Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected].

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Thursday 06 September 2012
ALL THE CRUISE NEWS
Todays trade issue of Cruise Weekly
features three pages jam packed with all the
latest cruise news.
P&O UK to revamp vessels
P&O UK has announced that its Ventura,
Oceana and Arcadia vessels are scheduled to
enjoy a series of makeovers over the next few
years, which will include the installation of 18
new single cabins onboard Ventura.
Venturas Las Ramblas bar and restaurant will
also be replaced with The Glasshouse, whilst a
Retreat will be installed on Deck 16.
A new dance floor will also be laid in
Venturas atrium, whilst her retail area will be
revamped, her library will be upgraded to
feature digital functions, and her cabins will be
made over with new carpets, bed covers,
cushions and mattresses.
Ventura will resurface from her 13-day
makeover for her first voyage on 07 Apr 2013.
Meanwhile Oceania will go in for her works
on 05 Dec 2012 for 11 days, and will enjoy a
refresh of her Oasis Spa, shops and Sundaes
ice-cream bar; whilst new seating will be
installed in her Casino, Le Club and Horizon
Grill; and new lighting and sound equipment
will be updated in her Le Club.
Oceania will also be decked out with a new
Marco Pierre White menu in Cafe Jardin; and
new carpet, linens, curtains and mattresses in
her cabins.
Arcadia will go in for her makeover in Dec
2013, and will have her cabins refreshed, her
shops refitted, new soft furnishings in her
Crows Nest and Ocean Grill, as well as the
addition of several single cabins, whilst her The
Globe will be replaced with a new late night
dance spot titled Electra.
All aboard for the first NCW
STAFFERS at Travel the World are revelling in
the inaugural National Cruise Week this week,
with celebrations spilling out to include
decorating the TTW offices cruise-style.
As part of its National Cruise Week
celebrations the company is also hosting a
questionnaire about the specials on offer this
week, and is holding a competition for the best
dressed nautical theme with vouchers as
prizes.
Some of the TTW staffers are pictured above
getting into the NCW spirit (from left) Back
Row: Bianca Fletcher, Alexandra Spinolo,
Samantha Bicknell, Gemma Scott, and Front
Row: Serisha Sewgambar-Ramdhani, Vera Guo,
Rose Lin, Wings Wong, and Andrew Zhang.
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Christmas cruises merrily on high
River cruise lines are rejoicing
in the record numbers of
Australians celebrating
Christmas on European cruises.
SINCE 2010, Avalon Waterways has seen
Australian bookings for Christmas cruises
increase an average 24% per year, APT has
added extra departures to cope with demand,
and Uniworld reports phenomenal business
from the local market.
Five years ago, Australians couldnt imagine
a white Christmas, John Molinaro, general
manager, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises,
told Cruise Weekly.
We had nobody on our ships from Australia
or New Zealand, but now its become very big.
Avalons double-digit growth is also set to
continue, according to Christian Schweitzer,
marketing manager Australasia, Globus.
The allure of authentic traditions is a strong
buying consideration, Schweitzer said.
Ive encountered a number of Australians
that have taken these cruises in early
December, having stocked up on gifts and
goodies from the Christmas markets, and
returned home in time for Christmas to make
it all the more authentic.
Australian-owned APT introduced its first
Europe river cruises covering the Christmas-
New Year in 2011 and for the following season
it has added later departure dates to cater for
passengers who wish to stay at home for
Christmas but still discover the magic of a
winterland holiday.
APT general manager marketing, Debra Fox
told CW: The trend over this short period is
showing that the demand for Australians to
travel to Europe in winter is increasing.
APT is finding that its loyal past travellers
who have cruised in summer are coming back
to experience Europe river cruising during
winter and to visit the Christmas markets.
Fox said clients also used the holiday season
to visit friends and relatives in Europe for
Christmas and to attend New Year celebrations.
Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 2
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ZZZFUXLVHZHHNO\FRPDX Thursday 06 September 2012
Cruise
News &
Views
National Cruise Week
Success
During the weeks leading up to
National Cruise Week we experienced
a flurry of interest from agents all over
the country wanting to get involved.
Overwhelmingly the feedback we
have received around the concept of
National Cruise Week has been
phenomenal from our members and
many have shared stories of what
activity they have undertaken.
Seeing retailers pro-actively embrace
the concept, organising events,
contacting their local media and
connecting with their client base to let
them know about National Cruise
Week has been the most satisfying
aspect from our point of view.
A major promotion like this cant get
off the ground without all of us
working together for the greater good
of our cruise sector so congratulations
to all of you that have put in the effort
and are reaping the rewards this week
through a spike in your cruise sales.
I hope there is nobody still sitting
behind their desk waiting for business
to come strolling through the door
(although we have heard of plenty of
easy sales being made this week) but if
you are, its not too late to at least
communicate with your database that
now is a great time to be talking about
taking your 1
st
(or next) cruise holiday.
From editorial organised by the ICCA
as well as targeted ads in major
newspapers and extensive discussion
on many radio stations, our media
monitoring service has confirmed that
the coverage of cruise across many
forms of media all over Australia and
New Zealand in the last two weeks has
been nothing short of staggering!
Brett Jardine - General Manager, ICCA
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Steiner and Silversea
SILVERSEA has extended its agreement with
Steiner Leisure until 31 Dec 2015, meaning that
Steiner will continue to operate the hair salons,
beauty, massage, fitness and spa facilities
onboard Silverseas fleet for the next three years.
New Horizons doubles cruise sales
After 200% growth in one year,
New Horizons Holidays has
significantly expanded its
cruising range.
THE Travel Corporation-owned wholesaler
this week announced an expansion into
cruises in the Mediterranean, Middle East,
Asia and Scandinavia, with additional cruise
lines to be rolled out soon.
Chris Evans, managing director, New
Horizons Holidays, said: Weve witnessed
growing demand in the market for cruising,
more than doubling our sales this year, and in
response weve diversified and widened our
cruising product range.
The company currently sells MSC, Holland
America Line, Star Cruises, Classic
International Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line,
Royal Caribbean, Azamara, Costa and
Celebrity Cruises.
Evans said the company had seen robust
demand for Azamara at the premium end of
the market, and Norwegian Epic, particularly
for solo travellers.
With our cruise sales growing by more than
200% this year, weve also started to see a
shift in buying patterns, with many of the
Royal Caribbean International brands, like
Azamara and Celebrity Cruises, experiencing
strong growth and increased demand,
bringing their sales in line with some of our
most popular Star Cruise product, he said.
Of course, with our product range
diversifying and expanding, were also growing
our team to support the trade with two
dedicated cruising consultants on hand to
assist agents with their cruise bookings.
An example of New Horizons deals is the
Australia and Asia Fly, Stay & Cruise, priced
from $2699ppts for a 15-day Voyager of the
Seas cruise to Singapore from Perth (9 Mar
2013) also including hotel accommodation and
airfare.
For details, call 1300 302 230 or see
www.newhorizons.com.au.
Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax: 1300 799 221 | Email: [email protected] Page 3
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ZZZFUXLVHZHHNO\FRPDX Thursday 06 September 2012
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Cruise Weekly is Australias favourite online cruising publication.
In production since 2007, Cruise Weekly is published each Tuesday,
with a further travel industry update each Thursday.
Cruise Weekly is free and is sent to subscribers via email as an Adobe
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Sign up for a free subscription at www.cruiseweekly.com.au.
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Phone: 1300 799 220 Fax: 1300 799 221
Cruise Weekly is a publication of Cruise Weekly Pty Ltd. All content fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in the preparation of
Cruise Weekly no liability can be accepted for errors or omissions. Information is published in good faith to stimulate independent investigation of the matters canvassed. Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by Bruce Piper.
Publisher/Managing Editor: Bruce Piper
Editor: Louise Goldsbury
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Contributors: Roderick Eime, Chantel
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Email: [email protected]
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4RAVEL$AILY
First with the news
Hublot keeps Seabourn time
SEABOURN has appointed luxury Swiss
watchmaking brand, Hublot, as its Official
Timekeeper.
As such, all six ships in Seabourns fleet will
feature handsome Hublot wall clocks, whilst
the watchmaker will also feature on
Seabourns website and in other marketing
materials, and Seabourn vessels will also play
host to trunk shows of Hublot timepieces to
guests on selected voyages.
Hublots distinctive porthole-styled
timepieces are crafted with a commitment to
innovation grounded in respect for tradition,
said Seabourns president Richard Meadows.
Check out the Galley
ROYAL Caribbean is inviting cruisers behind
the scenes of its culinary exploits, with a new
video titled From Galley to Table: Training
Makes Royal Caribbean Dining a Delight.
To view the video CLICK HERE.
DTWs Norwegian launch
DISCOVER the World has partnered with
Hurtigruten to launch a new 2013 Norway &
Scandinavia Brochure.
As part of the launch, Discover the World is
also debuting a new look and branding under
the Discover the World Cruising name.
Highlights of the brochure include six-,
seven-, 11- and 12-day Classic Norway Coastal
Voyages onboard Hurtigruten; 25% Early
Booking Savings; as well as a selection of pre
and/or post cruise hotel stays; train journeys
and tours; and a sampling of SeaTour options
to complement any voyage including: stays at
Sognefjord Luxury Guesthouse including the
Bergen Railway & Flam; and a unique Winter
Wilderness Lodge Expedition with dog
sledding and snow mobile touring.
We are extremely excited to launch our
2013 Norway & Scandinavia brochure featuring
new voyages and destinations said country
director, Birgit Eisbrenner.
Our 2013 Norway & Scandinavia brochure
now features more products including a wider
range of touring options and accommodation
to create an exceptional and unforgettable
experience for our clients, Eisbrenner added.
Adventure in Panama reduced
ADVENTURE World has reduced the price of
a seven-night Panama to Costa Rica cruise
departing 09 December by 35%, for bookings
made before 31 Oct.
The seven-night cruise onboard Star Flyer
sails from Balboa, Panama to Puerto Caldera,
Costa Rica, and includes highlights such as
visits to Isla Iguana, and the beautiful coastline
of Drake Bay.
With the discount, the voyage is priced from
$1,825pp, see adventureworld.com.au.
Le Boat brokers for Afloat
LE BOAT is now a Broker for Afloat in France,
by Orient-Express.
Afloat in France offers five luxury all-inclusive
barges that cruise the rivers and canals of
France, and which are available on a private-
hire or per-cabin basis.
Le Boat provides the best in self-drive
cruising for its customers, so we are excited to
represent the best in luxury, all-inclusive
barging with Afloat in France, said Cheryl
Powell, chief operating officer of TUI Marine.
We promise to bring the best to our
customers and with this partnership we will;
whether guests choose to experience the
leisurely pace of waterways cruising by doing it
themselves or being taken care of by the
professional crew, she added.
See www.leboat.com.au for details.
APT: Partner of the Year
TRAVELSCENE American Express has named
APT as its Partner of the Year.
The award was doled out at Travelscenes
national consultants conference and recognised
APTs overall excellence in reservations service,
documentation and administrative support,
sales representation, product delivery, marketing
campaigns, brochures, and customer satisfaction.
TWO months of climate change.
The peoples of Manus Island in Papua
New Guinea have initiated a two month
long-canoe voyage throughout the Pacific
region to raise awareness of climate change.
Themed Bridging the gaps between the
Pacific-connecting countries the voyage is
aimed at inspiring community based action
to halt climate change, including
conservation projects and marine
protection initiatives.
According to voyage organisers, the use of
the long-canoe also ensures minimal
environmental impact.
During its sojourn, the canoe will cover
some 10,000kms, and will visit the New
Ireland province, Bougainville, Solomon
Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Marshall Islands,
Kosrae, Ponape, Truk Island, Puluwat, Sorol,
Yap, Palau, Aua Wuvulu, Ninigo and Hermit
Islands.
Princess welcomes spring
PRINCESS Cruises is farewelling winter,
welcoming the warmer months, and preparing
for the upcoming wave season, with the
launch of a range of special spring fares.
The limited-time-only deals include a two-
night cruise from Sydney to Brisbane on Sun
Princess, departing 22 Oct 2012, priced from
$299 per person twin share.
Further deals include an 11-night
Queensland cruise on Dawn Princess,
departing Sydney on 06 Nov 2012, priced from
$1,299 per person twin share.
The latter cruise will also offer passengers an
opportunity to view the upcoming solar
eclipse.
See www.MyCCS.com.au for details.