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NEWSLETTER - MAY 2013
HIGHLIGHTS
Message from the Team
Your Cruise Express team aboard Celebrity Solstice in Sydney - from left are Carla, Peter,
Carolyn, Warren, Trish, Lance, Meg, Andrew, Hardy, Cheryl, Grant, Helen and Clive
Dream Cruises
It’s such a pleasure to receive letters of thanks from our clients after they return from cruise holidays we have organised for them. We love to hear about how much you enjoyed your holiday. It’s the aim of every one of our experienced team of expert consultants to organise for you the dream cruise holiday you deserve, so when we hear back that the dream became a reality, we know we’ve done our job!
Read what some of our clients have said about their recent cruise vacations in the ‘Wake View’ letter sections further below and scan down for all the latest deals on our hosted tours and cruises for independent passengers. The word from economists is that our Aussie dollar is slowly starting to slip in value so our advice is to travel abroad soon while our dollar remains high overseas. You can now search and book cruises online with Cruise Express - 24 hours a day, seven days a week - or call our team of experts on 1300 766 537. And when you disembark from your ship, drop us a line and tell us how it went. We look forward to hearing from you.
Bon Voyage from Meg, Lance, Hardy & the team!
Taj Mahal, Agra
India - Save Up to $2500 on Balcony Deal - April 2014
Book Before May 31, 2013
“Truly the most amazing trip ever,” was how one Cruise Express client described her ‘Passage to India’ last month (see the letters section further below). Even better news is that we’re offering this incredible holiday package again next April. If you book an Inside stateroom on the 23-night cruise tour package before May 31, you can live it up in a Balcony stateroom aboard the deluxe Azamara Journey for just $300 extra for solo passengers or $500 extra per person, twin-share – that’s a great saving of $2500 for single passengers and $2400 per couple! Experience mystical India and the magnificent Taj Mahal next April.
More Details ...
India - Luxury Sea Dream II Cruise Tour
And if you’re dreaming of travelling through India in 5-star luxury, our 23-night ‘Dreaming of India fly/cruise/tour package in October 2013, can become a reality for you, with accommodation in opulent palace hotels and a 14-day voyage aboard the boutique Sea Dream II. You’ll feel like royalty on this special trip!
More Details ...
Rio, Brazil
South America & Antarctica - February 2014
See thundering Iguazu Falls, try the tango in Buenos Aires and take in the spectacle of Rio de Janeiro from the famous, mountain-topped ‘Christ The Redeemer’ statue as part of a 22-day cruise tour package to South America and Antarctica next February. This amazing tour includes a 14-night round-trip cruise aboard the superliner, Celebrity Infinity, from Buenos Aires to Antarctica.
GROUP ESCORTED CRUISE TOURS
Hosted tours are the easiest, safest & most affordable way to see the world.
Here are just some of the many advantages of escorted trips : -
• Group Savings / Lower Airfares / Many inclusions such as transfers and shore tours
• VIP / Express entry into major attractions
• Assistance at hand if you get sick or lose your passports or money, etc
• Camaraderie with as much or as little group interaction as you want
• Your host looks after all the paperwork, directions and details so you can relax and have fun –
and we have lots of fun on our escorted cruise tours!
More Details ...
China & Pearls of the Orient - October 2013
* Hosted by Cruise Express Director Hardy Schneider *
Hardy and Helen from Cruise Express will take you on a grand journey to the Orient this October. Our 23-night, all-inclusive tour will feature the Great Wall of China, the endangered pandas and China’s 2300-year-old Terracotta Warriors before we board Diamond Princess for a 17-night voyage to exotic Asian destinations such as Japan, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong. This memorable tour, which includes shore tours in every port, has proved one of our most popular escorted voyages in recent years so experience it for yourself this year.
Wonders of New Zealand - November 2013
* Hosted by the Daughter of Radio Legend Bob Rogers *
The most highly rated cruise ship to be based in Australia next summer will be the stunning superliner, Celebrity Solstice, and you could join us and artist, Skye Rogers - the daughter of radio legend Bob Rogers – aboard this incredible ship for a spectacular voyage to New Zealand this November. Our hosted, 14-day ‘Wonders of New Zealand’ package includes just about everything, including a shore tour in every port and Skye will share with guests her passion for art and stories about her life as the daughter of Bob Rogers, now 86, who continues to work on radio after an illustrious radio and TV career spanning 71 years. This is a great-value holiday!
Cruise Express Director, Hardy Schneider, walks with the lions in Africa
Africa - Queen Mary 2 Packages - January 2014
****SAVE UP TO 55% ON CUNARD BROCHURE FARES****
Our clients recently returned from our hosted cruise tours to Africa with Queen Mary 2 and you can read further below in our letters section to see what they thought about our red carpet adventure across the Indian Ocean. Africa’s amazing wildlife, luxury safari lodges, breathtaking Victoria Falls, beautiful Cape Town and the majestic Queen Mary 2 await your pleasure next January when we again host our ‘Pride of Africa’ tours. Package costs from $3990 pp twin share.
T : 1300 766 537
Join our Spectacular Cruise Express Annual Reunion
Saturday 05 October, 2013
The largest event on Sydney Harbour this year will unfold on Saturday 05 October when 35 navy ships and 18 sailing ships meet on the harbour for the Royal Australian Navy's Centennial Fleet Review. So what better backdrop for our 2013 annual client reunion?
Our Dinner Cruise is still available (Lunch Cruise already sold out), featuring expert commentary and a spectacular fireworks finale. Don’t miss this fantastic event, available for $199 per person, including 3-course meal & drinks.
More Details ...
10,000 Likes and Growing!
Our Facebook page now has 10,000 followers and growing! If you haven’t visited us on Facebook yet, click here for entertaining and fun discussions, competitions, news and pictures about the wonderful world of cruising.
We recently asked our Facebook fans what was their favourite ship and topping the list was Rhapsody of the Seas, followed by Pacific Dawn and Queen Mary 2 – all regular visitors to Australia. We’re currently asking what are the best cruise destinations in the world and heading the list so far is the Mediterranean followed by Alaska, the Panama Canal and the Pacific Islands.
Alaska .... and speaking of Alaska, if you want to experience this magical destination of glaciers, soaring peaks, wildlife and frontier villages yourself, we have a great new 19-day fly/cruise/tour package with Princess Cruises available until August this year. Fly to Vancouver, cruise the fabled Inside Passage and explore the spectacular interior of Alaska, staying at luxury lodges, before flying home. This is an amazing deal!
More Details ...
Balcony breakfast aboard Azamara Journey
Special 2015 Turkey & Mediterranean Cruise Package
Features 27 Ports & Visits Gallipoli
A new 37-night Mediterranean cruise package offers 27 ports in 11 countries as well as a three-night stay in Turkey, including a visit to Gallipoli in April, 2015. As part of an exclusive Cruiseco charter of the luxury, 680-passenger cruise ship, Azamara Journey, our ‘Mediterranean Montage’ package includes a full-day visit to Gallipoli just days before the centenary of the Anzac landings in 1915, a planned sail past Anzac Cove early on Anzac Day and calls at ports across the Mediterranean.
More Details ...
Aurora - Sydney
Australians Love to Cruise
A record 694,000 Australians took a cruise in 2012 – 11 per cent up on the previous year which was the largest growth rate in the word, equalled only by Germany. New figures from Cruise Lines International Association Australasia show the number of Australians taking a cruise holiday has more than doubled in the last four years, with more locally based cruise ships and the strong Australian dollar enticing more Australians to enjoy a holiday at sea. River cruising is also more popular than ever, with a record 39,000 Australians travelling overseas for a river cruise – 12 per cent up on the previous year.
A Quantum Leap in Cruising
Royal Caribbean International’s next megaliner, Quantum of the Seas, will debut in 2014 with a host of ‘firsts at sea’ including bumper car rides, rollerskating, a vertical wind tunnel skydiving experience, the largest indoor sports and entertainment complex at sea and a London Eye-style capsule on the top of the ship with an articulated arm which enables passengers to hover above the ship and the ocean. The 167,000-ton ship will also boast ‘virtual balconies’ in inside cabins, with a large LED projection screen showing on the cabin wall live images of the ocean taken from the ship’s decks. Sister ship, Anthem of the Seas, will follow in 2015.
Search for Royal Caribbean sailings on our 24/7 website
Noordam
Holland America Flowering
Holland America Line marked its 140th anniversary last month with the official christening of a tulip for the cruise line at the famous Keukenhof Gardens in The Netherlands. A beautiful, white petal tulip (pictured above) was selected to celebrate the line’s history which began in Rotterdam, Holland, in 1873. Today, Holland America Line’s 15 deluxe cruise ships cruise to all of the seven continents.
Stateroom aboard Scenic Jewel
Cruising Tip of the Month
Get to the Point
Before leaving home check what power points your cruise ship has and take an adaptor with you to ensure you can charge up your phone and electronic gadgets using the local points. However, some overseas ships like Australia-based Scenic Tours’ river ships in Europe offer Australian power points already which is a nice surprise for Aussies onboard vessels like the new Scenic Jewel.
From the cruising experts at Cruise Express
AFRICA QM2 - From Left to Right : Dennis and Robyn; Effy (centre) & Meryl
Wake View – Your Say
“Congratulations Cruise Express - you have done it again! Thank you for the experience of our Queen Mary 2 cruise tour to Africa. Thank you to hosts, Hardy and Graham, for their outstanding help and service. We delight in sharing our experiences and encourage our friends to choose Cruise Express. We have had the pleasure of travelling over many years and without a doubt, Cruise Express is the best cruise agency we have encountered!”
Robyn and Dennis, Cundletown, NSW
“Sensational is the only way to describe our hosted cruise tour to Africa recently. Victoria Falls were spectacular, the accommodation was great and we saw all the ‘big five’ animals and more, including a real-life zebra traffic crossing! Sincere thanks to our host from Cruise Express, Hardy, for his professional attention to detail, his genuine, friendly manner and for making this trip such a fabulous holiday to remember. We absolutely recommend this tour to anyone considering it.”
Effy and Colin, North Avoca, NSW, on their second Cruise Express tour
“What an amazing holiday our Africa cruise tour with Cruise Express was aboard Queen Mary 2. I loved every minute of it. Hardy, our host, was just amazing, as was his assistant, Graham. Everything was taken care of and there was no need to worry about anything the whole way. It was so great to have made so many lovely friends. Now back to the real world!”
Meryl, Bayview, NSW
“Our ‘Passage to India’ cruise tour aboard Azamara Journey last month was truly the most amazing trip ever – just fantastic. We went on elephant rides and stayed in beautiful places and there was even a magician on the coach in India to entertain us. The guides were great and the organisation of the tour was faultless. Well done to Cruise Express and everyone who worked on this.”
Sue and Francis, Balmain, NSW, on their third holiday booked through Cruise Express
More Testimonials ...
Tuvalu
DID YOU KNOW?
The Least Visited Countries in the World
France and the United States are the most popular countries in the world for international tourists with 80 million and 62 million arrivals a year respectively. But did you know what the least visited countries in the world are? We count them down below. You’ll be hard-pressed to find cruises visiting these dangerous or tiny destinations!...
10th least visited country in the world – war-torn Afghanistan – 17,500 tourists last year
9th – Comoros, in the Indian Ocean – 15,000 visitors last year
8th – Sao Tome and Principe – a small island nation off Africa’s west coast - 8000 visitors in 2012
7th - Turkmenistan – Bordered by Afghanistan and Iran - 7000 tourists last year
6th – Equatorial Guinea – Spanish-speaking African country - 6000 visitors in 2012
5th – Marshall Islands – Tropical but hard-to-get-to Pacific nation - 5000 visitors last year
4th – Kiribati – Another difficult to reach Pacific Island country – 4700 visitors last year
3rd – Tuvalu – Tiny Pacific country threatened by rising sea levels - 1200 visitors in 2012
2nd – Somalia – Troubled African nation – 500 tourists in 2012
* Least visited country in the world – Nauru – A tiny Pacific island of just 21 square kilometres – 200 tourists last year.
The tiny island of Nauru
Hard to Measure
While unpacking in their cabin just after boarding their cruise, Mary, 62, complained to her husband that her bra strap had just broken and she had neglected to pack any others so she asked her husband, John, if he could please pop up to the ship’s boutique and buy her a new bra straight away. Being a dutiful husband, he did as he was told and nervously walked to the clothing boutique and surveyed the bras for sale. The sales lady noticed he was anxious and, after finding out what he was after, asked John: “What type of bra does she use?” “Well, one of those 'cross your heart type ones,” he responded. “Okay, now what colour? “She always wears a white bra” he said. “Here we are, we are nearly done. All we need now is the size.” “I have no idea at all, I am sorry,” John said. “Don't worry, we can work it out,” the sales lady said. “Would they be the size of watermelons?” she asked. “No, no nothing like that,” John laughed. “Perhaps the size of large oranges?” “No,” John replied. “What about the size of eggs?” “Yes, yes,” John answered “but not boiled eggs - fried ones!”
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