This was published 7 years ago
Coming Wave Season promises to be biggest one yet for cruising
By Sally Macmillan
Celebrity Solstice will arrive in Sydney again on October 8.
It seems like only five minutes ago that Explorer of the Seas sailed out of Sydney in April to officially close the last Wave Season, but there's just three weeks to go until the new one begins. Celebrity Solstice arrives in Sydney on October 8, marking the start of the 2016/17 Wave Season – which promises to be even bigger than last year's.
Radiance of the Seas is the first of the Royal Caribbean fleet to arrive in Australia, on October 9; Voyager visits Darwin on October 23 en route for Sydney for its November 1 arrival; Explorer arrives in Sydney on November 2; Legend will visit Darwin on its way to Brisbane for its second (and final) season there; and Ovation arrives in Fremantle on December 6, as part of its 15-night Singapore to Sydney voyage and subsequent sailings until February 2017.
Altogether, about 250,000 passengers will sail on the five Royal Caribbean ships on itineraries ranging from three to 16 nights, visiting ports along the Australian coast and in Tasmania, New Zealand and the Pacific islands. See royalcaribbean.com.au
Carnival Legend arrives in Sydney on October 11, to join sister ship Carnival Spirit; this year it will be staying in Australia instead of heading back to the US in April as it usually does. Between them, the two ships will offer a record 133 cruises in the 2016-17 season, ranging from three-night short breaks to 18-night cruises to Hawaii, as well as the line's popular eight- to 12-night Pacific island itineraries. See carnival.com.au
Holland America Line's MS Maasdam arrives in Sydney on October 20, followed by sister ship MS Noordam on October 25. The two ships will sail 12- to 17-day itineraries to the Pacific Islands, around Australia and to New Zealand until April; Maasdam is sailing a 29-day Australia Circumnavigation, departing Sydney as soon as it arrives on October 20 and segments are available from Brisbane and Fremantle. See hollandamerica.com
Princess Cruises will have three ships cruising from local ports year-round (Sea, Sun and Dawn Princess) plus first-time visitor Emerald Princess and return visitor Golden Princess, based in Sydney and Melbourne for the season. The five ships will sail Australian coastal, Pacific island, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand itineraries from Auckland, Brisbane, Fremantle, Melbourne and Sydney, as well as an 84-day Circle South America voyage on Sea Princess. Departing Sydney on January 11, the ship will visit 28 destinations in 18 countries, including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Uruguay. See princess.com
And if you can take off next week, there are still spots available for Celebrity Solstice's 18-night transpacific cruise, leaving Hawaii on September 19. See celebritycruises.com.au
MEET THE CREW
NAME Sandor Tomasek, from Hungary
POSITION Butler, Uniworld Boutique Cruises
MY JOB My role is to provide a professional and attentive butler service to guests staying in our beautiful suites. I am there to fulfil every wish to ensure our guests have the perfect journey with Uniworld.
A TYPICAL DAY I start my day at 7am and one of my first duties is to greet guests at breakfast and tell them what the day has in store. I also make sure the suites are clean and tidy for when guests return from a day spent exploring and, in the evenings, I provide a turndown service while dinner is being served. Throughout the day I am always on standby should any of my guests come to me with special requests.
FAVOURITE CRUISE MOMENT When I welcome guests on embarkation day and see how excited they are to get going on such an amazing journey.
FAVOURITE CRUISE PORTS Passau; the rivers here played such an important role in the city's history that I learn something new about its heritage every time I visit.
INSIDER TIPS Early risers should head to the sundeck or sky lounge in the early morning to watch the sun rise over a new day, and perhaps even a new location, with a steaming cup of coffee. One of the beauties of a river cruise is the changing scenery and it is best appreciated from up top.
TIP
Daily or weekly spa passes allow a limited number of people to use the spa's sauna, steam rooms and relaxation areas – the cost and availability vary, so check when you board the ship.
NEWS
Sun, sand, sea and souks
Celebrity Cruises is sailing out of Abu Dhabi for the first time this year, operating a series of cruises on Celebrity Constellation from November 2016 to January 2017. From the Emirates' newest cruise terminal, the 2170-passenger ship will call at ports such as Muscat, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin and New Mangalore in the UAE, India, around the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on itineraries ranging from nine to 14 nights. The cruises offer a range of exciting shore excursions, such as camel-riding in Abu Dhabi's desert sands, a visit to Dubai's spice and gold souks and a day of indulgence on one of Goa's famous beaches. Celebrity Constellation had a major refurbishment in 2013 and shares many features of its Solstice-class fleetmates. See celebritycruises.com.au
Tassie treasures
Tasmanian Boat Charters operates cruises in some of Tasmania's most magical places on its boutique, 10-passenger vessel Odalisque. From February to May you can take three, five or seven-day guided expeditions into Port Davey, Bathurst Harbour in the Southwest National Park. From May to January Odalisque offers overnight charters in other areas of Tasmania including the East Coast, Bruny Island and the Tasman Peninsula. Tasmanian Boat Charters' proprietor, Pieter van der Woude, said, "I'm thrilled to be able to share my love for the remote Southwest World Heritage Area and the Tasmanian coastline with visitors to our beautiful state. We take guests to places no commercial tourists have seen before – to secret waterways, hidden bays and forgotten islands of the South West." See tasmanianboatcharters.com.au
Majestic Princess launching in April
Princess Cruises' newest ship, Majestic Princess, will spend a few weeks cruising in the Mediterranean before it repositions from Barcelona to its home port of Shanghai in May 2017. The 3560-passenger ship is in the same Royal class as Royal and Regal Princess, but designed for the rapidly growing Chinese market. It will share features such as the overwater SeaWalk, adults-only Sanctuary and colourful water fountain display, while offering two new specialty restaurants and more shops and family-friendly cabin configurations, among other facilities. Harmony restaurant will serve haute Chinese cuisine and Le Bistrot, in the multi-level atrium, will offer casual French home-style dining with a modern twist. Majestic Princess will sail to a variety of destinations in Japan and Korea. See princess.com
A new video highlighting Majestic Princess' many features is available here: https://youtu.be/GsRXOti5OXE
DEAL OF THE WEEK
A new 16-night fly, stay, cruise package from ecruising.travel includes a round-trip escorted land tour from Los Angeles (taking in highlights such as the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas and the Mojave Desert) and a five-night cruise to Vancouver aboard Norwegian Jewel. Departing Australia on April 21, 2017, fares start from $4159. Phone 1300 369 848, see ecruising.travel
MORE DEALS
STAR CLIPPERS is offering 35 per cent off a selection of exciting transatlantic repositioning cruises on its traditional-style tall ships, Star Clipper, Star Flyer and Royal Clipper. For example, a 16-night cruise on Royal Clipper from Barbados to Lisbon, departing April 8, 2017, costs from for $2159. Phone 02 8913 0797, see starclippers.com
HOLLAND AMERICA LINE Return flights to Europe cost $999 when you book a verandah cabin or above on select cruises in the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Baltic. This can be combined with HAL's Explore4 offer, which includes a complimentary Signature Beverage Package, Pinnacle Grill dinner and a 50 per cent reduced deposit. Valid until November 18; phone 1300 987 322, see hollandamerica.com
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