Best stick to the pastries and fruit. FOOD, glorious food — it’s one of the top reasons people go on cruises. In one week, the cruise ship the Queen Mary 2 serves 16,000 meals a day, including 45 tonnes of fruit and vegetables, seven tonnes of poultry, 12 tonnes of fish and seafood, two tonnes […]
Not every “luxury” cruise is all it’s cracked up to be, warn Irene and Lewis Cook.Source:istock They were expecting a luxury cruise holiday — but the sight that confronted Irene and Lewis Cook when they boarded the ship was anything but luxurious. “It was shocking. We knew we couldn’t go out on the high seas […]
The new AIDAnova cruise ship. Picture: Aida cruisesSource:Supplied A GIGANTIC new cruise ship that cost a staggering $1.1 billion to build has taken to the high seas for the first time, and it’s definitely turning heads. The latest Carnival vessel is decked out in a rather interesting design — a huge smiling face with bold […]
This is the original grand staircase. Picture: Bluestarline.com.auSource:Supplied TITANIC II is set to launch in less than two years — not in movie theatres, but on the open sea. A replica of the world’s most famous “unsinkable” ship — which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage on April 15, 1912, killing 1503 […]
Inside Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady adults only cruise ship. Picture: Virgin VoyagesSource:Supplied Virgin Voyages has released designs of its “rock star suites’’ that will be on its first adults-only ship, the Scarlet Lady. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson said his cruise venture would bring rock and roll to the high seas. The company, hoping to […]
Brisbane’s new cruise terminal at Luggage Point. The $177m terminal was supposed to be launched on October 3 but will be delayed due to COVID-19. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Sarah MarshallSource:News Corp Australia A multi-million dollar cruise terminal that was the jewel in the Palaszczuk Government’s tourism crown and timed to open ahead of the […]
Luxury Cruises take things to a whole new level.Source:Supplied FROM butler service and complimentary drinks to gourmet meals and bathrooms so big you can park a car, upgrading from a mainstream to a premium or luxury cruise line opens a new world of pleasure. ALL INCLUSIVE The fare might be higher but check what it […]
Say goodbye to the buffet when cruising eventually returns. Picture: iStockSource:Supplied Buffets will be gone and COVID-19 tests will be mandatory for passengers on cruise ships when the industry resumes, the world’s largest cruise industry association says. The Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) has revealed the proposed changes and new protocols passengers can expect if […]
The Harmony of the Seas sails from the STX Saint-Nazaire shipyard, western France.Source:AFP TENS of thousands of people have turned out in France to see off the world’s biggest-ever cruise ship, the 120,000-tonne Harmony of the Seas, as it set sail for the first time. At 66 metres, it is the widest cruise ship ever […]
The $1 billion Norwegian Encore is the 17th ship in the fleet.Source:Supplied Speeding around a two-level racetrack at nearly 50km/h and taking on high-speed curves is thrilling, but even more so when you’re in the middle of the ocean. That’s right, the 335m racetrack I was navigating at top speeds was on-board the new Norwegian […]
Not a bad place to stop. I’VE DONE a fair few things nude. I was born nude, unsurprisingly. I shower nude. If it’s hot I sleep nude. And I can’t count the times I’ve swum nude. But when I received an invitation to travel on a nude cruise I was floored. “Would you like to […]
A much less aerial view of the ship.Source:Getty Images WHAT’S longer than five Boeing 747 jetliners, 2.5 times taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza and uses robot bartenders to pour your drinks? That’ll be Royal Caribbean’s new Quantum of the Seas, which the cruise brand bills as the world’s most technologically advanced cruise ship. […]
There’s a big disappointment on Virgin Voyages’ new ship Scarlet Lady. Picture: Virgin VoyagesSource:Supplied Even from afar, it is clear the Scarlet Lady is a cruise ship with edge. The grey prow of the ship looks like something from the Death Star and the wide, scarlet stern and corsetted upper decks turns heads in every […]
Virgin is set to build two new cruise ships to be based out of the US.Source:Getty Images ENTREPRENEUR Richard Branson’s Virgin Group is to set up a holiday cruise business. The announcement comes weeks after a fatal crash sent his Virgin Galactic space tourism business reeling. The British billionaire is to team up with private […]
Ovation of the Seas, Sydney, Royal Caribbean. Picture: Royal CaribbeanSource:Supplied Could you use a cruise? The CEO of Royal Caribbean International said 100,000 people have volunteered as passengers for the company’s mock cruises, reportedly in the works to set sail at an undetermined, future date in the fight against the coronavirus. Earlier this month, Royal […]
It will be one of five private islands from the cruise companySource:Supplied Royal Caribbean Cruises have opened their exclusive new private island in the Bahamas — and the first photos look incredible. Perfect Day at CocoCay features the tallest water slide in North America, the Caribbean’s largest freshwater pool and a helium balloon attraction that […]
Voyager of the Seas arrives in Sydney. Picture: Royal CaribbeanSource:Supplied First of all, I have to admit, I’m a cruise ship novice. Never before had I set foot on a cruise ship until invited by Royal Caribbean to experience the newly refurbished Voyager of the Seas on the Brisbane to Sydney leg of a 14-day […]
Picture: Scenic Luxury Cruises & ToursSource:Supplied The world’s first discovery yacht is finally here. Australian-owned cruise company Scenic has made the announcement we’ve all been waiting for — its Scenic Eclipse ship has hit the water and is en route to Reykjavik, Iceland, for her first scheduled cruise. The Scenic Eclipse sails past Valletta, Malta, […]
The captain can use autopilot to take a break from the wheel.Source:Getty Images WHETHER you have taken a dozen cruises or never stepped foot on a gangway, you may be surprised by some of the secrets hidden on-board. Some of these secrets are places you’re not allowed to visit; others are policies the cruise lines […]
A luxury cruise line had such intense demand for a five-month long cruise journey, it sold out in a single day. Luxury cruise line Silversea says it has sold every spot on its 139-day cruise around the world, set to sail around the southern hemisphere in 2023. The Monaco-based line, which is owned by Royal […]
A rendering of Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady. Picture: Virgin VoyagesSource:Supplied Table-top dancing, champagne on demand and a strict adults-only policy — it sounds more like an after-party than a pleasure cruise through the Caribbean. But a cruise ship from billionaire Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson was never going to follow the same, […]
Aussie baby bBoomers are making cruise holidays more of a priority than leaving behind a large inheritance. Picture: iStockSource:istock GONE are the days retired parents and grandparents exist purely to dote on their offspring, with their hard-earned savings funnelled straight into greedy young pockets. Australia’s restless baby boomers have found something new to splash their […]
It can be hard to predict where the ship will dock. LOTS of experienced cruisers have heard the same “silly cruise questions” so many times that we have them memorised. Questions like “Does the crew sleep on-board?” and “What is our elevation?” In fact, many so-called “silly questions” are really logical concerns, but just posed […]
The mixed passenger freighter, the Aranui 5, is one of the best and most unique ways to explore French Polynesia’s best gems. Picture: Aranui CruisesSource:Supplied Cruise passengers are usually the most important cargo on the ship. The whole journey is for them, after all – what is a cruise without its passengers. On the Aranui […]
The Crystal Symphony cruise ship.Source:Supplied THE winners of the cruise industry’s very own Oscars — the 2015 US Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards — have been revealed. The awards name the best lines across the industry for families, value seekers, food lovers, couples and 21 other categories. In the past, the list focused primarily on […]
The deck on the Carnival Vista will provide the ultimate playground for cruise-goers.Source:Supplied CRUISELINER giant Carnival, has revealed what their next ship will look like and it’s not for the faint-hearted. The ship is projected to be in the water by mid 2016 and among its attributes is a world first elevated “sky ride” rail […]
The very suite life: luxury cruising will have you saving your bucks to do it. Pics: James Morgan and Eric LaignelSource:Supplied THE Seabourn Encore cruise ship doesn’t have a water slide. Or a kids’ club. Or Disney characters. It does have a well-stocked, free bar fridge, verandas off every suite (these aren’t just rooms), “bath […]
Maybe you’d like something a bit bigger?Source:Supplied EVERY September the mega-rich congregate in the tiny country of Monaco for one of the most prestigious yacht shows in the world. With an average attendance of 33,000 participants over four days and nearly 100 events organised by exhibitors in the palaces of Monte Carlo and on-board yachts, […]
Regent Seven Seas Cruises is setting a new standard for luxury vacations with the launch of Seven Seas Explorer. Photo: SuppliedSource:Supplied Forget cramped cabins and fights in the buffet line on board a cruise ship, Kiwis will be able to travel on what’s claimed to be “the world’s most luxurious residence at sea”. Perched on […]
These are the words you definitely don’t want to hear on a cruise ship.Source:Supplied CRUISE workers have a secret language they use on ships — so that guests don’t know when something goes wrong. There are several words they use for everything from a person overboard to a pile of vomit — and it’s bad […]
’King of the world’ but maybe not the smartest move. AFP PHOTO Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox/mnSource:Supplied THIS week, we saw the rarest of travel stories: a “man overboard” incident with a happy ending. A 22-year-old passenger aboard Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas fell overboard off the coast of Cozumel, Mexico, in the early-morning hours. […]
It has a head-turning design.Source:AAP HE’S a Russian billionaire, and Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko’s latest show of wealth — the world’s largest mega yacht — has definitely turned heads with its strange design. The fancy yacht Sailing Yacht A, was spotted in Kiel, Germany yesterday as it was tugged from a port basin in preparation of […]
The design is pretty unusual, and awesome. Picture: Jonathan Schwinge/Eyelevel UK THERE are megayachts, there are private jets, and then there’s this. While the Tetrahedron Superyacht lacks a sexy name, it could be the next ultimate toy for billionaires as it’s a combination of what the wealthy just love to splurge on. That’s because, according […]
Original Group’s Desire cruise takes a “clothing optional” approach to the high seas. Picture: iStockSource:istock ON TRADITIONAL cruises, passengers get to see the world. On a Desire cruise, they are exposed to quite a bit more. Put on by a Mexican company called Original Group and setting sail from Venice, Italy, in September, the Desire […]
ESCAPE: Cruise Special, October 1 – Concierge Verandah. Picture: CLIA/SuppliedSource:Supplied So you’ve decided to take a cruise. Good for you. You’ll have a blast. So now what? What do you want from your cruise? Fine wining and dining? Top-drawer entertainment? Relaxing spa treatments at sea? Exotic ports-of-call? And how much are you prepared to spend? […]
Social distancing practices on board Princess Cruises. Picture: Princess Cruises Health and SafetySource:Supplied Cruising accounts for a sizeable portion of Sarah Solah’s photo albums. The mother-of-three is a sea travel veteran, by anyone’s standards, having sailed seven separate cruises over the past decade through the South Pacific, New Zealand and up Australia’s east coast. Desperate […]