This was published 5 years ago
Don't miss out on earlybird deals for Christmas holiday cruises
Seabourn Sojourn will be heading out of Miami in 2020 for a 146-day world cruise, the first the luxury line has made in six years.
It's crept up on us again already – Christmas is less than five months away. If you're looking forward to spending Christmas at sea but haven't booked a cruise yet, you need to get cracking.
Celebrating the festive season on a ship is becoming a popular alternative to family gatherings at home or in shared holiday houses. Among the many reasons are having all the food shopping, cooking and clearing away done for you; no one has any domestic chores; ships are decorated with Christmas trees and all the trimmings; and among entertainment galore are visits from Santa for younger cruisers. Then factor in cruising somewhere warm and summery if you're in the southern hemisphere – what's not to love?
However, timing is important. Earlybirds not only snag the best deals for holiday cruises, they get to choose their preferred accommodation. The quickest to sell are family and inter-connecting cabins. So, if you're looking at cruising in Australia, the Pacific Islands and New Zealand now for this Christmas, is there still availability? A quick look through cruise lines' websites says not a lot, so check them asap.
Ships that will be at sea on the all-important December 25, departing from Sydney, include P&O's Pacific Explorer, see pocruises.com.au ; Royal Caribbean's Explorer, Radiance and Ovation of the Seas, see royalcaribbean.com.au ; CCL's Carnival Spirit, see carnival.com.au ; Celebrity Cruises' Celebrity Solstice, see celebritycruises.com ; NCL's Norwegian Jewel, see ncl.com ; HAL's Noordam and Maasdam, see hollandamerica.com; Princess Cruises' Majestic Princess (princess.com); Seabourn Sojourn (https://www.seabourn.com); and RSSC's Seven Seas Mariner, see rssc.com
Cruises in Asia are another option and a quick glance at a few websites reveals there are still cabins available on several itineraries. A few examples: 15-day Singapore to Shanghai on Sapphire Princess, departing December 21; 14-night Hong Kong to Singapore on Celebrity Millennium, departing December 22; and 14-day Siem Reap to Bali on Windstar's Star Legend, departing December 19, see traveltheworld.com.au
Perhaps a small-ship cruise in Fiji would be the go? Captain Cook Cruises' MV Reef Endeavour has a special seven-night Yasawa Islands Christmas cruise that departs from Denarau Marina, Nadi, on December 2. The 130-passenger ship has six staterooms that can be connected to an adjoining cabin for families or groups; see captaincookcruisesfiji.com
Sailing in French Polynesia is wonderful year-round, but if you're looking for a complete escape from seasonal madness – preferably sans children – Christmas is a great time to go. Luxury ship Paul Gauguin's seven-night Tahiti and the Society Islands round-trip cruise from Papeete departs on December 22, pgcruises.com . Windstar's Wind Spirit does a similar itinerary, departing December 20.
SHORE THING
THE PORT Alicante, Spain
WHO GOES THERE Celebrity, Crystal, HAL, MSC, NCL, Oceania, P&O UK, Royal Caribbean, SeaDream.
WHY WE LOVE IT Alicante is the main cruise port on the Costa Blanca. The skyline is dominated by Santa Barbara castle; below, the city comprises the old Barrio Santa Cruz quarter, a long strip of beach and attractive promenade.
TAKE A TOUR OR GO IT ALONE? Cruise ships dock at the Alicante cruise terminal, about 1.5 kilometres from the city centre. You can walk, pick up a free shuttle bus or take a taxi; a hop-on hop-off bus departs on city tours from the shuttle bus drop-off point by El Postiguet Beach. This is close to the elevator that takes you to one of Alicante's main attractions, Santa Barbara castle at the top of Mount Benacantil. This imposing fortification, complete with dungeons and secret passages, offers stunning views of the Mediterranean coastline and the walk downhill takes you into the picturesque old town. A marble wave-paved promenade, La Explanada de Espana, runs along the city's seafront between the old town and marina; lined with bars, cafes and palm trees, it's a relaxing place to stroll – or maybe take a Segway tour. Boat trips from Alicante harbour go to Tabarca, a tiny island that's renowned for snorkelling and scuba-diving; other day tours include wine-tasting in regional vineyards and trips to Canelobre Caves in the town of Busot.
MUST SEE Santa María Basilica, Alicante's oldest church; the nearby Contemporary Art Museum, which has works by famous Spanish artists Picasso, Miro and Dali; Parque el Palmeral, Europe's largest palm grove and a UNESCO world heritage site.
MUST EAT Try the local version of paella, arroz a banda (rice cooked in fish stock and if you're feeling brave, all i pebre, a strong-tasting eel dish. A favourite sweet is turron, similar to nougat.
NEED TO KNOW Smaller shops generally open from 9.30am to 2pm and 5pm to 8pm; chainstores and supermarkets stay open all day in most Spanish towns.
ESSENTIALS spain.info
CRUISEFACT
MSC Cruises' MSC Lirica and Princess Cruises' Sun Princess will be used as floating hotels during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.
NEWS
Riviera doubles solo spots
British-based river cruise company Riviera Travel, a relative newcomer to Australian river cruisers, is offering four European itineraries exclusively for solo travellers in 2019 – no single supplement attached. Riviera Travel's international sales manager Thomas Morgan said the solo cruises address a gap in the market for people who wish to enjoy a river cruise but are travelling on their own or simply prefer to have a cabin to themselves. The itineraries are a seven-night, round-trip cruise from Porto along the Douro in Portugal, departing March 31; two seven-night, round-trip cruises from Budapest on the Danube, departing April 1 and October 28; and a seven-night cruise from Lyon to Avignon in France, departing October 31. Riviera operates 11 ships and fares for the solo-only cruises start from $2769. See rivieratravel.com.au
World Sojourn
Seabourn Sojourn will be heading out of Miami on January 4, 2020, for a 146-day world cruise, the first the luxury line has made in six years. Sojourn will take 450 privileged passengers to 62 ports in 36 countries on five continents – but if the full world cruise is not in your time or financial budget, segments ranging from 30 to 116 days are also available. Highlights include 16 overnights in ports such as Dakar, Senegal; Mombasa, Kenya; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Cairns, Australia. It will also feature evening calls in 18 more ports. Passengers can disembark the ship for mid-cruise overland excursions like safaris and visits to the Taj Mahal. The five-month journey finishes in San Francisco on May 28, 2020. See seabourn.com
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