Fifth Anniversary in Australia
Carnival Cruise Line celebrated its fifth anniversary in Australia with the world ’ s longest conga line at sea , marking the first ever World Conga Day™ . Over 60,000 guests took part in the Carnival Conga , which travelled across 25 Carnival ships , via 13 countries , 7 time zones , spanning over 16,000 kilometres .
Carnival also commissioned ‘ Carnival Conga ’, a song released especially for the occasion with all proceeds from the sale of the catchy tune going to The Children ’ s Hospital at Westmead . The release of Carnival Conga is a first for any cruise line globally and can be downloaded from all leading platforms , including , Apple Music , Spotify , Amazon Music , Google Play .
Carnival Spirit sailed into the iconic Sydney Harbour on 17 October with over 1,500 guests and crew ‘ congaing ’ on the top deck at sunrise - five years to the day since she arrived through the heads for the first time in 2012 . Captain Vittorio Marchi and onboard characters , Dr Seuss ’ Cat In The Hat , Thing 1 and Thing 2 , also joined in on the fun .
Carnival Cruise Line Vice President Australia and NZ , Jennifer Vandekreeke , said " We ’ re delighted that Carnival guests and crew from around the globe have joined together for a bit of fun to celebrate our five year anniversary in Australia . Since the arrival of Carnival Spirit in 2012 , more than 750,000 Australians and Kiwis have enjoyed the fun of a Carnival Cruise . We ’ re excited by what the next five years will bring , especially given by 2020 , we will have two ships sailing year-round from Australia .”
Australia is Carnival Cruise Line ’ s first international home-port outside of the U . S , with Carnival Spirit sailing yearround and Carnival Legend sailing seasonally .
Fun Facts On Five Years Of Carnival Cruise Line In Australia : 10,272 Comedy Shows performed , 37,101 guests saw a turtle at Amadee Island , 138,133 rides down Green Thunder , 11,511 Green Eggs and Ham Eaten , 1,218,800 little umbrellas in poolside cocktails , 719,368 kilos of Australian Watermelon served , 209,483 kilos of Australian Pumpkin served , 40,625 Olives served in Martinis and 750,000 guests onboard . ms Maasdam and ms Noordam Down Under for 2017-18 wave season
Over two consecutive days ( 21 and 22 October respectively ), Holland America Line welcomed back ms Maasdam and ms Noordam in Sydney , with the two ships making calls across Australia , New Zealand and the South Pacific over the 2017 / 18 season . In a first for Holland America Line locally , the line will offer two shorter sailings of 4 and 5-days as part of the 31- day Pacific Explorer itinerary on ms Maasdam .
“ We are excited that Maasdam and Noordam will once again call our shores home for the upcoming season . Our ships will make calls at over 48 ports this season , including 33 in Australia alone ,” said Tony Archbold , Holland America Line Director of Sales , Australia and New Zealand .
“ Holland America Line offers some of the most comprehensive explorations in the region , but we know that some cruisers may have a time constraint so we are providing these guests a great alternative . With that in mind , we have opened up two , 4 and 5-day shorter segments of the 31-day Pacific Explorer sailing that allows guests to experience what makes Holland America the premium cruise line , while enjoying a taste of New Zealand ’ s incredible North Island ,” said Tony .
New Pacific Explorer sailings on Maasdam – The first 5-day Pacific Explorer departure on 22 November from Sydney will see Maasdam make a 3-day crossing of the Tasman , before making a call at Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand ’ s North Island , followed by disembarkation in Auckland . The 19 December 4-day departure sails out of Auckland onto the Bay of Islands , following a 2-day crossing to Sydney .
Pacific Treasures sailings on Noordam- These 13 and 15-day South Pacific sailings take in scenic and cultural highlights in New Caledonia , Vanuatu and Fiji . The Pacific Treasures round trip Sydney cruises depart 21 December and 15 March .
From January 2018 , ms Noordam will be the first ship in the region to offer Holland America Line ’ s immensely popular Lincoln Center Stage music experience . In its exclusive partnership with New York ’ s famed Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts , Lincoln Center Stage is an ensemble of world-class musicians performing chamber music . Lincoln Center Stage joins the immensely popular B . B . King ’ s Blues Club and Billboard Onboard to provide guests with one of the most exciting and diverse music programs at sea . All shows are part of Holland America Line ’ s Music Walk .
Guests will also be able to make the most of Holland America Line ’ s partnerships with BBC Earth and America ’ s Test Kitchen while on board this season . The immersive BBC Earth partnership gives guests the opportunity to experience the world ’ s natural wonders through innovative programming including a groundbreaking films , game shows , themed trivia and children ' s activities .
The America Test Kitchen partnership offers an enticing selection of live onboard cooking shows and handson workshops where guests will learn foolproof techniques and user-friendly recipes to make the dishes made famous by America ’ s Test Kitchen TV program .
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