Have you missed any recent cruise travel updates? Expert cruise contributor Sally Macmillan helps bring you up to speed with the latest intel in this weekly wrap of what’s making waves in cruising.
Princess partners with the Sydney Swans
Princess Cruises is now the Official Cruise Partner of the Sydney Swans, in a smart move that allies two immensely popular brands. Princess Cruises hosts thousands of cruise travel guests in Australasia every year – and millions worldwide – while the Sydney Swans boast more than one million supporters, more than any other AFL club.
Swans members (65,000-plus) will be able to take advantage of exclusive cruise offers in the upcoming 2024 and 2025 cruise seasons and Princess Cruises will present special onboard events for AFL enthusiasts and players.
Former Swans captain and AFL hero Josh Kennedy recently enjoyed a cruise on Coral Princess, where he led a special sports trivia event, participated in an interview for the Discovery at Sea program and helped out with the Champagne tower pour.
John Padgett, President of Princess Cruises, said, “AFL is a sport that brings people together, and we believe in the power of community.
“This sponsorship underscores our commitment to local partnerships and fostering team spirit. We look forward to an exciting season and to being part of the Swans’ journey to success.”
For more information, visit princess.com
Silver Whisper to homeport in Papeete
When Silversea’s venerable Silver Whisper arrives in Papeete in April 2026 for the line’s first full cruise travel season in French Polynesia, she will be the “most luxurious ship to sail in the region”.
Conrad Combrink, Silversea’s SVP Expeditions, Destination and Itinerary Management, added: “In addition to being the most spacious ship deployed to French Polynesia, she will have the most personalised service, with a crew-to-guest ratio of 1:1.3 and butler service for every suite.
“Our all-inclusive door-to-door offering, meanwhile, will enable our guests to focus on simply immersing themselves into the destinations and savouring the experience.”
Silversea’s 392-guest ship will spend several nights in destinations across 17 seven- and 14-day cruise travel itineraries, offering travellers more time to explore ashore. Silver Whisper’s new voyage collection is designed to unlock the most enriching experiences in the South Pacific, enabling guests to embrace the culture of mana – the spirit of the islands.
Seven-day itineraries will focus on the Society Islands – Moorea, Raiatea, Huahine and Bora Bora – late departures and overnight stays are built in to make the most of time ashore.
The 14-day itineraries will combine calls to the Society, Tuamotu and Marquesas Islands. The geography and cultures vary considerably in the different archipelagos, but on both itineraries guests will enjoy some of the world’s finest snorkelling, visits to private islands (motus) and memorable meetings with local communities.
For more information, visit silversea.com
Citizen science aboard Scenic Eclipse
Scientific-minded expedition cruisers have the chance to join a very special voyage to Antarctica onboard the ultra-luxe ‘discovery yacht’ Scenic Eclipse.
Scenic and the Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus) have forged a partnership to promote discovery tours on the White Continent through RiAus’ prestigious magazine Cosmos.
In December 2024, RiAus editor-in-chief Ian Connellan and Cosmos editor Gail MacCallum will host an 11-day round-trip voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina to the Antarctic Peninsula for a maximum of 200 guests. The Cosmos-Scenic partnership promises to blend luxury expedition cruising with scientific discovery in one of the most remote and ecologically significant places on earth.
There will be opportunities for guests to participate in wildlife and other surveys, co-ordinated by Ian, Gail and Scenic Eclipse’s 20-strong Discovery Team. The Discovery Team will also lead guests to historic landing sites and in the footsteps of renowned explorers.
Zodiac, kayak and stand-up paddleboard trips allow guests to experience the icy landscape and Antarctic wildlife up-close. And who could resist taking views of Antarctica to the next level with a flight on one of the ship’s two helicopters, or on a deep dive on her custom-built submersible, Scenic Neptune?
For more information, visit scenic.com.au
Travel the World’s new fly-stay-cruise packages
Travel the World has launched three new fly-stay-cruise packages to Europe, partnering with UK-based Riviera Travel River Cruises and other luxury tour operators – giving travel agents new value-for-money deals to introduce to cruise travel clients.
TTW Executive Chairman Andrew Millmore said, “Travel the World continues to add great value to the Australian travel market by seeking out unique partnerships that agents won’t find elsewhere. We give our travel agent partners even more ways to earn commissions and provide their clients with a curated selection of exclusive opportunities.”
The three packages are the 21-night Medieval Marvels of Europe (from $10,999 per person); 12-night Paris and Provence Palette (from $6,899 per person); and 19-night Tapestry of Spain and Portugal (from $12,999 per person).
Each one includes a Riviera river cruise, hotel accommodation, train travel, city tours – over and above the river-cruise excursions – and up to $2,500 flight credits.
The river cruises are, in order of the packages mentioned above, a 14-night Cologne to Budapest itinerary on MS Oscar Wilde; a seven-night Avignon to Lyon cruise on MS Lord Byron; and a seven-night Porto round-trip on MS Porto Mirante.
Better be quick: bookings must be made by December 31, 2023.
For more information, visit traveltheworld.com.au