Spirited season ahead

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This was published 11 years ago

Spirited season ahead

By Joanna Hall
Plans in the pipeline ... Trinity Inlet, Cairns, is set to be deepened.

Plans in the pipeline ... Trinity Inlet, Cairns, is set to be deepened.

HOLA from the Pacific Coast of Mexico, where I am cruising on Carnival Spirit, previewing the ship ahead of its debut in Australia in mid-October. The announcement last year of its deployment Down Under caused a stir, as it will be the first Carnival ship to be based permanently outside of the US. As a result, next "Wave Season" is shaping up to be the busiest ever.

Also arriving in October is Holland America's 1916-guest Oosterdam. Then, making its debut in November for a five-month stint, is Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, the largest ship to be based in Australia carrying more than 3000 guests. Arriving in early December is the 2850-guest Celebrity Solstice.

This activity highlights the growing importance of the Australian market. There is talk of a new cruise terminal on Queensland's Gold Coast and in Cairns, plans are afoot to make Trinity Inlet deeper as part of a $40 million project to accommodate larger vessels.

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Closer to home, however, major problems remain. Sydney Ports has placed a heavy-duty anchor in Campbell's Cove to moor large ships in the harbour, the least popular option for cruise operators, and it is planning a redevelopment of the Overseas Passenger Terminal.

A key issue, however, is the planned $57 million cruise terminal at White Bay; located west of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the new arrivals will be unable to fit beneath the bridge to use it.

The bad news continued last month, with a proposal to use the Garden Island naval base east of the bridge thwarted by an independent review commissioned by the Defence Minister, Stephen Smith.

Couples cruise ... the River Saigon.

Couples cruise ... the River Saigon.

All this leaves the mega-cruise-ship operators with a mega problem. And Sydney, too. If it can't accommodate these large vessels comfortably, there's a chance Australia's most popular port of call could be dropped by some operators.

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Package of the week

Act fast for this extensive package offered by Cruise Express including flights, two cruises and stays in three of Europe's great cities. Departing on September 5, you fly to Copenhagen for two nights, then join Norwegian Sun for a nine-night round-trip Baltic cruise by way of St Petersburg and Stockholm.

The River Saigon cruise ship.

The River Saigon cruise ship.

The next stop is Paris for a three-night stay, then Venice for two nights before joining Norwegian Jade for a seven-night round-trip cruise with ports of call including Split, Dubrovnik and Athens. Finally you fly back to Australia from Venice. This package is priced from $5999 a person, twin share, and includes all port charges, taxes and gratuities. 1300 766 537, cruiseexpress.com.au.

In brief

Avalon will be expanding its fleet to 12 next year, with plans for two more luxury river ships. Following the launch of the 64-stateroom Avalon Artistry II, set for April 2013, the 83-stateroom Avalon Expression will make its debut for a total of five "suite ships" cruising across Europe's waterways.

New Zealand chef Simon Gault returns to Captain Cook Cruises on August 14 for a four-night masterclass cruise on the MV Reef Endeavour. The cruise explores Fiji's Yasawa Islands and features cooking demonstrations using local produce.

SeaDream has two special Caribbean cruises featuring dives at the premier spots Saba and Culebra off Puerto Rico.

SeaDream I cruises for seven nights from San Juan to St Thomas on December 9, while SeaDream II cruises for six days from St Thomas to San Juan on December 16.

River Saigon

LAUNCHED January 2012 PASSENGERS 60 REGULAR HAUNTS Vietnam and Cambodia BEST FOR Couples THE DETAILS A 15-day cruise from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, departing on December 13, is priced from $6968 a person, twin share, including seven nights ashore. Solo supplements are also waived, with a saving of $2999 for a single traveller. 1300 780 231, uniworldcruises.com.au.

Need to know

1 The River Saigon is Uniworld's newest ship, cruising the waterways of Vietnam and Cambodia. Its French colonial style features polished brass and teak wood throughout and a spacious promenade.

2 There are three categories of stateroom available, all of which have river views as well as French doors opening on to the promenade. Amenities offered include fine linens, pillow menus, bottled water, a hairdryer, bathrobe and slippers.

3 There is one dining room on board, which caters for all meals and offers a range of international cuisine. Dinner is a formal affair with a focus on seasonal local produce and featuring complimentary wines.

4 Each cruise includes 12 shore excursions led by local experts, exploring the culture and customs of Vietnam and Cambodia. Entertainment highlights include authentic dinner shows on and off the ship, including a farewell dinner where staff don Khmer costume.

5 Facilities aboard the River Saigon include a lounge, a library, a massage room, a boutique and there's also a covered sun deck with plenty of loungers available.

Port watch: Iwo Jima, Japan

Need to know

This remote volcanic island sits off the southern tip of Japan, halfway between Tokyo and Saipan, and is largely famous for a major World War II battle in 1945. Ships anchor and use tender boats to take guests to the pier on shore.

Don't miss

The best option on Iwo Jima is to take an organised excursion, which will cover at least one of the two main sightseeing attractions. For history buffs, the joint American-Japanese and landing beach memorial sites commemorate the 28,000-plus men who perished there during the war. The famous Hospital Cave, which contains the mummified remains of several Japanese soldiers along with weapons and uniforms, is also worth a look. For a slice of nature, Mount Suribachi is the island's dominating feature, an extinct volcano that forms the narrow southern tip of the island.

joanna@seahorsemedia.com.au

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