Cruise Companies flock to Australasia

Article posted: March 4th, 2010 by Administrator | No Comments »

Australasia seems to be THE hot destination for cruising with more cruise lines than ever positioning their ships in our waters. This month alone three of the bigger cruise lines have announced new deployments to our region.

SEABOURN declared this week that Seabourn Pride will spend all of next year sailing in Asia, while Seabourn Odyssey will increase its time spent in Australia/NZ.

Seabourn plans to expand their 2011 winter cruises itineraries to a wider range of destinations in Asia calling at smaller ports in Indonesia and Malaysia as well as their existing program of cruises to Japan, Korea and China.

“We will position Seabourn Pride between Singapore and Bali and really make the most of the fact that we can take our smaller ship into places that large ships can’t go, such as Komodo Island, and see the culture up close and personal, which is even difficult to do on land-based journeys because of the limited infrastructure – plus our guests can come back to the comfort of the ship and a glass of champagne,” Seabourn president, Pamela Conover said.

The 2011 winter-season Asian itineraries will also include Vietnam, Borneo, the Karimunjawa islands and shore excursions to the Borobudur temple site and an orangutan orphanage.

Seabourn will also have a summer presence in the southern hemisphere with its world voyage program.The new Seabourn Sojourn will visit Australia in 2011 during its journey from Los Angeles to London, with calls to Fremantle, Hobart, Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney. In 2012, Odyssey will undertake a South Pacific circle voyage called ‘Stars of the Southern Cross’ offering segments of 14 to 26 days between LA, Auckland and Sydney.

HOLLAND AMERICA LINE will base another ship in Australia next year while also expanding its Sydney season, including more roundtrip cruises to New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Joseph Slattery, vice president, international sales and marketing, HAL, said “Australia was its top international market and would “see more ships more often.” We have made a commitment to more departures and more roundtrips from Sydney,” Slattery said.

HAL currently bases the 1,432-passenger Volendam in Sydney during the international season and this year added 10 home-port sailings from the city to attract more local passengers.

Up to 50% of passengers on Sydney roundtrips are Australians, with domestic bookings increasing last year by 45%. Cruises aboard Volendam include five Sydney roundtrips to NZ or the South Pacific, such as a 16-day voyage spending Christmas and New Year at sea. The season will begin on 05 November 2010 with a 14-day Pacific Treasures cruise to New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES has also announced that Radiance of the Seas will join Rhapsody of the Seas in Sydney from October 2011.

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