Above Water Down Under

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Oct/Nov/Dec 2012 Issue 85

& travel www.vacationsandtravelmag.com

On the condor trail in Peru The ultimate Arabian adventure in Oman

by rail and to

sail When the journey is the destination

Cambodia cool: the country’s new luxe lodgings A trio of Malaysian travels

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top train trips and what’s new in the world of cruising

Barcelona in 48 hours A culinary tour of Queenstown

Hotels, wining and dining, shopping, books, events and spas!

above water,

down under

By Roderick Eime

A modern fleet of super vessels is making its way to the Southern Hemisphere, giving cruisers more options to explore the waters around Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific.

W

hile some parts of the world have been slow to recover from the GFC, the Australian and New Zealand cruise market is as strong as ever. Record numbers of people are cruising on bigger and more lavish ships and no longer are the big lines sending their old ships Down Under for “retirement.”

Antipodean cruisers now have access to some of the best vessels in the world and are making the most of the newfound opportunities to explore regional waters.

In 2011, Australians took 624,000 cruising holidays, up 34 percent year on year – even during the normally quiet winter months, cruising has continued unabated.

“The ongoing growth of our sector ensured a packed schedule this year,” said Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, who manages seven cruise brands in our waters including P&O and Princess. “Sydney, Brisbane and Fremantle all had cruise ships sailing from their ports over the winter

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period and in any week at least 10,000 Australians enjoyed a cruise on a local ship.”

Not so long ago, the waters around Australia, New Zealand and the rest of the Pacific were dominated by one or two cruise lines. Today, however, all the big names are sending vessels to these waters including Carnival, Holland America, Cunard, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. The biggest challenge is not finding people to board the ships, but rather where to dock them all – the good news in Sydney is that the navy is prepared to allow increased access to Garden Island.

One of the most anticipated arrivals of the upcoming cruise season will be the 85,000 ton Carnival Spirit, the first ship from Carnival Cruise Lines to be based outside the U.S. The massive liner arrives in October and will carry up to 2,667 passengers and around 930 crew. It will be based at Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay – it’s just too big to get under the Harbour Bridge.

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2 Broc013 out hure Now !

Discover Paradise...

...The Aranui Way

WHATEVER FLOATS YOUR BOAT Clockwise from this image: Zodiacs take Orion passengers to shore for daily excursions; a smart suite on Voyager of the Seas; the Celebrity Solstice will arrive in Australia this December.

Opening spread: Voyager of the Seas will join her two megaliner sisters Down Under for the 2012/2013 cruise season.

On board, two out of three cabins have private balconies with many adjoining, making it an ideal choice for families and larger groups. Another feature to look forward to is “Green Thunder,” the steepest and fastest waterslide at sea, sure to thrill passengers of all ages.

Celebrity Cruises is also thinking big and will send down the enormous 122,000 ton, 315 metre Celebrity Solstice, which, along with her four identical sisters, is one of the largest ships in the world – plenty of space for the 2,850 guests and 1,500 crew.

Built in Germany in 2008, the state-of-the-art megaliner arrives in Australia in December to begin a series of local itineraries throughout the Pacific over the next 16 months.

Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle and Darwin are among the many Australian ports to get a glimpse of her along with Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland, Isle of Pines, Bora Bora and Lautoka, Fiji.

Also arriving for the summer season is Holland America Line’s (HAL) luxurious Oosterdam. Launched in 2003, the 82,305 ton, 285 metre, Vista-class cruise liner is sure to delight Australians with a level of tasteful luxury and elegance not seen here for many years.

Despite her impressive dimensions, Oosterdam accommodates just 1,916 passengers and 817 crew.

One unusual shipboard activity is the Microsoft Digital Workshop, where guests can learn about the “new age” of communication with tips on imaging, video, social media and blogging. The Culinary Arts Centre, presented by Food & Wine magazine, is another highlight for cruising foodies.

While HAL has a reputation for sophisticated grown-up cruises, younger guests are not overlooked and the dedicated Club HAL and The Loft offer activities and space for ages 3−17.

While not a first, a royal visit by any of the Cunard Queens is always a gala event. Earlier this year, Queen Mary 2 spent a leisurely summer touring Australian and New Zealand ports and she’s back Down Under next March for the 2013 season.

Get in quick for a world tour segment embarking from Sydney, Auckland or Fremantle.

While it’s not altogether fair to call a Princess a “lesser royal,” the superb ships of Princess Cruises do enjoy a –64–

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Cruise in the comfort of the unique Tahitian passenger-freighter, Aranui 3

W

hen you step onboard the Aranui 3 you know you have embarked on a very different cruise holiday. This unique 2003 built passenger-freighter caters for 200 passengers and comes complete with a lounge, bars, conference room, swimming pool, fishing platform, boutique and accommodation which ranges from spacious Suites with a balcony to Deluxe and Standard cabins, each with ocean views.

Experience a 14 day adventure discovering the most remote islands of the Marquesas archipelagos located 1,500 kms North-East of Tahiti. You will take part in delivering essential goods as well as cars and building materials to 18 local villages.

In addition to this vital role, Aranui Cruises offers a soft adventure holiday with a real cultural discovery element, allowing passengers to absorb some of the world’s most remarkable scenery on ancient volcanic islands fringed with black sandy beaches.

For pricing and packages please contact your local travel agent.

For general information call (03) 9449 3778.

Email: Laurent@aranuicruises.com.au

www.aranuicruises.com.au

Excursions & Activitie

s include:

• Visiting local Marquesa n villages and handicraft centres • Archaeological and cul tural sites, tikis, churches, all with on site lecturers • Enjoying traditional dan ce shows, 4WD, hiking and sights eeing tours • Restaurants, picnics & BBQs on white sandy beaches • Visiting Paul Gauguin & Jacques Brel Museum (entrance fee not included) • Local multi-lingual tou r guides (English, French and Ge rman) • Fantastic 14-day cru ise, which includes 3 meals/day • A doctor is also availab le during all excursions + onboard travel

Optional activities not inc

luded:

• Horseback riding • Trawling and Deep sea fishing • Scuba diving

discover

EBONY AND IVORY The Piano Bar on Holland America Line’s Oosterdam, arriving in Antipodean waters for the upcoming cruise season.

Below: Carnival Spirit’s lavish lobby bar.

wondrous sights close to home

Spacious, Elegant Ships Gracious, Award-Winning Service Worldwide Itineraries Extensive Activities and Enrichment Programs Sophisticated Five-Star Dining

Enchantment waits just over the horizon with Holland America Line.

Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, sample famous Tasmanian wines in Hobart and watch the jumping crocodiles of the Adelaide River.

Punt down the River Avon in New Zealand, dive into blue lagoons in Nouméa, and bask on soft-sand beaches in Fiji. ms Oosterdam and ms Volendam will sail a series of Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific cruises, visiting more than 50 ports where guests can revel in the cosmopolitan attractions of Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, and explore the exotic landscapes of Vanuatu and Fiji in the South Pacific.

The complete series of sailings ranges from 10- to 58-days. Fares start from

reputation of being more accessible while retaining a suitably grand and regal demeanour. The company will continue to offer superior service and passenger amenities on the Dawn Princess, Sun Princess and Sea Princess when they’re in Antipodean waters this year and in 2013, showcasing their biggest ever roster of itineraries. New offerings include sailings between Sydney and Tokyo on Sun Princess and a special eight-night voyage to Tasmania on the spectacular newcomer, Diamond Princess. The ever-popular, 35-night “Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific” offering also makes a welcome return.

Australia’s homegrown P&O fleet hasn’t been resting on its laurels either. After the farewell of Pacific Sun, one of the line’s most exciting recent announcements has been the resumption of cruises to Papua New Guinea. Moving away from the prewar tradition of sailing from Sydney, Pacific Dawn will follow in the footsteps of legendary vessels like the S.S. Strathaird and Strathallan instead, plotting a course from Brisbane to Alotau –66–

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$1,299*pp double occupancy.

SANDS OF TIME Clockwise from above: A trio of hotels occupy the new Sands Cotai Central complex; the Macau Tower by night; poolside at the Banyan Tree hotel, part of the Galaxy project; a smart hotel room in the Conrad.

Contact your preferred travel agent or call us on 1 300 987 322. www.hollandamerica.com.au

Previous spread: The private VIP room at Golden Flower.

*Terms & Conditions: Fuel supplement has been suspended. Holland America Line reserves the right to re-instate the fuel supplement for all guests at up to AU$13.05 per person per day should the price of light sweet crude oil according to the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index) increase above $70USD per barrel. PRICE STATED IS CRUISE ONLY. Fares listed are in Australian Dollars. Fares are per person, double occupancy and include taxes. New bookings only. Subject to availability. Offers are capacity controlled and may be modified or withdrawn or sailing/departure dates may be substituted without prior notice. Certain restrictions apply. Carnival plc as Agent 2TA 5580. Ships’ Registry: The Netherlands.

in PNG’s Milne Bay province.

Royal Caribbean make their big splash Down Under in 2013 following the arrival of their battle fleet later this year.

Rhapsody Of The Seas, Radiance Of The Seas and Voyager Of The Seas will make a formidable trio when they set out on their Australasian and Pacific itineraries. Expect to see these worldclass vessels sail the established routes and destinations along Australia’s east coast as well as taking in neighbours such as New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.

Australia’s home fleet of pocket-sized luxury vessels is another popular and intimate way of exploring the region, without making a spectacular entrance – for these smaller ships, it’s the destinations that make the headlines.

While the big girls like to strut into Sydney amid water cannon and helicopter escorts, the adventure fleet will creep up the Prince Regent River in Western Australia’s Kimberley without so much as a ripple.

The main players – Orion Expeditions, North Star Cruises, Coral Princess Cruises and Pearl Sea Coastal Cruises – lead the charge into this remote and exquisite wilderness that continues to rate among the world’s top small-ship destinations. If you like to fish for massive barramundi, investigate ancient rock art or just gaze in awe at scenery that reaches back to the dawn of time, then the Kimberley is for you.

Australia’s river cruising scene is also on a roll with abundant water in the Murray allowing for Captain Cook Cruises to offer a second departure on their much sought after seven-night Mannum to Renmark itinerary. Guests travel aboard the 120-passenger Murray Princess, the largest authentic sternwheeler to ever ply the River Murray.

Captain Cook’s small ship fleet also offers itineraries in Sydney Harbour, Fiji and the Great Barrier Reef in conjunction with GBR specialist and pioneer, Coral Princess Cruises. Both lines are currently refurbishing their respective fleets to meet continued customer demand.

Further out in the Pacific, at the very reach of the Polynesian triangle, the Aranui continues its fortnightly round-trip of the glorious Marquesas Islands from Papeete via the Tuamotus.

This is one of those “bucket list” itineraries for adventurers looking to expand their horizons and see some of the lesserknown and more remote parts of our planet.

In the same vicinity, Paul Gauguin Cruises prepares to launch their newly acquired 90-guest vessel, Tere Moana, which they acquired from French flagged line, Ponant. This will supplement the well-known, and newly renovated, MS Paul Gauguin. • Photographs courtesy of respective cruise lines.

WATER UNDER THE BRIDGE Above: Rhapsody of the Seas will return to Australian waters this year.

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FREE BUSINESS CLASS UPGRADE FROM ASIA TO EUROPE RETURN* OFFER ON BOOK A DUAL BALCONY SUITE ON ANY 2013 RIVER CRUISE SAILING AND FLY TO EUROPE FROM LIMITED ONLY $1,495pp AND RECEIVE A FREE BUSINESS CLASS UPGRADE BETWEEN ASIA & EUROPE SUITES *

travel facts • Aranui. 61-3/9449-3778; aranui.com •C aptain Cook Cruises. 1800-804-843 (Australia) or 0800446-389 (NZ); captaincook.com.au • Carnival Australia. 61-2/8424-8800; carnivalaustralia.com •C arnival Cruises. 1300-385-625 (Australia) or 0800-442-095 (NZ); carnival.com.au • Celebrity Cruises. 1800-754-500; celebritycruises.com.au • Coral Princess Cruises. 1800-079-545; coralprincess.com.au •C unard Line. 132-441 (Australia) or 0800-543-431 (NZ); cunardline.com.au • Evergreen Tours. 61-2/4929-4333; evergreentours.com • Holland America Line. 1300-987-322; hollandamerica.com.au • North Star Cruises. 61-8/9192-1829; northstarcruises.com.au •O rion Expeditions. 1300-361-012 (Australia) or 0800-444462 (NZ); orionexpeditions.com •P &O Australia. 1300-159-454 (Australia) or 0800-780-716 (NZ); pocruises.com.au •P aul Gaugin, contact Wiltrans International. 61-2/9265-7100; wiltrans.com.au •P rincess Cruises. 1300-551-853 (Australia) or 0800-780-717 (NZ); princess.com.au • Royal Caribbean. 61-2/4331-5400; royalcaribbean.com.au • Tui Marine. tuimarine.com vacationsandtravelmag.com

LUXURY DUAL BALCONY SUITE

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Discover Europe in an Evergreen Dual Balcony Suite Exclusive Dual Balcony Suites: With an open balcony area for good weather and an inclosed sun lounge for more inclement weather.

Best Position: Located towards the front of the ship on the upper Mozart Deck. This means better elevated views and easier access to the bar lounge and restaurants areas.

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Exclusive Room Service: Free daily & all served in your Suite so you can really enjoy your dual balconies.

visit our website CALL 1300 383 747 orevergreentours.com.au *Conditions apply. For FULL conditions refer to Evergreen Tours European River Cruising 2013 brochure. Evergreen Tours (a division of Scenic Tours Pty Ltd) ABN 85 002 715 602. Lic. No. 2TA 002 633. BOOKING CODE: EVMA038