Cruise of the Month
Norway – Land of the Midnight Sun - an Exclusive Escorted Voyage
As you read this, a group of Cruise Express clients - and our mascot Duck - are sailing up the Norwegian coast with Hurtigruten as part of a winter 'Northern Lights’ Escorted Voyage. This August you can cruise in their wake and enjoy the Norwegian summer when almost 24-hour daylight showcases the world’s grandest fjords in all their glory. For more on our exclusive escorted tour to the Land of the Midnight Sun,
Did you know?
Our guests this August will sail along Norway’s spectacular coast aboard Hurtigruten’s 1000-passenger ms Midnatsol, which is Norwegian for midnight sun.
Ride Europe's Spectacular Trains
Enjoy a thrilling red-carpet ride through Spain and the breathtaking Alhambra Palace in Granada, coupled with a luxurious cruise from Barcelona to Venice with Holland America Line. Visit some of the most beautiful ports in the Mediterranean and top it off with a ride on two of Europe’s most spectacular trains - the Bernina Express and Glacier Express - through the Swiss Alps to the majestic Matterhorn. Including airfares, cruise and touring, packages for our ‘Mediterranean Tapestry’ tour this September are available from only $6990.
*Ask us about our special offer to combine our Land of the Midnight Sun cruise tour in Norway in August with the Mediterranean Tapestry holiday in September for a spectacular European holiday. Call us on 1300 766 537 or 1300 676 926 (Central Coast NSW) for all the details.
Free Double Upgrade - save $2000 per couple
Book by March 31, 2016
Book our new Unique Journey - The Spice Route - from India to Singapore before March 31 and you can cruise in a balcony stateroom for the price of an interior cabin! See the breathtaking Taj Mahal, stay in some of India’s most luxurious palace hotels and then live it up with complimentary beverages aboard the elegant Azamara Journey as you sail to the Far East this November. This offer is subject to availability and is selling fast,
Did you know?
It took 22,000 people and 1000 elephants 17 years to build the Taj Mahal, which Indian Emperor Shah Jahan dedicated to his third and favourite wife Mumtaz Mahal after she died.
NEW - Pacific North West and Alaska
The majestic scenery of America’s Pacific North West, Canada and Alaska will combine in an exclusive, new Unique Journey offered by Cruise Express this August. If you love good coffee, food and wine, this tour could not be more perfect or palate-pleasing. You’ll discover a bounty of fresh local produce, seafood, organic farms and vineyards, along with spectacular waterfalls and mountain country infused with native American legends.
Our 23-night ‘Pacific North West and Alaska’ tour also includes a seven-night Inside Passage cruise aboard Coral Princess and a rail and coach tour into the Alaskan wilderness with stays in luxury lodges near Mt. McKinley, Denali National Park and Fairbanks. Other memorable experiences on this journey include an exclusive dinner at Seattle's Space Needle, a visit to the world-famous Butchart Gardens and a spectacular seaplane journey from Victoria to Vancouver. If you’ve never enjoyed the thrill of exploring this region and sailing Alaska’s glacier-lined fjords, make 2016 the year you experience it all.
Did you know?
The USA’s smallest state, Rhode Island, can fit into Alaska, the biggest state, 425 times.
Exclusive Fly Free Offer on Music Cruises
Join singing sensations like Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Marina Prior, John Farnham, Jon English, Adam Brand, Beccy Cole and Chubby Checker on one of four special music cruises from Sydney or Brisbane this October or November. Whether it’s musical theatre, Aussie rock, country or 60s music you like, there’s a toe-tapping cruise for you. You’ll sail the South Pacific with Royal Caribbean International and if you book quickly you can fly FREE from Sydney to join one of the two cruises aboard Legend of the Seas sailing from Brisbane. For details,
Explore the world with Cruise Express on one of our luxury Escorted Voyages. These are exclusive group tours where our experienced Tour Managers host you and take care of all the details. Travel with complete peace of mind and make friends with like-minded travellers along the way. All you need to do is relax and have fun!
Save $1000 per Couple on Northern Europe Tour
Escorted by Hardy Schneider, PLUS Free Drinks Offer
For a limited time, we’re offering $1000 off per couple for bookings on our escorted, 19-night cruise tour this June with Celebrity Cruises. Plus, if you book a balcony cabin, you will also receive a Classic Beverage Package including selected beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. Our northern Europe tour will take in the UK, Scandinavia and Russia and will be hosted by our award-winning Tour Director Hardy Schneider. For details,
Did you know?
Our UK, Scandinavia and Russia tour includes a visit to Windsor Castle – the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. Dating back to the 11th century and still used by the Queen today, the lavish castle is also the longest-occupied palace in Europe.
Panama and Central America
One of the top cruise experiences on the seven seas is the Panama Canal – one of history’s great engineering feats and the world’s most spectacular shortcut. The jungle-cloaked canal will be a highlight of our Escorted Voyage from California to Florida via the Mexican Riviera this October. To see where else this amazing itinerary will take you,
Did you know?
Labelled one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the Panama Canal will double its capacity later this year when a new deeper and wider channel is completed for ever-larger cruise ships and container vessels. The massive expansion project is costing $7.4 billion! Be amongst the first to see the new-look canal on our hosted tour this October.
All Shore Tours included in Mediterranean Cruise Tour
- Plus Drinks!
You’ll enjoy a complimentary shore tour in every port as part of our special 'Cradles of Civilisation' Escorted Voyage with Celebrity Cruises this October. Encounter whirling dervishes, ancient cities and ruins dating back thousands of years as you explore the wonders of the eastern Mediterranean with Cruise Express. Book an ocean-view cabin or above and you’ll also receive a Classic Beverage Package including selected beer, wine, spirits and cocktails. To see the many other inclusions in this comprehensive itinerary,
~ Tours may be escorted by Cruise Express or locally hosted, depending on final group numbers.
Each month, we talk with celebrities, industry figures, cruise lovers and crew about their passion for cruising. This month, we talk with Ann Sherry AO, CEO of Carnival Australia.
What made you get into cruising?
When the opportunity to lead Carnival Australia was presented, I saw how successful cruising was in the US and, although it was still relatively small in Australia, I thought there was great potential to grow the sector, rejuvenate the key home brands and offer holidaymakers more choice.
What inspires you about cruising?
It really is the sense of opportunity in offering a very special holiday choice that gives people an opportunity to go to places that you can’t get to any other way and the fact that we can offer this at great prices. There is also the fact that cruising’s long value chain benefits so many regional communities and small businesses around Australia and elsewhere.
How many cruises have you been on and which was your favourite ship?
I have probably lost count of the number of cruises so let’s just say lots but I tend not to have favourites because the various Carnival Australia brands and ships each has something special to offer. Alaska with Princess Cruises was amazing in glacier country and Holland America Line took me to places on the east coast of America that I couldn’t have imagined visiting otherwise such as sailing up the St Lawrence River. P&O Cruises to Papua New Guinea, again to places you otherwise could never visit, meeting local communities who had paddled for days to festivals that offer passengers an insight into their world and crafts. Or on Carnival Spirit seeing families and children enjoying the burger bar and exciting rides on the Green Thunder water slide. Sailing on the Cunard Queens is to experience all the elegance you could hope for at sea. Enjoying time on P&O UK’s new ship Britannia is one of those cruising experiences to die for and if you are looking for pure luxury go no further than the ships of Seabourn and amazing itineraries to areas such as the Black Sea.
Which was your favourite destination and why?
Mystery Island, in the southern most chain of islands of Vanuatu, is one of my favourite destinations. I have been there many times with P&O Cruises and have a spent a lot of time with the community to the point where it feels like a family bond. It has quintessentially gorgeous beaches, amazing people and, overall, a quirky experience of the Pacific. We have been working with the community for a long time to ensure they share the economic benefits of cruising so there is a lot of mutual admiration.
What do you love about cruising?
Number one, you only unpack once! Two, it is the best service that you will get anywhere. Three, you can choose to do as little as you like or as much as you like and never be short of things to do. And four, you can always find something fantastic and surprising to eat.
What's a special moment on your travels you remember fondly?
The moments you remember are the ones you are doing for the first time and they come as a surprise. Hand-feeding dolphins on Moreton Island in a tropical paradise, but with distant views of Brisbane and the Gold Coast, is definitely one of those memorable moments. So is playing the local version of beach cricket in the Trobriand Islands of PNG or seeing from a cruise balcony my first bear in the wild lumbering down to the water in Alaska.
Do you have any cruising tips?
Don’t over pack would be the first. Turn your phone off because you’re now on holiday. Book a massage early in the cruise because it will quickly get you into relaxed cruise mode. Do things that you wouldn’t normally do. For example, I enjoy bingo! Go to the karaoke, go to the trivia quizzes - life is too short to be stitched up.
Was there a person who told you that you couldn’t or wouldn’t succeed?
Too many people told me that - more than I can count actually, which for me just meant focusing even more on getting results.
Is there a person who inspired your success?
It is more like a group of people. When I joined Carnival Australia, I was really struck by the passion and enthusiasm of the people here. They had such a fervor for the cruise product that it was infectious. I became determined to do everything I could to take that internal passion out into the wider world and that is exactly what we have done as a team and have grown the cruise sector and holiday choices for Australians in the process.
Final word… let’s go cruising!
For more on any of the ships featured here, call us on 1300 766 537 or 1300 676 926 (Central Coast NSW) or use the ‘Search and Book’ function on our website here,
Princess debuts new livery
When Princess Cruises’ Majestic Princess was floated out of the Fincantieri shipyard this week in Monfalcone, the 50-year-old cruise line’s new hull livery was unveiled. The third Royal Princess class vessel is sporting Princess’ Sea Witch on her bow, making Princess the latest of the major cruise lines to feature hull art on its ships.
The new livery will go fleet-wide over the next year or two. The 143,000 ton, 3,560-guest Majestic Princess is also the first Princess ship to be designed for the booming Chinese market and will enter service in 2017.
New Mega Yacht to Eclipse the Seven Seas
Bookings have now opened for Scenic Eclipse, the ultra-luxury mega-yacht Australian travel company Scenic will debut in 2018 as its first ocean-going cruise ship. The 228-guest, all verandah-suite ship will sport its own helicopters and submarine. On offer are all-inclusive sailings in the Mediterranean, Antarctica, Cuba and the Norwegian fjords. Reduced pricing is available for early bookings for 2018-19 cruises.
Will You Be Brave Enough?
When the world’s biggest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean International’s 5480-passenger Harmony of the Seas, is launched this May, she will sport the tallest water slide at sea. Brave passengers will plummet 10 decks on mats through the snaking tubes of the ‘Ultimate Abyss’ overlooking the ship’s wake.
Fleet-Wide Facelifts
Norwegian Cruise Line will spend $568 million upgrading each of its nine ships from bow to stern over the next year, with enhancements also planned for its menus and private island ports in the Caribbean. Premium line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises will also embark on a fleet-wide facelift over the next 12 months, with $178 million to be spent on completely refurbishing its four luxury ships.
Above: artist renderings of Seven Seas Navigator after refurbishment
Greens at Sea
Chefs on Holland America Line’s new 2650-passenger ship, ms Koningsdam, to be launched this April, will serve dining guests microgreens that will be grown onboard in glass displays.
Lifeline for Historic Ship
The ship that still holds the record as the world’s fastest-ever liner - the SS United States - may sail again after Crystal Cruises announced this month it would examine the feasibility of relaunching her as a luxury liner half a century after she was taken out of service. The much-loved ship known as the 'Big U' is famous for her 1952 record smashing transatlantic crossing of 3 days, 10 hours, 40 minutes at an average speed of 35 knots. Withdrawn from service in 1969, the ship has been docked in Philadelphia since 1996 but Crystal will now pay for her upkeep until plans for the elegant ship are finalised.
Cruise Review - Celebrity Solstice
For those wanting a local five star cruise holiday, Celebrity Solstice is a great option. Cruise Express team member, Caroline Crossan, recently went aboard and was impressed by the ship's unique features including the 'Lawn Club' on the top deck and the Martini Bar with an iced bench-top to keep your drinks cool. For more on this modern, well laid out ship, read Caroline's review here:
* To learn about deluxe voyages we are hosting with Celebrity Cruises this year, click below:
Cruises are great value choices if you want to enjoy a getaway as a club, group of friends or extended family. To cater for increased demand for group travel, Cruise Express has launched a Group Travel page on our website. As experts in cruising and group travel, we can look after all the planning and organisation as well as onboard celebration events, exclusive shore excursions, group dining and often special offers such as discounts, credits and upgrades. To find out how we can make your group holiday extra special, call us on 1300 766 537 or 1300 676 926 (Central Coast NSW) or visit our Group Travel web page.
