No offence to any of the other cruise wraps out there, but we’d call this one the best we’ve ever done. Well, in the top 20 at least.

Australian couple first guests to board Le Laperouse

Joining the inaugural round-trip cruise from Reykjavik, regular PONANT cruisers Wendy Burgess & Dainis Kivlenieks were the first passengers to board PONANT’s brand new Explorer class small luxury expedition ship Le Laperouse. You can check out more on Le Laperouse here.

Seen here being warmly welcomed onboard Le Laperouse by PONANT Founder and CEO Jean-Emmanuel Sauvee (centre of pic), they joined a sell-out group of passengers from around the world eager to try out this first of six new PONANT Ex-plorer ships currently being constructed.

Le Laperouse will spend some time in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean before heading south via the Seychelles and Borneo to arrive in Australia early in 2019 for a season of voyages that include the Great Barrier Reef, Kimberley, Sub Antarctic Islands and New Zealand waters.

For more on Ponant, check out their website.

Carnival Australia sails into July with largest Cruise Sale Down Under

Australia’s largest cruise operator Carnival Australia is giving holidaymakers the chance to beat the winter blues with the launch of an unprecedented Colossal Cruise Sale, featuring special deals across its seven cruise lines.

Running from July 2 to July 9, the new promotion is the biggest cruise sale Down Under and includes a range of great offers on nearly 1800 cruises setting sail between October 2018 and April 2020.

Travellers will be able to make the most of their July tax refunds by taking advantage of different offers across Carnival Australia’s seven brands: P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard, P&O Cruises World Cruising, Holland America Line and Seabourn. This includes deposits as low as one dollar as well as generous onboard spending credits of up to AU$500, US$680 or GBP800 per person across a range of itineraries from two to 235 nights.

Available from 00:01 Monday July 2 to midnight Monda,y July 9 2018 the deals cover almost 400 P&O Cruises Australia sailings, more than 850 Princess Cruises’ departures, 89 Carnival Cruise Line sailings, more than 330 Holland AmericaLineitineraries, 125Cunard cruises, 25 Seabourn voyagesand over 100 P&O Cruises World Cruising cruises.

Cruise de France with Evergreen Special offer

Evergreen Tours has released an extra saving on its 2019 France river cruise product to celebrate Cruise de France month! Save an extra $500 per couple for bookings made from 1 – 31 July 2018.

And in keeping with the worldwide trend towards Health and Wellness, Evergreen’s EmeraldACTIVE and healthy choices inclusions provide more options than ever before for guests to make the most of their river cruise adventure! Highlights include:

• Every Star-Ship features a Sun Deck with walking track – the perfect spot to breathe in the morning air as you stroll the deck.
• Newly introduced yoga classes on France and Portugal departures allow you to find your inner balance!
• Take a refreshing dip, do a few laps, or simply relax in one of our Star Ships’ most stunning features – an indoor heated pool and lounge area.
• EmeraldACTIVE – enjoy a guided hike in the Avignon region or through the streets of Lyon at the junction of the Rhône and the Saône Rivers
• After a busy day of exploration, relax and reset with a service from our Wellness Area. Try a facial to reinvigorate and freshen the skin or the Aroma-Oil Massage to sooth soreness and tension

Explore Antarctica with incredible fly free international air and transfers

Silversea is offering an exceptional, all-inclusive fly free Antarctica package on a number of voyages, from select Australian gateways on departures between November 2018 and February 2019.

This incredible, all-inclusive package is available on bookings made before 31 July 2018. This offer includes free: economy international roundtrip flights to Buenos Aires or Santiago from select Australian gateways; economy roundtrip charter flights to/from Ushuaia; free internal transfers; and one night pre-cruise accommodation.

Guests can choose from a number of Antarctic voyages aboard Silversea’s recently transformed Silver Cloud. All of these voyages provide the chance to reach the earth’s last great wilderness frontier. Guests can take advantage of this fantastic value air offer to create a truly all-inclusive polar itinerary. Departing Ushuaia from November 2018, these 10-night expedition voyages transport guests across seas of glass, encountering giant prisms of ice and an abundance of wildlife, including bellowing elephant seals and raucous rookeries of penguins.

Departing Ushuaia, Silversea’s premier luxury expedition vessel, Silver Cloud, will navigate the Drake Passage before sailing the stunning Antarctic Sound where guests will witness Adelie and Gentoo penguins. From here, guests will spend two days exploring the Antarctic Peninsula, home to spectacular iceberg sculptures and calving glaciers, before arriving in the Antarctic South Shetland Islands. Silver Cloud will then return along the Drake Passage to Ushuaia where guests will debark.

Little Carnival becomes the centre of attention 

On Saturday, Carnival Cruise Line’s newest and smallest ship, Little Carnival, embarked on her second voyage, visiting the Quaycentre court in Sydney for a netball match between the Melbourne Vixens and New South Wales Swifts.

Little Carnival was the centre of attention as she delivered prizes to the crowd. The Captain also had fun cheering on the Vixens as they took the win 58-65.

With Carnival fans excited for the arrival of the brand’s newest and largest ship – Carnival Splendor –in December 2019, Little Carnival is planning to cycle her way around a number of Australian cities, bringing a little FUN – at 25km per hour – to those in anticipation. Her next stop will be Westpoint, Blacktown.

Scenic rewards agents for using Express Book

Scenic and Evergreen have announced a promotion to reward agents for booking online via Express Book with a $50 bonus paid direct to the consultant for every booking made for the month of July.

A new training webinar has been loaded onto the Scenic Agent Hub providing updated tips on the system – how to book, how to manage and track bookings, managing payments and advice. As an incentive, for the month of July only, Scenic will pay a bonus of $50 direct to the consultant for each booking using Express Book.

With the resurgence in demand for France river cruising product and consumer confidence in France as a destination, call volumes for July are expected to be at an unprecedented high on the back of the offers that both Scenic and Evergreen have in the market and supporting with a major advertising and promotions campaign.

Princess Cruises gives agents chance to win a Japan cruise for two

From today, Princess Cruises, the top cruise line in Japan, is giving eligible travel agents who register with Princess Academy the chance to win a 13-night Japan cruise for two onboard Japanese built Diamond Princess.

Open to Australian and New Zealand travel agents who register with Princess Academy between now and 5 August 2018, the major prize winner and a guest will sail roundtrip from Tokyo (Yokohama) to nine ports of call including; Kanmon Straits, Busan (South Korea), Sakata, Aomori, Miyako, Nagasaki and Gunkanjima (for Hashima Island scenic cruising). Departing Tokyo on 19 April 2019, the prize is also inclusive of $3,600 EZAir credit.

10 runners up prizes are also on offer, with newly registered agents able to win one of 10, $100 Visa gift cards. Last year’s grand prize winner was Cheryl Graves from Helloworld Erina Fair NSW, who won a seven-night Western Caribbean cruise onboard Regal Princess.

Carnival Cruise Line’s 2020 program now available to book

Carnival Cruise Line’s 2020 program is now on sale, offering Aussie holidaymakers access to more fun at sea than ever before, with a record number of 75 sailings from Australia to the South Pacific, New Zealand and Australia.

From today, Aussies fun-seekers can now book Carnival Splendor’s sailings between January and June 2020. Carnival Splendor will be the newest and largest ship, home-ported year round in Australia.

Following the news that Carnival Spirit will become the brand’s first-ever ship to home port in Brisbane, Queenslanders can now book their next holiday right from their doorstep with cruises available to book from October 2020. Queenslanders will benefit from unique itineraries including seven-day cruises to the tropical wonderlands of Espiritu Santo, Mystery Island and Noumea.

Aussie holidaymakers also have the opportunity to sail on the popular repositioning cruises across the transpacific to and from Honolulu, with Carnival Spirit in 2020.

Royal Caribbean Merges Trade and Consumer Call Centre Numbers to streamline communication

Royal Caribbean Cruises Australia and New Zealand are set to merge their trade and consumer Call Centre numbers in an effort to improve the cruise line’s communication process.

From 1 July 2018, the trade Call Centre number 1300 754 500 will no longer be in operation and the cruise line will assist with all travel and guest enquiries, including reservations and booking services, through the number 1800 754 500.

Kathryn Valk, director of sales and marketing for Australia and New Zealand said that RCL Cruises is always seeking opportunities to improve communication with trade partners and guests. The merge of these numbers is the next step in achieving a completely streamlined process.

Call Centre operating hours remain unchanged and trade partners and guests can seek assistance from 8am to 2pm, Monday to Friday AEST.

CLIA Australasia launches new Singapore Module

Singapore is one of the hottest cruise destinations in the world and now cruise agents can learn everything they need to know about the ‘Lion City’ in an exclusive Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia training module.

Created in conjunction with CLIA’s global strategic partner, Singapore Tourism Board, the new module is packed with useful tips and information about the bustling city including the best shopping precincts, foodie hot spots, rooftop bars and attractions from Sentosa Island to Gardens by the Bay.

The module contains everything a cruise passenger needs to know to make the most of their pre-or-post cruise visit, including where to stay, how to get around and the low down on Singapore’s modern cruise terminal.

Exclusively available to CLIA members, the module is now live in the CLIA Learning Academy under Members Training. In addition to the module, CLIA Australasia will host a webinar with Singapore Tourism Board on Wednesday, August 8, 2018, to compliment the content in the module.