Over Sixty Winter 2022 Digital

36 TRAVEL WINTER 2022 | OVERSIXTY.COM.AU Cruising is back! After a long absence due to Covid-19, Australians are ready to hit the high seas JOANNA HALL PLAN S ince the Federal Government lifted its cruise ban on April 17, cruise ships have been making a welcome return to Australian waters. The first to arrive was P&O Australia’s Pacific Explorer , cruising into a warm welcome in Sydney Harbour the morning after the ban ended. “ Pacific Explorer coming through Sydney Heads after two long years was a magic moment and I am proud to say there was hardly a dry eye among our suppliers, guests and staff,” said P&O Cruises Australia President, Marguerite Fitzgerald. Gavin Smith, Vice President and Managing Director of Royal Caribbean International Australia and New Zealand, says he’s delighted that cruising has the green light to resume in Australia. “Around the world, more than a million guests have sailed with us since 2020, marking a successful cruise comeback,” he said. “Now, we look forward to bringing the magic back to Australia.” So what can cruise fans look forward to this summer? Princess Cruises Coral Princess made her debut in Brisbane on June 16 for an inaugural season, with 11 departures ranging from 3-12 nights through to August, and after a spell cruising from Sydney, a further 10 cruises starting in November. Itinerary highlights include a new seven-day New South Wales Coast roundtrip from Brisbane, and a new 12-day Queensland and Conflict Islands voyage, a roundtrip from Sydney or Brisbane. Majestic Princess is scheduled to return to Sydney on October 20 for a series of cruises to New Zealand, Queensland, Tasmania and Fiji, followed by the debut of Grand Princess in Melbourne on November 4, offering round-trip voyages to New Zealand, Queensland and South Australia. Princess’s new MedallionClass service will also debut in Australia in 2022, featuring a small wearable device for many functions including contactless boarding and easily contacting your cruise companions ( www.princess.com ). P&O Cruises Australia Pacific Explorer resumed cruising on May 31 with a series of domestic short breaks departing from Sydney and Brisbane, ahead of a series of cruises from Adelaide and Melbourne starting in October. On August 20, Pacific Encounter will call the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal home, offering a series of short breaks and Queensland itineraries. The former Golden Princess , now called Pacific Adventure , will begin a maiden season in Sydney on October 22. Some of the new P&O ship features include the Byron Beach Club on Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter , and restaurants by renowned chefs Luke Mangan and Johnny Di Francesco across all three ships ( www.pocruises.com.au ). Carnival Cruises Carnival Splendor will return to her Aust- ralian home port of Sydney again on September 30. Her first cruise departs on October 2, 2022, a three-day getaway, followed by a calendar of domestic and international departures to New Zealand, the Great Barrier Reef and the South Pacific. Carnival is also planning to base a ship in Brisbane in 2023 ( www.carnival.com.au ). Cunard Queen Elizabeth will embark on her first circumnavigation cruise of Australia as part of a huge 121-day season from November 2022 to March 2023, with the ship visiting 15 Australian ports including Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Hobart, Burnie, Fremantle, Cairns and Darwin, across two to 31-night itineraries. Other highlights include an inaugural Culinary Voyage departing from Sydney on January 28, 2023, with headline chef Matt Moran, and an inaugural Gardening Journey cruise with Jamie Durie and Graham Ross, departing Melbourne on February 4, 2023 (www.cunard.com ). Holland America Line The line’s Westerdam and Noordam will commence cruising Down Under again in November 2022. Westerdam ’s maiden visit to Australia will include cruises from Sydney and Auckland operating through to early January 2023, and pick of the itineraries include a new Southern Australia voyage, and a 16-day cruise from Sydney to Singapore via the Great Barrier Reef. Noordam will offer departures from Sydney and Auckland between November and April 2023, ( www.hollandamerica.com ). Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Two of Royal Caribbean’s impressive Quantum class ships will return to Australia for the summer, with Ovation of the Seas offering cruises from Sydney starting in October, and Quantum of the Seas from Brisbane in November, with 22 sailings ranging from two to 13 nights. Ship highlights include the North Star viewing capsule which towers 100m above sea level, a Bionic Bar, the RipCord® by iFLY® skydiving simulator and more ( www.royalcaribbean.com ). Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Eclipse will make her Down Under debut in October 2022, offering a program of 3- to 13-night itineraries visiting Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific through to April 2023 ( www.celebritycruises.com ). Norwegian Cruise Line After a $100 million bow-to-stern refurb- ishment last year, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Spirit will debut in Australia on December 22 for an inaug- ural season, operating trans-Tasman and Pacific sailings. Ship highlights include an expanded Mandara Spa with a new thermal suite and relaxation area, the new Onda by Scarpetta restaurant at sea, a second main dining room, and Spice H2O, a new concept adults-only day-into-night lounge with hot tub (www.ncl.com) . Clockwise from top: Royal Caribbean; Princess Cruises; Queen Elizabeth ’s Grand Lobby; spa bliss onboard Holland America Line CRUISING AND COVID The Federal Government has outlined a number of safety measures for cruise travel, including a requirement for all passengers to be double vaccinated, and more stringent pre-boarding health checks and reporting processes. Australians who choose to cruise are advised to ensure they have adequate insurance to cover for any COVID-related illness while travelling, and to check specifics with their cruise line well before departure. Guests travelling with P&O Cruises, for example, will need to take a self-administered Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) within 24 hrs of boarding, or a PCR test within 72 hours of boarding, and practice social distancing on board. For more, visit www.health.gov.au CRUISING