This was published 6 years ago
Queen Elizabeth to show off Australia's best-known brands with 2019 arrival
Queen Elizabeth's bellboys will be dressed in R.M. Williams and Akubra.
When Queen Elizabeth arrives Down Under next February for its keenly anticipated two-month season, the ship will be showing off some of Australia's best-known brands. Cunard has partnered with famous clothing label R.M. Williams, Akubra hats, Melbourne boutique whisky distillery Starward and the highly acclaimed Australian Dance Theatre (ADT).
Cunard's bellboys (aka stewards, or equivalents to a grand hotel's bellhops) will swap their trademark red and black uniforms for new outfits designed by R.M. Williams and Akubra; a barrel of Starward whisky has already been loaded onto the ship so it can mature over the next year; and the ADT will create a special performance of its latest work, The Beginning of Nature, for the cruises.
Cunard has been a favourite with Australian cruisers for many years; when Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth's predecessor QE2 visited Sydney together in 2007, the city went into gridlock as people lined up along the harbourside to view the spectacle. Sture Myrmell, president of Carnival Australia (which represents Cunard), said the initiatives broke new ground for Cunard and reflected the cruise line's increasingly strong commitment to the Australian market.
French cruise line Ponant is adding two more Explorer ships to its fleet in 2020.
"These partnerships are designed to embrace Australian products and culture and celebrate Queen Elizabeth's 2019 season Down Under, which sets a new record for Cunard's current fleet," Myrmell said.
"All our partners are respected names in their fields so we're delighted to join forces with them for the season with a range of initiatives which we think will be very popular – and maintain Cunard's tradition of turning heads in this market."
Whisky aficionados will appreciate the opening of the 225-litre barrel of Starward's The Seafarer on-board the ship next February; the single malt has already been aged for two years at the Port Melbourne distillery and once it has travelled the world for a year it will take on an international flavour. As part of their partnership, Starward and Cunard will donate bottles of The Seafarer to raise funds for charity.
Dancers from the ADT will perform their new show and lead workshops and classes for guests. The company's executive director Shaun Comerford said: "Our dancers have performed in some pretty spectacular places, from the Sydney Opera House to the most prestigious theatres of Paris, London and New York, and we are excited to add Cunard's famous Queen Elizabeth to that list."
Queen Elizabeth will sail 27 itineraries from Sydney and Melbourne between February and March 2019 and returns for an even longer stint in December 2019 – it will be in local waters for 101 days of cruising. See http://www.cunardline.com.au [cunardline.com.au].
SHORE THING
THE PORT New York, USA
WHO GOES THERE Azamara, Carnival, Celebrity, Crystal, Cunard, Disney, HAL, MSC, NCL, Oceania, RSSC, Royal Caribbean, P&O UK, Princess, Seabourn, Silversea, Viking, Windstar.
WHY WE LOVE IT Sailing in or out of New York is a major highlight for keen cruisers: seeing that famous skyline and landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty is always a thrill, whether it's your first or 21st cruise. The Big Apple has so much to offer you need to plan what you can fit in – give yourself as long as possible in town pre- or post-cruise.
TAKE A TOUR OR GO IT ALONE? Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises operates a range of narrated itineraries during the day and evening; the 2.5-hour Best of NYC cruise circumnavigates Manhattan Island and takes in all five boroughs (Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, Staten Island and the Bronx), three rivers and more than 20 bridges. New York is eminently walkable, so you can set off with a map or app on your own, or opt for a guided tour. Free Tours By Foot (https://freetoursbyfoot.com offers a great selection of guided "pay what you like" walking tours as well as food, bike and bus tours. The New York Pass allows you to skip queues and get discounted entry to more than 90 sites and attractions.
MUST SEE Top of the Rock, Rockefeller Plaza; Metropolitan Museum on Museum Mile, overlooking Central Park; Grand Central Terminal; Brooklyn Bridge Park; 9/11 Memorial & Museum; Museum of Modern Art (MoMA); Guggenheim Museum.
MUST EAT From food trucks and delis to burger joints, pizza parlours and fine-dining restaurants, foodies are spoilt for choice in New York. Check out New York's official tourist website (below) for inspiration.
NEED TO KNOW There are three main cruise terminals: Manhattan, on the Hudson River; Brooklyn at Red Hook, used mainly by Cunard; Cape Liberty at Bayonne, New Jersey, used by Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.
ESSENTIALS https://www.nycgo.com
CRUISEFACT
In 1891, Queen Victoria started a new tradition when she smashed a bottle of champagne against the hull of HMS Royal Arthur, although christening ships dates back centuries.
NEWS
Ponant Explorers
French cruise line Ponant is adding two more Explorer ships to its fleet in 2020; when the Ponant Icebreaker arrives in 2021, it will have 12 ships sailing the globe. The first two of six Explorer ships, Le Laperouse and Le Champlain, set sail this year and the second pair, Le Bougainville and Le Dumont-d'Urville, arrive in 2019. The 184-passenger ships are equipped with a marina platform as well as a submersible mini-port providing easy access for kayaking, paddle boarding and water skiing. These new stars of the fleet also feature a multi-sensory underwater lounge called Blue Eye, which offers a new experience of the subaquatic world. Ponant's 46 Mediterranean and Northern Europe cruises for April to November 2019 are detailed in the latest brochure, which includes five new itineraries. See au.ponant.com
Solos-only river cruises
This November, Riviera Travel is offering two river cruises exclusively for solo passengers – and there's no single supplement. Riviera Travel is already popular with solo travellers because several cabins on every cruise are dedicated to supplement-free solo occupancy. But on these two cruises, every one of the 88 cabins aboard the newly launched Danube river ship, Oscar Wilde, and the 74 cabins on 2013's Lord Byron, are for solo passengers only. The eight-day Blue Danube round-trip cruise departs Budapest on November 1 and the eight-day Burgundy, River Rhone and Provence cruise sails from Lyon to Avignon on November 6. Fares are lower and less inclusive than on many river cruise lines; tea and coffee machines are provided in cabins and drinks packages are available. See www.rivieratravel.com.au
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