,Russia cruising and rail journeys, and Europeriver cruising products. The expos will be held in: Perth 04 Oct at theHyatt Perth; Sydney, 09 Oct (Mercure Central);Brisbane, 11 Oct (Suncorp Stadium); andMelbourne, 15 Oct (Rendezvous Hotel). Attendance at the expo is free of charge,however registration is required. Call 1300 656 985 or seewww.aptouring.com.au/expo for details.
Costa Asia appointment COSTA Cruises has appointed its chairmanPier Luigi Foschi, as the new chairman andchief executive officer of the new Carnival Asiaunit. In his new role, Foschi will be responsible forestablishing Carnival Corporation & plc’s newcorporate offices in Singapore and providingguidance and assistance to the organisation’svarious operating units in pursuing their Asiancruise strategies.
NCW in Wagga Wagga THE team from Harvey World Travel in WaggaWagga (picturedright) got into thespirit of NationalCruise Week lastweek, deckingthemselves out ineye catching yellowRoyal Caribbeant-shirts and creatinga visually arrestingwindow display.
The Captain Ventures again THIS summer season will see the return ofCaptain Cook Cruises popular Venture Cruiseon Sydney Harbour. Departing every Mon, Wed and Fri from Pier26 Aquarium Wharf at 1.30pm, between 01Nov 2012 and 31 Mar 2013, the three-and-a-half hour cruise takes place onboard thecompany’s sailing catamaran, Aussie Venture,and includes a picnic lunch, chart toppingmusic, and a swim at one of Sydney’s mostsecluded beaches, whilst beverages can bepurchased from the bar onboard. To celebrate the return, Captain Cook isoffering a launch special price of $55pp. See www.captaincook.com.au.
Red Sea Odyssey with MSC MSC Cruises has created a 17-night fly/cruiseRed Sea Odyssey which combines flights withtwo Eastern Mediterranean voyages. Departing Australia on 25 Oct 2012, thepackage includes return flights, with a seven-night roundtrip cruise from Venice aboard MSCArmonia calling at Ancona, Corfu, Santorini,Piraeus, Cefalonia, and Kotor; followed byanother roundtrip Venice cruise onboardArmonia calling at Ancona and Marmarisbefore sailing through the Suez Canal to Sharmel Sheikh. The odyssey is priced from $3,835pp/ts, seewww.msccruises.com.au.
McGroy goes to Windstar ALAN McGroy has been appointed as the newvp of Marine Hotel Operations at WindstarCruises. An industry veteran of over 20 years McGroycomes to the new role having most recentlyserved as product operations manager forRoyal Caribbean UK, Ireland and Europe.
SHE should take her tastebuds on a cruise! A 65-year old British woman, June Blythe,has had her sense of smell and tasterestored via surgery after 40 years. Blythe, an avid cook, lost the two sensesafter suffering chronic rhinosinusitis in 1975. Having no sense of smell did nothowever stop her from becoming anaromatherapist, whilst having no sense oftaste did not stop her from continuing onwith her love of cooking- for which she wonmany competitions. “I had to rely on memories to rememberhow things smelled and tasted,” she said. Blythe underwent the surgery earlier inthe year and said it wasn’t until ten daysafter the operation when she was makingscones that she realised that she could smellthe lemon she was zesting- imagine howshe’d go in Salt grill by Luke Mangan!
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Thursday 20 September 2012
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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 AdobeAcrobat PDF document.Sign up for a free subscription at www.cruiseweekly.com.au.PO Box 1010, Epping, NSW 1710Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221
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Vicariously enjoy cupcake ROYAL Caribbean is inviting armchair cruisersto experience “the sweetness of fresh bakedcupcakes at the Cupcake Cupboard” via itsnewest online video offering titled A SweetIdea: Cupcake Cupboard on Royal CaribbeanDelights. CLICK HERE to view.
Hurtigruten extension HURTIGRUTEN is capitalising on the successof its No Single Supplement offer by extendingthe deal through the Norwegian winterseason, until 27 Apr 2013. The deal is applicable on selected departuresbetween Oct 2012 to Apr 2013 of its 12-day Classic Round Voyage, 11-dayNorwegian Discovery Voyage, 7-day ClassicVoyage North and 6-day Classic Voyage South. For more details visit Discover the World atwww.discovertheworld.com.au.
Crystal soothes the soul HEALTH conscious holidaymakers and superstressed city-dwellers will be interested inCrystal Cruises latest announcement, that itwill host a Mind, Body & Spirit themedAustralian voyage onboard Crystal Symphony. Departing 05 Jan 2013 from Melbourne toBrisbane the voyage features health andwellness expert leading complimentary classesand seminars. Experts set to motivate and educate guestsinclude ultra-runner, adventure racer, andSeven Summits mountaineer Marshall Ulrich;as well as the founder of the Tai Chi Institute,Dr. Martin Lee, teaching classes in the ancientdiscipline; and yoga instructor Lisa Goodwin,leading various sessions. The voyage is priced from US$2,995pp/ts (forbookings made by 31 Oct 2012) and spendstwo days in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane,Hobart and Sydney. See www.wiltrans.com.au for more voyagedetails.Sumatra savings with Zegrahm
THE Small Ship Adventure Company is offering$500 savings plus cabin upgrades for newbookings on Zegrahm Expeditions’ 201318-day Circumnavigation of Sumatra. Departing on 03 Jan, voyage highlights includevisiting the UNESCO World Heritage Site ofMalacca, observing orangutans at Gunung LeuserNational Park, exploring Ujung Kulon National Parkand cruising by the still-active Krakatoa volcano. See www.smallshipadventure.com for details.
Guaranteed departures EVERGREEN Tours has announced that 95% ofits European 2013 coach tours and river cruisesare now guaranteed. “Having 95% of all our tours and cruisesguaranteed right now means that agents can booktheir clients today for Europe 2013 knowing thatthe bookings are secured and they don’t have toworry about reworking the booking ever again,”said Angus Crichton, Evergreen Tours gm. “This has been achieved due to EvergreenTours linking its Europe coach tours with itspopular river cruising program,” he added. Meanwhile, Crichton also said that agents cannow add the $500 earlybird Europe discount(which has been out for over a month) to the$500pp discount with the new 2013 Europeairfare earlybirds and guaranteed tours. The Evergreen European 2013 touringbrochure is available at TIFS or [email protected]
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