Big Fat Cruise Wrap

Big Fat Cruise Wrap
By laurencroft


Did you read all of the latest cruise news and then undergo memory erasing hypnosis? This cruise wrap couldn’t have come at a better time.

Perfect Romantic Proposal Package 

Tivua Island
Imagine proposing to the one you love on a tiny, remote island surrounded by a circle of white sandy beach, in the middle of the picturesque Yasawa Islands in Fiji! This romantic scenario could be reality with the release of Captain Cook Cruises Fiji, Tivua Island Proposal Package.
The romantic adventure begins as soon as you set sail on the magnificent tall ship Ra Marama or the luxurious sleek sailing catamaran Fiji One which will take you on a 90-minute cruise to the tiny tranquil island of Tivua. Enjoy some Fijian entertainment and morning tea along the way.
 
Once arriving at Tivua experience a traditional welcoming Kava ceremony before being whisked away to a deserted part of the beach where your loved one will discover a “message in a bottle”, lying at the water’s edge and containing a personalised proposal message. 
Then celebrate your engagement over a delicious tropical buffet lunch and a bottle of sparkling wine in a private romantic bure on the beach.  

Oceania Cruises unveils enhanced concierge level amenities

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Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary- and destination-focussed cruise line, unveiled enhanced Concierge Level Stateroom amenities which include free laundry and in-stateroom dining service from The Grand Dining Room during lunch and dinner. 
After a long invigorating day of exploring ashore, guests may indulge in the luxury of ordering room service from The Grand Dining Room dinner menu, enjoying favourite courses such as the Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb with Vegetable Ratatouille & Gratin Dauphinois and the mouth-watering Papuan Chocolate Volcano with a passion fruit centre all in the exquisite comfort of their stateroom.
Need a few items of clothing washed for later in your voyage? The staff will take care of that too so guests can spend extra time relaxing. It’s all included with the newly expanded amenities in our Concierge Level Veranda Staterooms.

Royal Caribbean’s 10th season kicks off

3. Radiance at dawn

Superliner Radiance of the Seas, arrives into Sydney this Sunday – the first of the company’s cruise ships to return to our shores for Royal Caribbean’s tenth season based down under.

Radiance is just one of six of RCL Cruise’s exceptional Australia-based ships offering an incredible selection of 97 cruise holidays throughout Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Asia this summer, and delivering an injection of AUD$198 million to the Australian economy in passenger spend alone.
 
Joining Radiance of the Seas is Royal Caribbean’s groundbreaking Ovation of the Seas, returning for her second and longest SuperCruising season yet, as well as family-favourites Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas, known as the South Pacific Sisters.

Berlitz Rates APT Small Ships Star-Performers

APT’s MS Caledonian Sky and MS Island Sky have both been awarded Star-Performer Top Ten ratings in the highly-revered 2018 Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Guide Boutique Ship category, cementing their reputation as the leaders in luxury cruising.
The APT ships owned in partnership with Noble Caledonia, Caledonian Sky and Island Sky, took out two spots in the top ten list,  coming in seventh and eighth , consecutively scoring 1587 and 1561 out of 2000, in the Boutique (50-250 passenger) Ships category.
Berlitz’s ratings include full ship reviews, accommodation, food, service, entertainment and overall cruise experience. The industry bible, written by cruising expert Douglas Ward, is now in its thirty-third continuous print year.

Toasting to your cruise holiday at Pony Dining 

Pony Dining, located in one of Sydney’s oldest laneways in The Rocks, is offering cruise passengers a drink on the house to toast their holiday before they set sail from Sydney Harbour.
Travellers who are embarking their cruise ship from the Overseas Passenger Terminal in Sydney Harbour will receive a complimentary drink of either local craft beer or a glass of Australian wine with any main dish purchased when they dine at the iconic Rocks restaurant.
Those who have a stopover in Sydney can also take up this offer, and enjoy Pony Dining’s flavour-driven, wood-fired grill menu only minutes away from the OPT.
Proof of each traveller’s boarding pass or itinerary will be required on arrival and only applies to those who are cruising that day. Offer will end 31 March 2018.

Crystal River Cruises announces new itineraries for 2019

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Crystal River Cruises, The World’s Most Luxurious River Cruise Line, has released its enhanced schedule of 2019 voyages, with more seven day options in addition to the traditional 10, 11, 14 and 16-day routes. The voyages will embark in March 2019 with a fleet of five luxury river ships, including the “Queen of the Danube,” CrystalMozart, plus four “Rhine Class” sister ships, Crystal Bach, Crystal Mahler, Crystal Debussy and Crystal Ravel.
The itineraries span the most beautiful waterways in Europe, with each ship offering varied routes focusing on the Rhine and Danube rivers, with sojourns along the Moselle and Main Rivers incorporated into select sailings.
Each itinerary has been carefully crafted to showcase not only the medieval and modern towns along the rivers’ shorelines, but the tranquility, intimacy and beauty of river cruising itself. Crystal sailings offer more extended and overnight stays in port, Complimentary Crystal Adventures shore excursions in every port, and a host of world-class culinary and cultural pursuits to enhance the journey. Major hubs of commerce and government like Amsterdam, Vienna, Frankfurt, Budapest and Basel display their prominence in the modern global landscape while paying homage to their storied pasts at every turn.

U by Uniworld’s Ship – The B sets sail on maiden voyage

Petra Nemcova, Brett Tollman, CEO of The Travel Corporation
U by Uniworld, the new exciting river cruise brand offering immersive, fun and adventurous travel for 21-45-year-olds, debuted its first ship Oct. 7, 2017 in Paris, France.  The B set sail on its maiden voyage along the Seine River with top influencers with a combined reach of nearly 10 million, lifestyle media, travel agents and contest winners onboard to get an exclusive “Sneak Peek” of the first-ever river cruise brand for millennials.
The inaugural events included a drum circle creating a spiritual energy onboard, sabering champagne on the top deck and a renaming ceremony where guests released biodegradable lanterns to symbolise letting go of Uniworld’s River Baronessship and starting new with The B.  The renaming ceremony was led by the ship’s ‘Guardian Angel’ Petra Nemcova, supermodel and noted philanthropist. Following the ceremony, guests danced the night away with local pop-electro alternative rock band SHINE.
During the remainder of this preview journey, guests experienced all that U has to offer onboard from yoga and a silent disco party to mixology, impressionist paint and wine classes.  Offshore, guests will experience some of U’s unique, immersive excursions such as a panoramic breakfast on a Gastronome bus, treasure hunt at the Louvre, secret tour of Versailles, a Paris City Roofs tour and more.

Fly free as Grand Aegean & Egyptian Experience combines Egypt’s wonders with Greek Island cruising

Aegean Odyssey hi-res

One of the world’s most renowned small-ship operators will return to Egypt in 2018 after an absence of several years – and it’s celebrating the move with a fabulous fly-cruise-tour-and-stay holiday that combines the wonders, hieroglyphics and history of Egypt with the beauty and grandeur of Greece.
As well as a special fly-free offer from the cruise line, Cruise Traveller has added an attractive Mates Rates deal to its new ‘Fly Free Grand Aegean & Egyptian Experience’, due to depart Australia on 9 October 2018. There are a host of other inclusions as well.
‘Fly Free Grand Aegean & Egyptian Experience’ lasts 20 nights. It includes two-night stays in both Athens and Cairo, a night in Delphi, Greece, and a 15-night cruise aboard Aegean Odyssey, round-trip from Piraeus, Athens.

Celebrate Grandparents on a Special Cruise!!!

Grandparents Day Lunch Cruise

We all love our Grandparents, so why not show them how much this National Grandparents Day, Sunday 29 October 2017 and take them on a Captain Cook Cruises Grandparents Day Breakfast or Buffet Lunch cruise onboard the prestigious MV Sydney 2000.
What better way for Nan and Pop to start their special day than relaxing and taking in the picturesque harbour sights on a Grandparents Day Breakfast cruise. 
The whole family will enjoy a hearty hot and cold buffet breakfast including seasonal fresh fruit, a selection of cereals, yoghurt, bacon, eggs, grilled tomatoes, sautéed mushrooms, baked beans, chipolatas, croissants, rolls, fruit juice and tea and coffee. 
The Grandparents Day Breakfast cruise is priced at $59 per adult and $39 per child (4-15 years) and departs from Darling Harbour King Street Wharf No.1 at 9.00am returning at 10.30am.

SeaLink WA Celebrate New Rottnest Island Service with Low Fares and a 2-for-1 Deal! 

Rottnest - Cameron

To celebrate the new SeaLink Rottnest Island ferry service, commencing Sunday 5th November 2017, SeaLink WA is offering an amazing two-for-one ferry deal throughout the month of November, making family access to Rottnest Island more affordable this summer.
The new Rottnest Island ferry service will operate seven days a week, offering six return ferry services from Freemantle to Rottnest Island daily. Adult fares start from only $22.50 one-way or $45 return (not including landing fees).
Not only will the new ferry service bring more tourists to Western Australia and Rottnest Island, but it already has created more jobs.

A Taste of the Good Life and Insider Experiences new features in the 2018/19 European Waterways’ Brochure

EW Spirit of Scotland - Front Cover low res
 
European Waterways, luxury hotel barging company, has launched its 2018/19 brochure featuring European cruises on the 17 luxury hotel barges in the fleet, including for the first time, the new, 12-passenger Spirit of Scotland on the Caledonian Canal.
 
Now expanded to 96-pages, the colourful, fully-illustrated brochure features cruises on the canals and waterways of nine European countries – in France, Italy, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg.
The hotel barge cruising “difference” – varying from that of the more mainstream forms of cruising – provides a relaxed, private home atmosphere; access to waterways not possible for larger vessels; travelling shorter distances at a leisurely pace; and unique experiences such as the Arzviller Boat Elevator in Alsace; Eiffel’s aqueduct over the River Loire; and the Malpas Tunnel on the Canal du Midi.
Each six-night cruise includes all gourmet meals, fine wines, an open bar, daily escorted excursions, local transfers to and from hotel barge and use of all onboard facilities, such as bicycles and spa pools.

Carnival Cruise Line sails to Melbourne Cup

Larry olsen
Race-goers looking to kick off the fun of Melbourne Cup early and turn the iconic day into a fun-filled holiday can set sail on Carnival Spirit Sunday 5 November 2017 and travel from Sydney to Melbourne and back in style.
 
For six nights, passengers will experience a range of racing activities, including tips from racing experts, a fashion parade, sweepstakes and General Admission tickets to Flemington Racecourse, to help make the event more memorable.
 
A number of extra special guests will also sail to Melbourne, please see an overview below:
  • Television presenter, Erica Davis, will provide expert fashion tips onboard alongside Melbourne based stylist and boutique owner Trish G.
  • Queensland Racing Hall of Fame and Melbourne Cup winning jockey, Larry Olsen, as well as legendary race caller, John Tapp, will be onboard sharing their love of the sport and provide tips and tricks for a successful Melbourne Cup.

Uniworld’s ultimate fly free offer now extended

Uniworld - Budapest

Due to popular demand, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection has extended its Ultimate 2018 Air Offer for one final month. 
 
With free economy airfares on every 2018 European voyage AND in any stateroom category, the offer is sure to make a 2018 European luxury boutique river cruise holiday irresistible for Australians.
 
Now available until 31 October 2017, guests can fly free from Australia to Europewith an economy class air offer, or for those wanting a little more indulgence, Uniworld has an enticing business class air offer where guests can fly from $4,599.
The Ultimate Air Offer is available until 31 October 2017 in conjunction with 2018 European itineraries. Consumers are advised to book asap.

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