Just announced! - The Brisbane Limited
New Heritage Rail and Sail Tour to Queensland
The popularity of our Australian heritage rail and sail tours continues with the release of our latest short break this October - The Brisbane Limited. Our new 6-night trip offers one night in Sydney before you board a heritage train from Sydney to Brisbane, with an overnight stop in Grafton. There’s a night in Brisbane with a dinner cruise on the river before you board Sun Princess for a 3-night ocean cruise back to Sydney via Newcastle. What a unique adventure and so much included, with fares for this never-before-offered tour starting at only $1,690 per person.
To jump aboard,
Our luxury Escorted Voyages 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.
Live it Up on our Vineyards of Tasmania Cruise
Here’s another cruise to enjoy with your friends – an exclusive, 6-night holiday we will host to Tasmania this November. Our ‘Voyage to the Vineyards of Tasmania’ aboard Sun Princess includes complimentary wine events onboard and food and wine excursions ashore. And all our guests will enjoy the views from balcony cabins and the gourmet cuisine of Curtis Stone’s new ‘Share’ restaurant onboard the ship. For more,
Coming soon!
Be the first to hear about other new cruise tours Cruise Express will offer in 2017 and 2018 by registering your interest today. Our unique journeys and escorted voyages offer incredible value for money and we take care of all the details. See letters from clients who've travelled on recent trips near the end of this newsletter. Destinations for 2017/18 include:
Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Iceland and Norway - August 2017
Cape Town to Cairo - September 2017
Autumn in Japan - October 2017
Rail and Sail to Melbourne - November 2017
Queen Mary 2 and Africa - January / February 2018
Luxury wine cruise from Margaret River to the Hunter Valley - March 2018
We’ll let you know as soon as these and other new tours are released so you can select the best cabins available. To register your interest for more information,
Our experienced team constantly searches for great offers, interesting destinations and inspiring itineraries. Here is a selection of this month's cruise ideas.
NEW! - Journey to the Northern Lights
Not many Australians can say they’ve witnessed the magical, celestial swirls of the Northern Lights. Just over a year from now, you could be doing just that on our winter wonderland cruise tour to Norway in February, 2018. This is a journey like no other. You’ll experience spectacular train trips and cruise with Hurtigruten along Norway’s spectacular, fjord-studded coastline above the Arctic Circle all the way to the Russian border. You’ll also join a thrilling husky sled ride and stay at the unique SnowHotel where the rooms are carved from ice. The itinerary will stir your imagination - and check the low single supplement too…
Sail all 3 Cunard Queens in One Holiday
A voyage on a Cunard liner is always a special event so imagine the thrill of cruising aboard all 3 Cunard ships in one holiday! Our exclusive packages in May, 2017 and again in May, 2018, include voyages to the Canary Islands or the Baltic, to Norway’s stunning fjords and across the Atlantic between Southampton and New York. Our amazing and seamless itineraries include all flights, accommodation and transfers as well as bragging rights! And yes, your friends will be jealous when they hear of your epic adventure aboard three grand ocean liners. For details,
There is still space on our 2017 package. For details,
Did you know?
Our packages include a 7-night crossing from Southampton to New York (or vice versa) aboard Queen Mary 2. The transatlantic crossing is the world’s most famous sea route. The record for the fastest crossing is still held by the former American liner, ss United States, which crossed the Atlantic in 1952 in 3 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes. Cunard is the only cruise line now offering regular passages between the UK and USA.
NEW! - Save up to 30% on Kimberley 2018
Limited time offer
French sophistication and wild Australian scenery combine with savings of up to 30% on four special expeditions with Ponant along the rugged Kimberley coastline in July and August 2018. You’ll cruise for 10 unforgettable nights aboard the 5-star French mega-yacht, L’Austral, between Darwin and Broome or vice versa, with an open bar and complimentary shore excursions adding to the allure. Cruise in style as you take in the spectacular vistas of the remote Kimberley coast - a vast region two thirds the size of France. But the savings are only available for a limited time. For more information,
Save thousands on Voyage to Japan
You can save up to $6,840 per couple on our special, 28-night package to Japan this May. You’ll sail from Sydney to Osaka aboard Golden Princess via Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong, Korea and China. Two nights in Osaka allow you to explore more of Japan’s cultural treasures, with the option of a day trip to Kyoto with its beautiful palaces, temples and gardens. Including your flight back to Australia, fares start from only $4,739 per person, twin-share.
For more on any of the ships featured below, call us on 1300 766 537 or 1300 676 926 (Central Coast NSW)
Ovation wins applause
Last month Ovation of the Seas became the largest cruise ship to ever visit Australia, impressing sightseers in Perth, Adelaide, Hobart and Sydney. The giant Royal Caribbean International ship also wowed some of our staff lucky enough to be invited onboard for a short cruise or visit in port. Julie and Rebecca from our Sydney office are pictured below left aboard Ovation while Aaron from our Sydney office is seen, right, pandering to Ovation’s huge but cute ‘Mama and Baby’ panda sculptures. Featured also are images of Ovation of the Seas arriving for the first time in Perth and Sydney.
If you haven’t set eyes on this amazing ship yet, there’s still time to see her in Australian waters before she leaves our shores next month. For her Australian port schedule,
Ovation of the Seas returns to Australia for another local season of cruises next summer. To search for cruises,
Did you know?
Costing $1.3 billion and launched in April, 2016, the 169,000-ton Ovation of the Seas is the world’s fourth largest cruise ship. She stretches for more than a third of a kilometre (348m) and carries a maximum 6500 passengers and crew. The head-turning, 18-deck ship boasts 18 restaurants and cafes, a robotic bar, 4 pools, dodgem car and roller skating arena, skydiving simulator, an 11,000-piece art collection worth A$4.5 million and her signature North Star observation capsule which extends 90m above the sea.
Stars to Guide Pacific Explorer
P&O Cruises’ biggest-ever ship in Australia, the 2000-guest Pacific Explorer, will be emblazoned with a stylised version of the Southern Cross when she begins cruising here this June. The starry symbol will adorn the bow of the new-look, 77,000-ton ship, which is currently sailing as Dawn Princess with Princess Cruises. To search for cruises,
Princess to Debut New Hi-Tech Technology
Princess Cruises will this November introduce new, futuristic technology that promises to revolutionise the onboard experience for passengers. At the centre of the new cutting-edge system, that will first appear on Regal, Royal and Caribbean Princess, is a small Ocean Medallion smart device that passengers can wear on their wrist like a watch. The medallion will connect with intelligent sensors around the ship and offer passengers a personalised and seamless ‘digital concierge’. Via the medallion, you will be able to walk straight onto the ship without normal check-in procedures, open cabin doors and pay for purchases automatically, find your friends or family on the ship, order food or drinks and let the crew know in advance about your favourite drinks, food and pillows. The aim is to cut queues and hassle, enhance service and deliver the quality experience you are seeking. We should see the medallion on local Princess ships in the near future so stay tuned!
Facelift for Kids Clubs
Meanwhile, Princess Cruises has unveiled plans to revamp and rename kids clubs on all ships fleet-wide, with Sea Princess the first local ship to offer the new centres from October, 2017, and Sun Princess to follow in May, 2018. The clubs for children 3-17 will focus more on destination-themed programs designed to teach children more about the places they will visit on their cruise.
Vikings Heading Down Under
Australia’s ever-growing cruise boom will soon continue with exciting news that one of the world’s fastest-growing cruise lines, Viking Cruises, will base one of its striking new ships in Australia and Asia for a short summer season from December, 2018 to March, 2019. Less than a year-old when she sails here, the luxurious Viking Spirit will offer cruises between Sydney and Bali and also Sydney and Auckland. A sister ship, Viking Sun, will also grace our shores with an overnight call in Sydney during her world cruise in February, 2018. Each of the spacious, Scandinavian-themed Viking ships is identical with 930 guests comfortably accommodated in verandah staterooms, with excursions and beverages at lunch and dinner included in fares. A spectacular infinity pool at the stern is a signature feature of each ship. If you’re interested in a Viking cruise, call us or search our website.
The Cruise Express Crew
Every month we profile an expert from our team so you can get to know them a little better! This month we catch up with Cruise Express Brand Manager, Richard Boyce.
With over 52 cruises under his belt, Richard is one of our sea-loving cruise experts who helps develop and market our cruise holiday packages. Before joining Cruise Express in 2013, Richard worked at P&O Cruises and has always harboured a love for history’s many grand cruise liners. “For me, cruising is one of the few holidays where you can truly switch off and relax,” Richard says. “What I love about my work at Cruise Express is that we’re constantly creating unique and exclusive cruise holidays for our clients that no-one else offers.”
We asked Richard his:
Favourite country to visit? Argentina - there’s such a colourful culture and amazing vibe there and I always feel I’ve stepped into another world in Buenos Aires.
Favourite cruise? The Mediterranean - every day brings a completely different destination.
Favourite ship? Cunard’s former Caronia - small and luxurious with a beautiful, old-world ambience.
Cruise Tips - Get Protection
It’s always important to obtain and check your travel insurance policy to ensure it covers incidents like the sudden closure of a cruise line or tour company. Unfortunate events like this are rare but it’s wise to protect yourself. Often, free travel insurance offered by your credit card provider doesn’t cover company defaults so ask one of our team to recommend a policy that does so you can plan your holiday and enjoy your trip with peace of mind.
Wake View - What our clients say
Thanks for your lovely letters – keep them coming….
“Thank you Cruise Express and our tour host, Hardy, for another truly wonderful holiday in the Mediterranean and Holy Land with Celebrity Cruises in November. I love history and there was so much history on this tour especially in the Holy Land. The mud baths in the Dead Sea were lots of fun. The unbelievable monasteries built on top of rock pillars in Meteora in Greece were amazing scenery. I also loved Malta and there’s always something new to see in Rome. The time and effort Hardy put into making the trip so enjoyable, interesting and relaxing was so appreciated. I’ve been travelling with Cruise Express for over 12 years because I always enjoy their tours and they look after me so well. I look forward to our next trip together.”
June, Bardon, QLD
June at Rome’s Trevi Fountain
“Our tour with Hardy in the Eastern Mediterranean (in November) was the best ever! Such a lovely trip. It was a pleasure to share this great adventure with such a great group of people too. Of course, it wouldn’t have happened without Hardy’s expert attention to detail and ensuring everyone was included in every activity we undertook. This was my fifth tour with Cruise Express. Everything is always so organised and everyone so friendly and helpful. I’ve had so much fun and now have so many good memories. I’m keen now to join your Northern Lights tour in Norway.”
Sue, Doonside, NSW
Sue at a Rome produce market
Jokes Afloat
A grumpy man boarded a brand, new cruise ship that boasted a huge collection of contemporary art displays. Standing in a corridor, the cranky passenger said sneeringly to a passing crew member: “I suppose this hideous representation is another example of the ship’s ‘modern art’?” “No sir,” replied the crew member. “This piece is called a mirror!”
DISCLAIMER: *All fares quoted herewith are subject to change and availability at the time of booking. Cruise Express reserves the right to make changes to any details outlined in this email at any time without notice.
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