Once upon a time, and not that long ago, embarking on a long sea voyage was the only way to travel overseas. Even up to the 1960’s air travel was considered far too expensive for most people. With the introduction of wide-bodied jets and cheaper fares, air travel transformed the tourism industry. Now holidays started when you got there; getting to your destination as quickly as possible became the prime objective.
Today the pendulum is slowly swinging back towards more leisurely travel, and the cruise industry is in boom times, with many seeing the cruise ship as a destination in itself. Last financial year (2008/2009), during one of the bleakest periods for tourism some 331,000 Australians embarked on a cruise, which was a jump of 26 percent on the previous year. Lynn Eaton from Spencer Travel said that this trend was only likely to continue. “People see cruising as good value for money. They like the fact that your food, accommodation and entertainment is all included.”
Cruising is a particularly popular choice for the older market. “It’s an easy and relaxing way to travel, no hassles with your luggage, or endless packing and unpacking. You let the destinations come to you and just enjoy the huge range of activities that cruise ships have to offer.”
Lynn said a good travel agent is essential when booking a cruise. They can offer advice on the cruise best suited to your needs – and make sure you don’t end up cruising around the Pacific with a gang of young people on schoolies week!
Here are Lynn’s five popular cruise choices.
South Pacific/New Zealand.
Rhapsody of the Sea offers good value midrange cruises from Australia to New Zealand and the South Pacific. The ports of call vary but the South Pacific ports can include Noumea, Port Vila and the Fijian Islands Many of the larger cruise lines such as Premium Cruise Line, Holland America and luxury ships with Regent Seven Seas, visit Australia during the summer months and also offer itineraries to New Zealand and the South Pacific. These are often better value if booking early.
Circumnavigation of Australia
Occasionally a cruise line offers a Circumnavigation Cruise around Australia. Factors to consider when choosing a circumnavigation cruise include budget, ship standard and ports of call. It is extremely exciting that Silversea will bring Silver Shadow to Australia in January 2011 with their itinerary including 17 ports over 30 days. This will be an outstanding cruise for those looking for luxury. Ports are still being finalised but some of the smaller more unique ones will include Cape York, Port Douglas, Kangaroo Island, Port Lincoln and Geelong.
If old world charm is more your style, the magnificent Queen Mary 2, will be based in Australia in 2012 for a history-making circumnavigation which will see her visit five states and the Northern Territory. The largest ship ever to visit Australia, Queen Mary 2 will call at eight Australian ports during her time Down Under including Sydney, Fremantle, Adelaide and the Whitsundays as well as maiden visits to Cairns (Yorkey’s Knob), Darwin, Melbourne and Brisbane. Her circumnavigation will also include a call at Bali.
Baltic Cruises
Cruising offers the best value for money when travelling through the Baltic region due to the high expense of hotels and dining. This is widely regarded as one of the finest sailing areas, covering nine countries with all their diversity of language, customs and geology. Of these nine countries (Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland) only Russia is outside the EU and, as the old borders disappear, cruising between most countries in the Baltic has become easier.
The most popular itinerary is between Copenhagen and Stockholm with its dramatic scenery, and includes St Petersburg in Russia. You can visit Tallinn in Estonia and Gdansk in Poland, beautiful cities which both spent many years trapped behind the Iron Curtain, as well as the once-divided city of Berlin. Then there are the Baltic capitals of Stockholm, Helsinki and Copenhagen, and numerous other smaller ports. Luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas offer excellent value including all touring in your sailing cost, as well as drinks on board.
Mediterranean
There is every standard of ship imaginable offered for cruising the Mediterranean. They are an excellent choice for first time travellers in Europe who would like to see a range of destinations with the comfort of only unpacking once. There are many coach tour clients who have happily converted to cruising for this reason alone! For those that have cruised this way before, the cruise lines are always coming up with creative new itineraries with new ports and touring. A magnificent 12-day itinerary new in 2010 departs from Venice, cruising to Dubrovnik, the Greek Islands, before visiting Italy with the Amalfi Coast, Rome, the Italian Riviera and on to Barcelona in Spain.
European River cruising
The stretch between Amsterdam and Budapest is especially popular with first time travellers to Europe or people new to river cruising. This journey takes 15 days down the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers, winding through majestic towns in Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary. Avalon Waterways is very popular with Australian travellers. They include guided tours in each port, delicious cuisine and complimentary tea, coffee and regional wines. In addition there are cruises available for most European waterways for people with an interest in a specific region.
If you would like to find out more about cruising give Lynn Eaton at Spencer Travel a call on 02 9281 5477.
