Travel With Giulio

14/04/2020

"Carnival Cruises is incorporated in Panama, Norwegian in Bermuda, and Royal Caribbean in Liberia. Now these "incorporations of convenience" threaten their survival. Their revenue has been cut to zero. The US Government is offering no assistance because they're foreign companies ... Industry analysts say the big cruise operators have enough reserves to last six months. After that, if they don't secure funding, they face going out of business."

The industry's image of cruise ships as a perfect balance between fun and security now looks sunk.

12/02/2020

If the virus continues to spread, it will be interesting to see if other destinations go down this path.

Three cruise ships were denied entry to Nuku'alofa today Crystal Cruises' Crystal Serenity, CMV's Columbus and Transocean Kreuzfahrten's Astor upon

22/04/2019

Ever since I saw Oasis of the Seas for the first time, I KNEW it was a ship I had to cruise on ... and now I'm doing it!! Only 384 more sleeps to go 🙂
Just found out our cruise will be the first Oasis of the Seas sailing from New Jersey i.e. New York City 😊.

11/04/2019

Carnival Cruise Line has launched its ‘Pizza Anywhere’ feature on the Carnival Cruise Line Hub App in Australia, so guests can have their favourite pizza delivered

Guests can order a fresh, hand-tossed pizza on their smartphone and have it delivered whenever and wherever they are on the ship. Five pizza varieties are available: Margherita, Funghi, Pepperoni, Quattro Formaggi and Hawaiian. Bellissimo!

To place an order, guests simply tap on the Pizza Delivery icon on the app and select their location on the ship. Guests even have the option of taking a selfie, so the waiter can easily identify them! Each pizza costs $7 and is automatically charged to guests’ Sail & Sign shipboard accounts upon order.

Carnival is also working to expand deliveries to include beverages, all to make life even easier for cruisers.

(The Carnival Cruise Line Hub App has been downloaded more than 5.1 million times)

28/03/2019

A star-studded line-up will perform onboard P&O's Pacific Explorer for its second annual 'The Big Laugh' comedy festival at sea.

Thirteen big-name comedians, including Tom Gleeson, Dave Hughes, Dave Thornton and Mel Buttle will perform 32 shows and a combined 1,500 minutes of jokes during the jam-packed three-night cruise departing Sydney on June 8, 2019.

Following the success of the inaugural 'The Big Laugh' cruise in 2018, another stellar line-up of comedians will perform a mixture of big marquee performances and intimate gigs in the numerous bars and lounges onboard Pacific Explorer.

A selection of leading comedy acts will also headline additional comedy cruises throughout 2019, with a mix of two, three and four-night Short Breaks departing Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Auckland.

Fares start from $399* per person twin share.

21/03/2019

In big 'Down Under' cruise news, Royal Caribbean has announced that, from 2020, Serenade of the Seas will be cruising from Sydney and Queenslanders will have their own ship, Radiance of the Seas (my first cruise ... which got me hooked on cruising), home ported from Brisbane’s International Cruise Terminal at Luggage Point.

Serenade of the Seas – the younger sister to Radiance of the Seas – will sail from Sydney’s Overseas Passenger Terminal for the first time from October 2020 to April 2021. The 2400-guest megaliner offers 18 dining venues, bars and lounges, as well as a rock-climbing wall, 9-hole mini golf course and three pools, as well as lounges and bars not seen previously in Australian waters, including the Safari Club, Congo Bar and Zanzibar Lounge.

The 2400-guest Radiance of the Seas will offer Queenslanders their first taste of the airy and light-filled cruise ship from November 2020 to April 2021, soon after it has had a multi-million makeover following a drydock in 2020 (more details to be announced).

Further to this, Voyager of the Seas (4,000 passenger capacity) returns to Sydney in October 2020 and Australia’s largest and most technologically advanced cruise ship, Ovation of the Seas, returns for her fifth season down under in what looks to be a bumper year for Aussie cruising (and cruisers!).



Photo - Radiance of the Seas moored of Bora Bora (photo by Giulio)

21/03/2019

Princess Cruises has revealed plans to operate a massive 20 cruises to and from Adelaide, South Australia, over the 2020-21 summer season, in a move that will inject an estimated $20 million into the state economy.

The 2020-21 program will include six roundtrip cruises from Adelaide on its popular 2000-guest Sea Princess and 2670-guest Sapphire Princess, as well as a further 14 one-way itineraries on Sea Princess, Sapphire Princess and the 3560-guest Majestic Princess.

The program is double the cruise line’s 2019-20 Adelaide season, released in March 2018, which saw bookings for the 2019-20 (South Australian) season exceed expectations.

The cruise line’s focus on Adelaide reflected the surging demand for cruise holidays among South Australians, as well as the growing popularity of ports along the southern Australian coastline, including Adelaide and Kangaroo Island.

This new Adelaide season is a highlight of Princess Cruises’ Australian program, which offers holidaymakers a choice of almost 100 cruises across five Princess ships sailing from five homeports around the country between October 2020 and May 2021.



Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises

07/03/2019

Princess Cruises has announced that MedallionNet – The Best Wi-Fi at Sea - will be available onboard Golden Princess from December 20, 2019 during the line’s 2019/2020 Australian summer season.

Cruising out of Melbourne, guests onboard Golden Princess will be the first to enjoy the benefits of fast, reliable, and unlimited internet service locally as they sail on itineraries to New Zealand, South Australia and the South Pacific.

Guests will be able enjoy access to the internet at speeds that equal or exceed what they experience on land, making it exceptionally easy for everyone to share photos, videos and messages during their holiday.

This year, over half the Princess fleet will be MedallionNet enabled, expanding to a further five ships; Coral Princess (April 5), Island Princess (May 15), Crown Princess (June 30), Emerald Princess (August 3) and Sky Princess (October 12). MedallionNet is also currently available on Caribbean Princess and Royal Princess.

Photo courtesy Princess Cruises

19/01/2019

Interesting ...

The line is already in the process of acquiring land for additional Perfect Day private islands, president Michael Bayley reportedly revealed this

01/01/2019

This is me in a few weeks. 😃
It's my first time cruising with Princess and is a 3-night cruise to nowhere, but am looking forward to it, as it's been over a year since my last cruise and I'm getting severe withdrawals!!

Experience a large ship with small-ship intimacy when you take a Sea Princess voyage! Whether you're cutting into a juicy steak cooked to order in the dining...

24/10/2018

P&O Cruises Australia has announced its flagship Pacific Explorer will make Brisbane her new homeport from October 2020.
Not surprising, really ... since 2012 more than one million Queenslanders have cruised with P&O – and almost three quarters of them have sailed from Brisbane.
Pacific Explorer replaces Pacific Dawn which has been sailing from Brisbane since December 2009.

26/09/2018

Worth a look ...

What if your favorite Italian piazza could travel with you? Welcome to the Grand Plaza: https://bit.ly/2x27yK4 ---------- That’s Modern Luxury – http://www.C...

19/09/2018

Majestic Princess arrives in Sydney on the world’s first floating “runway”.
The largest Princess Cruises’ ship ever to visit Australia, Majestic Princess “touched down” in Sydney shortly after sunrise, sailing into her new homeport along a 1,550 metre-long illuminated runway.
The floating sea-strip was created by 62 buoys with bright red and white flares guiding her path into Sydney Harbour.

Majestic Princess arrived at Sydney for the first time on September 15, 2018, and became the largest Princess ship ever to operate in Australia. Princess pla...

29/08/2018

P&O Cruises Australia will bring a second Grand Class ship into its fleet while bidding farewell to one of its “jewels” as part of the cruise line’s commitment to refresh the fleet over time.

The 3,100-guest Star Princess will replace the much-loved and considerably smaller Pacific Jewel, which will leave P&O Cruises in March 2019, by which time she will have served the brand for almost 10 years.

Star Princess will join her sister ship, Golden Princess, in the P&O Cruises Australia fleet from the end of 2021.

This short video shows what Star Princess has to offer ...

Featuring all of our signature features, the Star Princess cruise ship is truly a shining star of the Princess fleet. Comfortable surroundings and relaxing v...

04/07/2018

Elvis on the high seas!!

P&O Cruises plans to rock and roll (again) in 2019 on their ‘Tribute to The King’ Cruise aboard Pacific Explorer. The cruise will feature all his classics, as well as his 'unforgettable' movies and concerts.

Interested? Read more here - https://cruiseweekly.com.au/company/po-cruises/po-cruises-tribute-to-the-king-cruise-set-to-rock-and-roll-again-in-2019/54693

28/06/2018

Carnival Spirit has returned to Sydney following dry dock in Singapore. Read about the enhancements and new features added to the ship - https://cruiseweekly.com.au/news/carnival-spirit-returns-to-sydney-following-dry-dock-in-singapore/54567

20/06/2018

The headline says it all. Read on ...

Oprah Winfrey Holland America Line

Holland America Line and O, The Oprah Magazine Set Sail on three-day Girls’ Getaway cruise, with Oprah Winfrey aboard Nieuw Statendam June 14, 2018 Holland America Line and O, The Oprah Magazine announced today a three-day Girls’ Getaway cruise on Holland America Line’s newest ship, Nieuw Stat...

25/04/2018

High speeds on the high seas ...

The outlandish track is the largest competitive race track at sea and a first for any North America-based cruise ship. The vessel left Southampton for New York on Saturday on her maiden voyage.

04/04/2018

Royal Caribbean has announced its 2019/20 down under voyages, which will see the line return to Australia with three megaliners.

Radiance of the Seas arrives in Sydney on October 9, 2019, followed by Ovation of the Seas on October 20, while Voyager of the Seas will begin her season with a three-night sampler cruise on November 30. Together, the three ships will offer 61 sailings, ranging from two to 19 nights, and sailing to nine different countries including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Singapore, Indonesia, the USA and Vanuatu.

The 4800-guest Ovation of the Seas returns for her fourth and longest season yet down under, following her maiden season in Alaska in the Northern Hemisphere summer.

***Bookings for the 2019/20 summer season open on Tuesday 10 April 2018.

Photos by me (Radiance and Voyager of the Seas) and courtesy of Royal Caribbean (Ovation of he Seas)

04/04/2018

Silversea is offering free unlimited Wi-Fi access to every guest - throughout its fleet - on voyages sailing in April 2018.

Since January 2016, guests have enjoyed at least one hour of free Wi-Fi per day. The new policy provides each guest booked into one of Silversea’s standard suites with free unlimited standard internet access.

Guests staying in a Silver suite or upwards will enjoy free unlimited premium internet access for up to two devices simultaneously per guest. Unlimited premium internet access is also available to purchase for guests wishing to upgrade.

Photo courtesy of Silverseas.

28/03/2018

Three years and nearly 5,000 shipbuilders and crew later ... Royal Caribbean International has launched Symphony of the Seas, the world's largest cruise ship, at STX France shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France.

Read the full story here: https://bit.ly/2pP9qC4

Photos courtesy of RCI

21/03/2018

Princess Cruises will spend a record-breaking 141 days deployed in Fremantle during the 2019/2020 Australian summer cruising season, the largest financial commitment ever made to the state by a cruise brand.

This historic investment will inject $32 million into the state’s economy and follows the return of Sun Princess to Fremantle which will generate a one hundred per cent increase in cruise ship guests sailing from Western Australia compared with 2018/2019 season.

Photo: Princess Cruises

21/03/2018

HIGH-SPEED INTERNET ON THE HIGH SEAS ...

Oceania Cruises will introduce its new Wavenet high-speed internet fleetwide. With Wavenet, travellers will be able to upload and download large files in a snap, enjoy their favourite shows on Netflix, stream their favourite playlist on Spotify and instantly share their Oceania Cruises’ memories on Facebook, and Instagram. They can even livestream, Facetime, and Skype with friends and family back home.

Free and unlimited Wavenet service will be included for all stateroom and suite categories on all sailings. A streaming upgrade, Wavenet Prime, is available for US$9.99 per day for guests who wish to stream movies, music, or videos.

Wavenet and Wavenet Prime will be available on all vessels by the end of April.

14/03/2018

Princess Cruises, in conjunction with Japan National Tourism Organisation, is giving eligible Australian’s the chance to win an 8-night Princess Cruises Circle Japan cruise for two on board Diamond Princess, departing Tokyo on 4 September 2018.

Open to Australian residents aged 18 years and over, to enter, hopeful winners must visit http://www.winajapancruise.com during the promotional period and complete and submit the online entry form.

The prize winner will sail roundtrip from Tokyo, Japan to five ports of call including; Ishinomaki, Japan, Hakodate, Japan, Akita, Japan, Busan, South Korea and Kagoshima, Japan.

Entry is only open to Australian residents aged 18 years and over who are available to travel to Tokyo, Japan (at their own expense) in order to take the eight (8) night cruise departing on 4 September 2018. Ends 11:59pm AEDST on 29 March 2018. Max 1 entry/person. Conditions apply, see Official Rule...

22/02/2018

Cunard has announced that Queen Elizabeth will be based in Australia for 101 days over the 2019-20 summer. The ship will sail on six roundtrip cruises from Melbourne and two from Sydney during the season, which will feature an array of itineraries to South Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea between December 2019 and March 2020.

At 90,900 tonnes, Queen Elizabeth is the second largest ship ever to sail in Cunard’s fleet. Launched in 2010, she is also the youngest in the cruise line’s current trio of Queens and features more than 10 restaurants and cafes, a Games Deck featuring paddle tennis, croquet and bowls, a two-storey library, a ballroom and a three-deck Royal Court Theatre seating 800 guests and offering private boxes.

Full details of the 2020 World Voyage season will be released on March 13, with the program scheduled to go on sale on March 20, 2018.

Photo courtesy of Cunard

07/02/2018

Carnival Splendor will join its Australian fleet in Sydney next year, catering for the unprecedented demand for fun, family-friendly cruise holidays.

On her arrival through Sydney Heads in December 2019, Carnival Splendor will be the newest and largest ship home ported year-round in Australia.

With a capacity of 3900 guests, the 113,300 gross tonnage cruise liner will make her maiden voyage from Sydney in December 2019 after her repositioning cruise from Singapore. Thereafter, she will sail year-round from Sydney.

Bookings for Carnival Splendor’s 2019 sailings will open in March of this year and sailings for 2020 will open in May/June this year.

Photo courtesy of Carnival Cruises

07/02/2018

If you're a single cruiser, as I am, then you may be interested in this ...

As part of Bentours 40 years of travel celebrations, Bentours currently have huge savings with 'No Single Supplement' offer on almost 20 expedition cruises including Antarctica, Greenland, Iceland and Canada.

The biggest saving is on The Ultimate Expedition to Antarctica, Falklands and South Georgia – now priced for a solo traveller from A$18,120//NZ$20,655 and departing in Dec 2018.

This epic expedition takes you through the Falkland Islands and South Georgia before experiencing Antarctica. Price includes onboard accommodation on a full board basis, return economy flight Buenos Aires to Ushuaia and landings with small boats and activities onboard and ashore.

Photo courtesy of Bentours

25/01/2018

Silversea Cruises is offering guests the chance to join Australian nine-time Formula One Grand Prix winner, Mark Webber at the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix!!

This is exclusive to Silversea guests who will be travelling between Barcelona and Civitavecchia, Rome, on May 20, 2018, aboard the cruise line’s flagship Silver Muse.

For the first time, Webber will participate in a special talk, plus a question and answer session for Silversea guests who are attending the Monaco Grand Prix on 2May 26, as part of a two day land package.

During the talk, Webber will discuss his exciting and illustrious career and reveal his own insights into the Monaco Grand Prix. For Silversea guests, he will also be available to sign autographs, respond to questions and provide photo opportunities.

Photos courtey of Silversea Cruises and Mark Webber

12/01/2018

With the Australian Open 2018 just around the corner, P&O Cruises is reminding tennis fans that the ultimate Grand Slam experience is onboard their Australian Open cruises ...

Davis Cup winner Mark Philippoussis and Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević will join the action in 2018 when the ship docks in Melbourne, hosting a Q&A session with fans onboard Pacific Eden where they will reveal their career highlights and insider perspectives of the 2018 Open.

Meanwhile, multiple Grand Slam Doubles winner Todd Woodbridge will treat fans to a Q&A onboard Pacific Explorer when it’s in Melbourne.

20/12/2017

This sounds pretty darn good ...

All-inclusive cruise line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, has enhanced its circumnavigating of Australia itinerary aboard the recently refurbished Seven Seas Mariner.

Now part of their 'Grand Voyages' collection, the 36-night itinerary departs Sydney on December 15, 2018, aboard the all-suite and all-balcony Seven Seas Mariner. Grand Voyages allow extra time for leisurely exploration of one particular region and spend more time at each port with many overnight stays and extra amenities.

These amenities include one night’s accommodation and dinner in a luxury hotel pre-cruise, phone time in each suite, unlimited laundry services, a commemorative gift, an exclusive (ashore) New Year’s Eve party in Bali and an exclusive shore side experience. Guests will also enjoy the benefits of all-inclusive cruising, with unlimited shore excursions, meals in specialty restaurants, premium fine wines and beverages, in-suite mini bar replenished daily, open bars and lounges, unlimited WiFi and pre-paid gratuities.

Visit a wealth of diverse destinations ranging from sophisticated capital cities to tropical islands and idyllic beaches to wine country, culturally-significant indigenous locations and 11 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Beyond Australia, the cruise will also visit Papua New Guinea and the remote island of Komodo in Indonesia, famed for its rare dragons.

Interested? Call Regent Seven Seas Cruises on 1300 455 200 (AU) or 0800 625 692 (NZ), visit www.rssc.com or contact a travel agent.

Photo of Seven Seas Mariner courtesy of Seven Seas Cruises.