RCL Cruises Farewell Australian Summer
Explorer of the Seas departing Sydney on 22 April for her Northern summer homeport of Seattle , marking the end of an unforgettable season for Royal Caribbean , Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises ’ six Sydney-based ships . A selection of 96 cruises were offered throughout Australia , New Zealand , the South Pacific and Asia during the 2017 / 18 summer season , delivering an injection of around AUD $ 198 million into the Australian economy in passenger spend alone .
RCL Cruises has plenty in store for guests for the 2018 / 19 summer , with Royal Caribbean ’ s Ovation of the Seas returning for her third and longest season yet based down under . Culinary favourite , Radiance of the Seas 18 / 19 season kicks off on 17 September 2018 offering Royal Caribbean ’ s very first departure from Melbourne , as well as three one-way cruises departing from Auckland .
Meanwhile Explorer of the Seas returns down under for her fourth season . Sister ship Voyager of the Seas will temporarily homeport in Asia for the 2018 / 19 season , before returning fresh from a multimillion dollar modernisation next year .
Celebrity Cruises will return for its seventh Australian cruise season , offering four brand new South Pacific destinations in Tonga , Samoa and American Samoa . The modern luxury cruise line will also introduce overnight
calls in Hobart and Tauranga , and will offer a roundtrip sailing from Auckland for the very first time .
Azamara Club Cruises will have even more comprehensive New Zealand and Australian itineraries on offer for 2018 / 19 , including the line ’ s very first Perth , Melbourne and Cairns departures , as well as maiden calls to New Zealand ’ s Gisborne , Nelson , and the stunning Stewart Island nature reserve . Photo Tim Faircloth
Repositioning of Carnival Legend
Carnival Cruise Line has announced that the 2,124-passenger Carnival Legend will reposition to Tampa in October 2019 . Prior to her current Alaska schedule Carnival Legend underwent an extensive two-weeklong dry dock in Portland , Oregon , adding a variety of popular food and beverage concepts . These include Guy ’ s Burger Joint , the poolside RedFrog Rum Bar and BlueIguana Tequila Bar , and the Mexican-themed BlueIguana Cantina . Enhancements to Camp Ocean , a marine-themed kids play area , and Circle “ C ” catering to 12- to 14-year-olds , as well as the ship ’ s retail shopping outlets , were also carried out .
Following the 2018 schedule of sevenday Alaska cruises from Seattle , Carnival Legend then repositions for her final Australian program with a series of departures from Sydney and Melbourne and then in 2019 she will return to Seattle for another series of seven-day Alaska cruises . Prior to its Tampa deployment , Carnival Legend will also operate a series of longerlength Carnival Journey voyages in 2019 , including a nine-day Alaska cruise from Vancouver , a 16-day Hawaii voyage from Vancouver and a 15-day Panama Canal transit that begins in Los Angeles and ends in Tampa , positioning the vessel for its new schedule from that port .
Silversea Celebrates 10 Years of Expedition Cruising
Silversea celebrated 10 years of luxury expedition cruising in June 2018 with celebrations in London . It has been a big ten years for Silversea . ‘ A decade ago , we set out to unlock the world ’ s most authentic travelling experiences for those with a sense of curiosity ,’ explains Manfredi Lefebvre d ’ Ovidio , Silversea ’ s chairman . ‘ In superlative comfort , we have enabled our expedition guests to enjoy the planet ’ s remotest , most beautiful destinations – many of which were previously unvisited by any cruise line . Whether visited by land or sea , there exists an endless number of stunning places to explore . I look forward to discovering these destinations with our guests in the future .’
The first of these spectacular expedition destinations was Svalbard , an isolated Norwegian archipelago that is rich in natural wonders . Intimate in its proportions and with true go-anywhere capabilities , Silversea ’ s Silver Explorer left London for the remote northern waters on June 3 , 2008 , passing under Tower Bridge to commence a dawning age of expedition in the cruise line ’ s identity . Later in the same year , Silversea enabled guests to explore Antarctica in unprecedented comfort . Silversea ’ s breakthrough range of expedition cruises was instantly popular with those in search of an authentic new adventure .
In 2012 , after an extended scouting period , the cruise line became the first ever to launch itineraries to the Russian Arctic and along the West Coast of Africa . Utilising the expertise of its team and on-the-ground knowledge , Silversea was able to elevate the concept of six-star expedition .
The following year , Silversea acquired Silver Galapagos and became the first ever company to bring an ultra-luxury product to the Galapagos Islands . In 2014 , Silversea welcomed guests on expeditions to the Galapagos Islands , which have proved to be enduringly popular . In the same year , Silversea acquired Silver Discoverer , which enabled the company to expand its expedition offering into new territories , such as the Northwest Passage and the Russian Far East .
Last year , Silversea continued to challenge conventions to deliver new experiences . Ahead of the conversion of Silver Cloud – a crossover vessel which encapsulates the union of ultraluxury and go-anywhere adventure – Silversea added Bangladesh to its extending list of destinations – a worldfirst .
The latest destination to be announced by Silversea is the Philippines .
Pictured Silver Discover and Silver Spirit
www . worldwidecruisecentres . com . au 19