Website: www.cruiseweekly.com.au | Phone: 1300 799 220 | Fax:1300 799 221| Email:[email protected]Page 1 Tuesday 08 May 2012 TODAY’S ISSUE OF CWToday’s issue ofCruise Weeklyfeatures five pages of all the latest cruise news. THANK YOU to everyone who sent in questions for our guest expert Adam Armstrong, Royal Caribbean International Commercial Manager Australia. Be sure to keep your questions coming to [email protected]. For the answers to Adam’s questions today, click on the Facebook link at the end of each question. Q1 from Donalyn and Gavin Hunter: We have booked a 16 day cruise with Royal Caribbean. We live in Adelaide and rather than fly home from Perth we requested that we could continue cruising on the ship until Adelaide. Both our travel agent and Royal Caribbean said they do not allow ‘segment cruises’. You can imagine our surprise and disappointment as most other cruise lines allow this. Surely if the ship is not fully booked it is better to have the cabin booked if only to Adelaide. We are interested to know the reasoning behind this decision. Q2 from Jennifer Junk: I would like to know why doesn’t Royal Caribbean keep a ship in Australia for year round cruising. Not all of us can cruise in just the spring / summer months and it would be nice to get away from the cold and travel to the top of Australia & Pacific islands where it is warmer. Now that CarnivalSpiritis based in Australia all year, I think Royal Caribbean should follow! Plus we need more 3 night sampler cruises for us business people where it is difficult to leave our businesses for too long. Email your questions for Adam to [email protected]New Zealand cruising hits new record More than 56,000 New Zealanders took a cruise holiday in 2011 – a huge increase ofthirty-two percent. ACCORDING to a new report released this morning, New Zealand experienced the second strongest cruise passenger growth rate in the world last year, second only to Australia, which was up 34% (CW, 01 May). Launched in Auckland by the International Cruise Council Australasia (ICCA), the 2011 New Zealand Cruise Industry Report found that New Zealand cruise passenger numbers grew by 32% to 56, 479. This is more than double the number five years ago, when only 26,510 Kiwis cruised in 2006. River-cruising passenger numbers also grew , by 12% to 2,651, accounting for 5% of total New Zealand cruise market. The report uncovered a massive rise in the number of people cruising local waters, which soared nearly 220%, reflecting an increase in short break cruises from Auckland. But the South Pacific remained the most popular destination, attracting nearly half ofpassengers. ICCA General Manager Brett Jardine said the latest figures underlined the strength of the New Zealand cruise market. “While other industries have wavered in these tough economic times, cruising has continued to expand, with its popularity in New Zealand growing sig nificantly, ” Jardine said . “Every year we are seeing more cruise ships sailing New Zealand waters, taking the profile of cruising to new heights and prompting an unprecedented number of Kiwis to take to the seas for their holidays, ” he added. They are also sailing for longer, with the research finding a 24% rise in estimated sea days. In terms of market penetration, 1.3% of the New Zealand population took a cruise in 2011. Almost three-quarters lived on the North Island with the 27% per cent living on the South Island. Jardine said the New Zealand cruise industry was on target to reach 100,000 passengers by 2020. CLICK HERE DO YOU DARE TO COMPARE? Compare a Viking river cruise with some of our competitors’ itineraries to see how much you could save. Y ou’ll be surprised with what you discover, starting with the price… New Cruise and Rail Journey25 Years’ experience Exciting new itineraries Helen’s Choice Bonuses No Hidden Extras Intimate group sizes Call 1300 788 328 or visit helenwongstours.com ChongqingDazu Yan gtze River Wuhan Huangshan NanjingShanghai Beijing15 Days from $4390 Inclusions: Return Airfares - 4 To 5 Star Quality Accommodation - Most Meals - Sightseeing - EveningEntertainment - English Speaking Guide - Travel Kit - Visa For Australian Passport Holders - Taxes Conditions: Prices are per person twin share ex. SYD, MEL, BNE, ADL, PER & includes taxes and fuel surcharges, valid for departures from Apr’12 – Nov’12, seasonal surcharge apply. Please check with Helen Wong’s T ours for exact departure dates. Prices & taxes are current at time of brochure printing 15 Sep ‘11. and are subject to availability and change without notice at time of bookin g. All other condition s as per Helen Wong’ s Tours current bro chure range. 3 098 Lic.No.2TA4103
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8/2/2019 Cruise Weekly for Tue 08 May 2012 - NZ cruising record, Princess 2013-14 options, Scenic to refit fleet and much …
For the answers to Adam’s questionstoday, click on the Facebook link at the endof each question.
Q1 from Donalyn and Gavin Hunter:We have booked a 16 day cruise with RoyalCaribbean. We live in Adelaide and rather thanfly home from Perth we requested that wecould continue cruising on the ship untilAdelaide. Both our travel agent and RoyalCaribbean said they do not allow ‘segmentcruises’. You can imagine our surprise anddisappointment as most other cruise linesallow this. Surely if the ship is not fully bookedit is better to have the cabin booked if only to
Adelaide. We are interested to know thereasoning behind this decision.Q2 from Jennifer Junk: I would like to knowwhy doesn’t Royal Caribbean keep a ship inAustralia for year round cruising. Not all of uscan cruise in just the spring / summer monthsand it would be nice to get away from the coldand travel to the top of Australia & Pacificislands where it is warmer. Now that Carnival Spirit is based in Australia all year, I thinkRoyal Caribbean should follow! Plus we needmore 3 night sampler cruises for us businesspeople where it is difficult to leave ourbusinesses for too long.
New Zealand cruising hits new recordMore than 56,000 New
Zealanders took a cruise holiday
n 2011 – a huge increase of
thirty-two percent.
ACCORDING to a new report released this
morning, New Zealand experienced the
econd strongest cruise passenger growth rate
n the world last year, second only to
Australia, which was up 34% (CW , 01 May).
Launched in Auckland by the International
Cruise Council Australasia (ICCA), the 2011
New Zealand Cruise Industry Report found
hat New Zealand cruise passenger numbers
grew by 32% to 56,479.
This is more than double the number five
years ago, when only 26,510 Kiwis cruised in
2006.
River-cruising passenger numbers also grew,
by 12% to 2,651, accounting for 5% of total
New Zealand cruise market.
The report uncovered a massive rise in the
number of people cruising local waters, which
soared nearly 220%, reflecting an increase in
short break cruises from Auckland.
But the South Pacific remained the most
popular destination, attracting nearly half of
passengers.ICCA General Manager Brett Jardine said the
latest figures underlined the strength of the
New Zealand cruise market.
“While other industries have wavered in
these tough economic times, cruising has
continued to expand, with its popularity in
New Zealand growing significantly,” Jardine said.
“Every year we are seeing more cruise ships
sailing New Zealand waters, taking the profile
of cruising to new heights and prompting an
unprecedented number of Kiwis to take to the
seas for their holidays,” he added.
They are also sailing for longer, with theresearch finding a 24% rise in estimated sea
days.
In terms of market penetration, 1.3% of the
New Zealand population took a cruise in 2011.
Almost three-quarters lived on the North
Island with the 27% per cent living on the
South Island.
Jardine said the New Zealand cruise industry
was on target to reach 100,000 passengers by
2020.
CLICK HERE
DO YOU
DARE TO
COMPARE?Compare a Viking river cruise with
some of our competitors’ itineraries
to see how much you could save.
You’ll be surprised with what you
discover, starting with the price…
New Cruise and Rail Journey
25 Years’ experience
Exciting new itineraries
Helen’s Choice Bonuses
No Hidden Extras
Intimate group sizes
Call 1300 788 328 or visit helenwongstours.com
Chongqing
Dazu
Yangtze River
Wuhan
Huangshan
Nanjing
Shanghai
Beijing
15 Days from $4390
Inclusions: Return Airfares - 4 To 5 Star Quality Accommodation - Most Meals - Sightseeing - Evening Entertainment - English Speaking Guide - Travel Kit - Visa For Australian Passport Holders - Taxes
Conditions: Prices are per person twin share ex. SYD, MEL, BNE, ADL, PER & includes taxes and fuel surcharges, valid for departures from Apr’12 – Nov’12, seasonal surchargeapply. Please check with Helen Wong’s Tours for exact departure dates. Prices & taxes are current at time of brochure printing 15 Sep ‘11. and are subject to availability and changewithout notice at time of booking. All other conditions as per Helen Wong’s Tours current brochure range. 3 098 Lic.No.2TA4103
keeping up to date with allthe breaking news as it comes
to hand...
NurembergLebkuchen
(Gingerbread)
IngredientsFor Nuremnerg Lebkuchen (gingerbread)
•2/3 cup of honey (or molasses)
• 1 cup sugar
• 21/3 cup of butter
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
•4 cups sifted cake flour
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 2/3 cup of chopped hazelnuts (almonds, cashewsor macadamias will also do)
• 1/3 cup chopped citron (or candied orange,
candied lemon, dried figs or dried dates)
• 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
• Dash of ginger (optional)
• Grated orange/lemon peel (optional)
For Sugar Glaze• 1/2 cup of confectioner’s or powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup of water
• A touch of vanilla or rum liqueur (optional)
This week’s recipe
comes fromUniworld River Cruises
Recipe ofthe Month Scenic fleet set to get the Crystal lookScenic River Cruises is spending
up big to overhaul its fleet of
Rhine, Main, Danube and
Moselle sailing vessels. ANNOUNCING the refit at an event in Sydney
last week, Scenic’s Managing Director Glen
Moroney, told Cruise Weekly that the plan is to
fully gut and refit Scenic Sapphire, Scenic Pearl,
Scenic Ruby and Scenic Diamond (the oldest of
which is four years old), to the specifications of
Scenic Crystal which launched this month, andScenic Jewel which launches next year.
Part of the reasoning behind this move is to
unify the fleet and ensure that guests have the
same level of onboard luxury across the fleet.
“We believe we can upgrade them so that
from a guest’s perspective they will be as good,
maybe even better than our Scenic Crystal ,
which is by far and away the best ship that’s
operating on those rivers,” Moroney said.
Designed in collaboration with renowned
Australian interior designer, Heather Buttrose
(also Crystal’s Godmother) Crystal features a
new Space-Ship configuration, meaning thatalmost a quarter of the cabins are 10% larger
than those onboard her sister-ships, whilst her
design also includes the Sun-Lounge concept
which converts outdoor balconies into indoor
lounges with the aid of a sliding glass window.
Other new design features include
bathrooms with a full walk in shower, more
storage space, additional balcony cabins, and a
gym and wellness centre that is twice the size
of those offered onboard other Space-Ships, as
well as a new cabin type, the 225 square-foot
Deluxe Balcony Suites.
Scenic Crystal also features more dining
opportunities, including the all-day grazing
venue River Cafe which offers breakfast,
brunch, lunch, morning and afternoon tea and
all day gelati; as well the Table La Rive
degustation experience in the main dining
room; and High Tea on the Terrace.
“We decided to take it to go to the next level
not only onboard with the ship itself but also
in the services onboard and offboard,” said
Moroney.The refit news follows hot on the heels of the
company’s decision to go all inclusive (CW 01
May) by offering a number of enhancements
across its Space-Ship fleet including unlimited
beverages, butler service and all day grazing
for all guests regardless of their cabin type.
“We are redefining the term all-inclusive
luxury”.
“If you wanted to clean your clothes yourself
and not get a haircut, you could spend nothing
from the time that you arrive onboard to the
time that you depart,” he added.
in other exciting news Moroney also provided
PreparationBoil the honey, sugar, and butter together for 5minutes. Remove from heat to cool. Beat one eggand add to water. Mix and sift flour, baking soda,salt and spices and add alternately with the liquid
ingredients to the honey mixture. Add choppednuts and citron last. Knead the dough and cool. If
the dough is allowed to ripen overnight or several
days before rolling out, the flavor and texture of the cookies are improved. Roll the dough about
1/4" thick on a floured board. You may cut doughmixture into small circles or shapes. Place on abuttered baking sheet on a tray. Bake at 350°Fdegrees for 15 - 20 minutes. Let cool for a few
minutes, then remove the cookies from the trayto cool even further. Ice with colored icing or asugar glaze while still warm. To make a sugar
glaze: dilute 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar with 1/4cup water in a small saucepan on the stove. Bring
to a boil and boil for a few minutes. You may adda touch of vanilla or rum liqueur and mix to makethe consistency of thin cream. Sift powdered
sugar over the hot sugary syrup and stir. Using apastry brush, brush cookies with the warm glaze.Let dry completely. Dry glazed cookies for a dayand then store them in an airtight container or in
the freezer.
Viking online pricing tool VIKING River Cruises has launched a new
online tool to help simplify pricing and make
decision-making easier for cruisers looking to
compare their options.
The website’s functionality allows visitors to
compare the inclusions and prices for Viking’s
most popular river cruise holidays with similar
competitor itineraries.
To use the website visitors simply need to
select the cruise of their choice, the date andthe cabin type that they would like to stay in.
After the selection has been made the
website will bring up comparison cruises and
what they include, so the user can determine
which cruise they would most prefer.
“Our research tells us that consumers find
the offers and discounts in the river cruise
holiday market too complex to grasp,” said
Teresia Fors, Viking River Cruises’ Australia and
New Zealand Managing Director.
“Occasionally, even we find it difficult to
understand and we work in the industry.
“That’s why we created a user-friendly toolto help consumers and agents research what’s
available in the market and compare the cost
and benefits of each alternative,” she added.
To see the site, visit
www.vikingrivercruises.com.au/compare.
Quark in Greenland 2013 ADVENTURE cruising specialists Quark
Expeditions has released its 2013 calendar of
sailings, which includes icebreaker adventures
to the North Pole, as well as luxury voyages to
Spitsbergen, Greenland and Iceland.
Highlights of the line-up include two North
Pole voyages departing 19 June and 30 June
2013, as well as the “Three Arctic Islands:
Iceland, Greenland, Spitsbergen” trip.
The season also includes a new voyage, the
“Greenland Explorer: Valleys and Fjords”
expedition which takes guests from Ottawa to
Reykjavik along the coast of Greenland, andincludes a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage
keeping up to date with all thebreaking news as it comes to
hand...
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Cruise Weekly is a publication of Cruise Weekly Pty Ltd. All content fully protected by copyright. Please obtain written permission to reproduce any material. While every care has been taken in the preparation of
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Bridge-ducking in Holland Zip-lining Norwegian Breakaway’s Aqua Park
So you think it’s all too tame and boring onboard on a cruise ship?Here are four activities guaranteed to get your heart racing.
Croc-hunting
Most Kimberley cruises go out of their way to keep theircustomers clear of crocodiles, but Aurora Expeditions goes lookingfor them – at night. Armed with spotlights, intrepid passengers canboard the small Explorer vessel and quietly glide through the dark
waters of the outback (accompanied by a naturalist).The official purpose of this excursion is to learn about the wildreptiles’ feeding and breeding habits, but the unofficial aim is toscare the bejesus out of you.
11-day Broome-to-Broome voyages depart on 28 May and 8 June2012 aboard the newly refurbished Coral Princess. Prices start at$6,990 per person. Call 02 9252 1033 or visitwww.auroraexpeditions.com.au.
Bridge-ducking
River-cruising vessels are built to fit under low bridges, but whenthe water level is high, it can be a tight squeeze. Standing up on thetop deck can be exhilarating when departing certain ports, such asAmsterdam, where it seems like every approaching bridge will
barely miss your head.On taller ships, the wheelhouse (the captain’s navigation bridge)
has to be retracted when passing under the lowest bridges.Passengers are strongly advised not to go up and watch this
exercise, due to the risk of being sandwiched or decapitated by amassive steel structure. My favourite retractable feature is the Leopard Lounge on Uniworld’s
SS Antoinette. When compressed, it should be renamed the Flat Cat!
Zip-lining
For some reason, cruise ships visit a lot of places with zip-lines, or‘flying foxes’, as it is sometimes known in Australia. In the past year,I’ve taken up the challenge in Hoonah (Alaska), Suva (Fiji) and PuertoLimon (Costa Rica).
Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas even has one onboard, so you
can glide from one side of the world’s biggest ship to the other.There’s simply no better way to see a rainforest than soaring overtreetops at breakneck speed. It does require courage to take yourfirst step off the ledge and put your trust in a thin piece of wire. Afterthat, you just have to remember how to stop.
Water-sliding
Carnival Spirit is giving Australian cruisers their first taste of awater-park on a ship with the Green Thunder ‘thrillslide’, claimed tobe the steepest at sea. The almost-vertical drop has to beexperienced to properly understand the intensity of this ride.
In the US, Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy have ‘water-coasters’,an aquatic version of the roller-coasters in the company’s famoustheme parks. Guests are propelled around and off the side of the ship,
through the forward funnel and then dropped into the onboard river.Coming soon is the biggest yet: the new Norwegian Breakaway will
have five waterslides, including side-by-side slides for racing.In addition, the top deck will feature the largest ropes course at
sea, which includes a platform that extends two metres over the sideof the ship, challenging passengers (wearing harnesses) to ‘walk theplank’. I dare you!