2018 Australian cruise wrap-up
As we head towards Cruise-mas, a ship load of memories flood my thoughts. Not only has 2018 been my most-cruised year so far, but like the hungry caterpillar, I have eaten my way through 10 pizzas, 9 chocolate melting cakes, 8 jugs of mojitos, 7 dozen pancakes, 6 chef's tables (and so on) and emerged as the glorious whale I am today.
You’ve seen me #HoneyJump in Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland, surprise my parentals with a South Pacific cruise, livestream at dawn and midnight, interview crew, swoon over captains, struggle with opening sliding balcony doors, cry, laugh and dream, lose a job and share my countdown to my next cruise. There have been a few sad moments, but many more thrilling ones, including the inaugural #HoneyCruise2018 (where I was joined by over 80 Cruising With Honey readers for my birthday), asked to be a ‘celebrity’ coffee judge, and let’s not forget the Melbourne Cup behind the scenes tour at Flemington. Thank you for joining my journey - I am beyond blessed.
But, you’ve read enough of my words over the year, and so I thought I’d ask the bosses of the five most popular cruise lines in Australia three questions:
What went well this year for your brand?
What are you looking forward to in 2019?
Why should Australians choose a cruise holiday?
I hope you enjoy reading their responses.
(N.B I contacted Royal Caribbean, however did not receive a response).
Carnival Cruise Line
Jennifer Vandekreeke - Vice President Australia for Carnival Cruise Line
What went well this year for your brand?
It was a big year for Carnival. Both of our Australia-based ships went into Dry Dock in May to get even more fun added. We have a completely new concept for the brand with SoulPlay opening on Carnival Spirit, which has been a real success. And then we announced two big firsts for Carnival with Carnival Splendor arriving in 2019 and Carnival Spirit moving to Brisbane in 2020.
What are you looking forward to in 2019?
THE ARRIVAL OF CARNIVAL SPLENDOR!
We can’t wait to welcome Carnival Splendor into her new home. Upon her arrival into Sydney Harbour in December of 2019, Carnival Splendor will be the newest and largest ship homeported year-round in Australia. The extensive Dry Dock prior to her arrival will ensure she is perfectly designed for our Australian guests. She’ll be getting a ground-breaking waterpark including a ‘taking it to the next level’ green thrill slide, a bigger, badder Serenity and RedFrog Pub plus all the bells and whistles that our guests have come to love like Guy’s Burger Joint, Alchemy Bar and so much more. With Carnival Splendor, all that’s missing…is U!
Why should Australians choose a cruise holiday?
We’re called the Lucky Country for good reason! On a cruise holiday, we discover some of the most beautiful places in the world, with stunning natural beauty and rich, authentic cultures - just a few days by ship from our hometown. Destinations such as Bay of Islands in New Zealand, Isle of Pines in New Caledonia and Port Arthur in Tasmania are world renowned treasures that are just a hop, skip and a jump away. And during that ‘hop, skip and jump’ to these stunning destinations, everyone in your group can indulge in their own brand of fun, whether that is flying down waterslides and tackling the mini golf course, or perhaps relaxing in Serenity and enjoying spa treatments. For others it’s a sumptuous and exclusive Chef’s Table dinner followed by a live show. The one thing that everyone can agree on is that there’s no better way to travel from one stunning destination to another than aboard a cruise ship!
Norwegian Cruise Line
Nicole Costantin - Vice President Sales Australia and New Zealand at Norwegian Cruise Line
What went well this year for your brand?
2018 has been a monumental year for Norwegian Cruise Line - both locally and internationally - with the launch earlier this year of our newest ship cruising Alaska, Norwegian Bliss, breaking booking records for Norwegian. This was followed by some of our most exciting new itinerary and ship build announcements to-date, which sees us adding seven new vessels to our 16-strong fleet. Norwegian Jewel has returned to local waters fresh from a bow-to-stern refurbishment this month for her 18/19 Australasia sailing season. With bookings since her inaugural sailing season exceeding all expectations, we are excited to that Norwegian Jewel has already been confirmed for a third sailing season in 2019/20. The completion of Norwegian Jewel’s refurbishment as part of our Norwegian Edge® program makes her a wonderful local showcase for our international product offering, including ships sailing popular destinations for Aussie travellers such as Europe and Hawaii.
What are you looking forward to in 2019?
It’s a really exciting time from the brand, with Norwegian introducing Norwegian Encore, the final vessel to join our Breakaway Plus Class in November 2019. Norwegian also has six additional ships on order for delivery beginning 2022 that will comprise our Leonardo Class Fleet, each of which will house exciting and innovative offerings for our guests. We are also thrilled to have Norwegian Jewel returning to local waters next year for her third Australasian season, reflecting Norwegian’s long-term commitment to strengthening our presence locally.
Why should Australians choose a cruise holiday?
With the equivalent of almost 1 in every 18 Australians cruising, travellers are turning to cruise as a stress-free holiday option that offers amenities and entertainment appealing across a range of ages and interests, while also being a way to experience numerous destinations. Cruising in particular is a fantastic travel option for multi-generational groups, with families seeking holiday experiences that suit all ages. Norwegian offers a number of great accommodation options for families, including family villas and interconnecting staterooms, plus plenty of dining, entertainment and activity options, from award winning shows to the largest go-cart race track at sea, which appeal to adults and kids alike. Cruise is a stress-free way to visit multiple destinations, with guests only needing to unpack once when travelling from location to location. Overall, cruising is a great holiday option for those keen to enjoy experiences together in an environment that’s fuss-free, fun and unforgettable.“
P&O Australia
Sture Myrmell - President of P&O Cruises Australia
What went well this year for your brand?
The last 12 months saw P&O Cruises Australia celebrate two major milestones – the 85th anniversary of P&O’s first cruise from Australia and Pacific Explorer’s first birthday. Pacific Explorer’s introduction was a major step in the brand’s evolution, building on our very popular modern Australian holiday offering with some exciting new features. In August 2018 we revealed P&O would welcome a second Grand Class ship to the fleet in late 2020, which is in line with our strategy of refreshing the fleet.
We’ve always valued our long and harmonious relationship with the Pacific, its people and its communities and looked to share the value of a successful cruising industry. We were particularly proud to receive a prestigious national award for our part in supporting indigenous entrepreneurs in the Pacific to develop new shore tour businesses.Called “YuMi”, which means “together” in Bislama, the project is a collaboration with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) as well as business accelerator, The Difference Incubator (TDi). It is all about sharing the benefits of cruising and identifies, develops and accelerates the development of emerging indigenous tourism operators in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. It also means our guests experience authentic shore tours run by local people.
What are you looking forward to in 2019 ?
In 2019 we're looking forward to offering our guests 98 Short Breaks including our new 1980s and country music themed cruises. P&O’s inaugural Country Music Festival at Sea will set sail in December, celebrating all genres of country music. Our 1980’s cruise will draw from all the aspects of what was an incredibly rich decade for music and film. We will also feature our second Big Laugh Comedy Festival at Sea following its tremendous success this year.
In 2019 we will also launch our new ‘Voyages’ product on cruises of 13-nights and longer. With more destinations to visit and more days at sea, P&O Voyages includes all of your P&O favourites plus some amazing extras, providing an opportunity to see more, to learn the things you wanted to learn and to indulge yourself to the fullest. The first ‘Voyage’ will be Pacific Jewel’s final cruise, a one-way Southeast Asia Explorer itinerary from Melbourne to Singapore in February. On the 16-night adventure, guests will experience the best of local gems Busselton and Fremantle, and numerous exotic international destinations including Bali, Penang, Langkawi, Port Kelang and Singapore.
Why should Australians choose a cruise holiday?
Cruise holidays are a fantastic option for all Australians - from families and couples to groups. You only need to unpack once, visit fabulous destinations while enjoying the facilities of a floating resort, and the value is excellent, with meals, entertainment and on-board activities included. A P&O Cruise is all about offering a great value cruise holiday that celebrates modern Australia across food, entertainment, activities and service delivered in a contemporary setting. Our ships offer more than 60 on board activities to do every day and a variety of public spaces for guests to get together and enjoy all the action or lie back and soak up the atmosphere.
Princess Cruises
Stuart Allison - Vice President Princess Cruises Australia and New Zealand
What went well this year for your brand?
What a huge twelve months it’s been!
2018 was a historic year for Princess Cruises in Australia.
We started the year by revealing that 2019/2020 season would be our largest ever Australian deployment, with the return of Majestic Princess and the maiden arrival of Ruby Princess. The historic deployment will feature five ships sailing from six homeports on over 125 departures across more than 60 itineraries to over 100 destinations in 30 countries.
We revealed that we have five new ships arriving in the next six years. We have three new Royal-Class ships on order in addition to two new (LNG) ships, which will be the largest ships in the Princess fleet, the next generation ships will accommodate approximately 4,300 guests with delivery in 2023 and 2025. We're excited to welcome the next Royal-Class ship, Sky Princess in October 2019. We also announced the name of our newest ship, Enhanced Princess which will debut in 2020.
We strengthened our leadership in New Zealand, transporting guests to places less travelled with the launch of two industry-first overland excursions in New Zealand’s North Island and over twenty exclusive shore tours. Launching across the fleet as part of Princess’ expanded Across the Ditch program, guests will be guided by experts in culture, art, and cuisine in each port on Princess’ new Local Connections tours. We also launched Local Connections tours in Australia to drive tourism to regions across the country. Princess will continue to invest in local experts who will deliver meaningful and bespoke, boutique experiences to our guests.
We launched cruise season this year with the spectacular maiden arrival of the international superliner Majestic Princess in Sydney on the world’s first floating “runway”. The largest Princess Cruises’ ship ever to visit Australia, Majestic Princess was only launched last year and is the flagship of our fleet, so it’s an incredible vote of confidence in both the Australian cruise market and the appeal of Australia as a cruise destination for such a spectacular ship to be based here.
We’ve wrapped up the year by announcing our biggest ever deployment for Sydney. Further to the incredible response to Majestic Princess’ maiden season in Australia, Regal Princess will also call Sydney home in the Summer of 2020. Not only will this be the first time in history that Princess Cruises has deployed two Royal-Class ships from the same homeport outside the Caribbean, but it will be the biggest deployment we’ve ever had in Sydney.
What are you looking forward to in 2019?
2019/2020 will be our biggest Australian season in history. I’m excited for the second season return of Majestic Princess and the maiden arrival of Ruby Princess to Australia. Ruby Princess will arrive in Australia with a host of new features that guests will love, including new menu items from Chef Curtis Stone’s hugely popular onboard restaurant, SHARE.
Anticipation is building for the announcement of our 2020/21 Australia season itineraries – spearheaded by the arrival of Regal Princess in Australia.
We're looking forward to welcoming Sky Princess to our fleet where she will make her debut in the Mediterranean in October 2019, the 143,700-tonne ship will include the best of the stunning features found on its three sister ships - Royal Princess, Regal Princess and Majestic Princess - as well as new offerings that represent an evolution of the current ships’ designs
We’re also celebrating 50 years of cruising Alaska in 2019
Why should Australians choose a cruise holiday?
Cruising is one of the easiest ways to travel and your holiday begins as soon as you step onboard. You unpack once then sit back and relax as all your destinations come to you, so it’s the perfect environment to unwind. You can also do as much or as little as you like with an array on onboard activities and immersive shore excursions in each destination. Princess Cruises’ high guest repeat rates shows that more than ever Australian’s are taking advantage of exploring the globe from their doorstep.
South Pacific Cruise
Noumea, Mystery Island and Isle of Pines
P&O Cruise Australia, Pacific Explorer
The power of positive thinking and crossing my fingers for the last two weeks has paid off:
The CRUISING WITH HONEY FAMILY
IS CRUISING THE SOUTH PACIFIC
After having a pretty lousy December (being made redundant a week before my probation period was over ), I knew the best way to cheer up would be to book a cruise during the summer school holidays.However, there were two problems:
1) Most cruises were booked out or completely out of budget
2) Cruises in my budget had no kids spots left
So, I put my name down on a waitlist and prayed, deep down not confident that we would get to cruise. You see, my three cherubs are aged 14, 13 and 11 and the spots aboard P&O Explorer (the ship the kids were most excited to try out) were sold out.
As luck (or was it some very nice people?) would have it, three spots miraculously became available. It's always a challenge booking for a family of five, so this is pretty amazing. We scored a twin and a triple, both guaranteed so we probably won't be near each other, but I'm not worried about that. The only decision left now is who gets to stay in Honey's cabin and who gets Mr Cruising With Honey's cabin.
Without exaggeration, this has made my year!
What is most exciting is that I have never cruised the South Pacific, and this itinerary has THREE of my bucket list destinations. And, I will be able to actually practise my French!
But, I need YOUR help. There are so many shore tours to do, I feel a little overwhelmed.
I need your ideas to decide what to book. All suggestions considered.
Love, One-very-excited-Honey
The Cruise Countdown is on!