Cruise Wrap: Azamara expands WWF partnership, Cirque de Soleil at Sea, new solar eclipse voyages + MORE!
After reading this week’s Cruise Wrap, we’ve swapped our sea legs for dancing shoes on account of a few theatrical announcements and way too many shots of espresso.
Azamara expands partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature
Azamara has announced an expanded partnership with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), which will see a new collection of ‘People to Planet Voyages’ and ‘People to Planet Excursions’.
As part of the partnership, Azamara will donate a total of $100,000 from all People to Planet Voyages and $30 from each People to Planet Excursion purchase to WWF in support of its conservation efforts.
This funding will help support WWF’s conservation work in South Africa, which includes protecting rhino populations, reducing the impact of the illegal wildlife trade, and contributing to sustainable seafood initiatives.
Silversea announces enhanced entertainment offering
Silversea has unveiled a collection of new theatrical performances and entertainment concepts planned for select ships for 2020, with each developed in exclusive collaboration with Luna Rossa Productions.
The reimagined program will enrich onboard entertainment options across a selection of ships from 6 December 2019. A curtain-raising event will occur aboard Silver Moon from the ship’s launch on 6 August 2020, with To the Moon and Beyond, a retro tribute to space exploration and classic sci-fi movies.
Inspired by the recent 50th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing, the show will feature evocative, space-age scenery and such iconic tunes as ‘Fly Me to the Moon’, ‘Moondance’, ‘Bad Moon Rising’, ‘Rocket Man’, and more.
MSC offers sneak-peak of Cirque de Soleil at Sea
MSC Cruises has revealed new images of its brand-new and original ‘Cirque du Soleil at Sea’ shows exclusively on MSC Grandiosa. In ‘COSMOS, Journey to the Unbelievable’, guests experience a voyage across the galaxy with a brave astronaut on a quest for self-discovery.
The new acrobatic performance ‘Ginger Rope’ in COSMOS sees three artists use a unique acrobatic apparatus developed specifically for the show. Aerialists fly gracefully in orbit on the rotating stage on moving ropes embodying rings around the planets.
Audiences of ‘EXENTRICKS, Expect the Unexpected’, are caught off guard at every turn in a high-spirited spectacle.
For the first time for any Cirque du Soleil at Sea show, EXENTRICKS puts guests in the centre of the show with audience participation playing a vital role in the story, bringing MSC Cruises guests closer to the artists than ever before.
Each Cirque du Soleil at Sea show is an original production exclusively created for MSC Cruises’ Meraviglia generation ships.
Quark launches two new Antarctic solar eclipse voyages
To commemorate the anniversary of Quark Expeditions’ first solar eclipse voyage to Antarctica in 2003, the cruise company has announced it is reuniting experts from the original voyage to join two new Antarctic eclipse voyages in 2021.
Guests on the ‘Solar Eclipse 2021: Totality in Antarctica’ and ‘Solar Eclipse 2021: Totality in Antarctica’ voyages will be joined by NASA’s “Mr. Eclipse,” Fred Espenak and Babak Tafreshi, an award-winning National Geographic photographer. Both participated in the original 2003 voyage.
They will also be joined by American Eclipse author David Baron, whose TED Talk, ‘You owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse’, has more than two million views.
Hurtigruten’s Alaska sale
Escape the southern hemisphere chill and explore the rugged North Pacific coastline with this great Alaska offer from Hurtigruten.
Agents can save between $1500 to $3,000 per cabin on selected 2020 Alaska sailings for bookings made before 31 January 2020.
On board the hybrid-powered MS Roald Amundsen, guests will explore the Inside Passage, with the chance to spot whales, Horned puffins, bears, sea otters and sea lions.
Guests will also have the chance to discover the Aleutian Islands, and take in the extraordinary coastal beauty of Alaska’s fjords, ancient fossil forests and dramatic volcanoes.
Dream Cruises celebrates arrival of Explorer Dream to Auckland
Dream Cruises has celebrated the inaugural arrival of Explorer Dream to the Queens Wharf in Auckland, New Zealand, as Dream Cruises continues to homeport and sail beyond Asia.
Notable attendees at the welcome event included Nick Hill, chief executive, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development and Leigh Robins, cruise operations manager, Port of Auckland Ltd.
During Explorer Dream’s seasonal homeport deployment in New Zealand, travellers can explore a variety of round-trip cruise itineraries across New Zealand departing from Auckland between 15 Dec 2019 and 26 January 2020.
Celebrity Cruises’ 2021–2022 season of sailings
Celebrity Cruises is inviting guests to discover a world of new with the unveiling of the cruise company’s 2021–2022 season of sailings, where the brand’s growing fleet of 14 ships will visit more than 280 destinations.
Celebrity’s lineup of destinations is expanding to include eight new ports of call in 2021–2022: Taranto, Italy; Salvador de Bahia, Brazil; Ilocos, Philippines; Ishigaki, Japan; Zakynthos, Hydra, and Thessaloniki in Greece; and the Kenai Peninsula in Homer, Alaska, the highlight of a brand-new cruise tour debuting in 2021.
The brand’s new season of sailings will also feature more than 125 overnight stays in more than 30 of the world’s most dynamic places, including a new overnight stay in Porto, Portugal, and the chance to celebrate New Year’s Eve with a Latin twist in the vibrant city of Montevideo, Uruguay.
Business class flights included to Antarctica with Scenic Eclipse
For a limited time, Scenic is offering an exclusive business class included offer on voyages to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands with Scenic Eclipse.
Starting at $29,565 per person, all fares are truly all-inclusive, according to Scenic. Return business flights are included for fares paid by 31 January (or until sold out).
Coral Expeditions and Australian Geographic grow expedition partnership
Coral Expeditions and Australian Geographic have extended their successful partnership with new activities planned through to 2022.
Sharing a rich heritage of exploration and a deep commitment to conservation, the extension of this partnership celebrates the success that comes from collaboration, respect and a shared passion for Australia.
This partnership encompasses four new special Australian Geographic Society curated expeditions to explore remote natural and cultural regions in the coastlines of Australia and beyond. These new expeditions include:
- Battles and Beaches: 75th Anniversary of WWII – a 13-night exploratory voyage through Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and the autonomous region of Bougainville commemorating the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII
- Coastal Wilds of Tasmania – a 10-night coastal odyssey from Hobart taking in the Huon River, world heritage Port Davey and Bathurst Harbour, Bruny Island, Maria Island, Freycinet Peninsula and Port Arthur
- Island Outposts of West Australia – a pioneering 27-night voyage of the island outposts of Australia’s west coast
- Outerknown Adventures on the Great Barrier Reef – a seven-night journey to the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
azamara Cirque de Soleil at Sea cruise wrap msc silversea World Wide Fund for Nature WWFLatest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.