Bernadette Chua 
Princess Cruises has unveiled its plans for their 2021-22 Australian season, with the Royal Princess and Coral Princess heading Down Under. The season also includes plans for Coral Princess’ first roundtrip world cruise from Australia in 2022, as well as the return of Emerald Princess and Sapphire Princess. The ships will be homeported in Melbourne, … Read more
Luxury cruise line Silversea has confirmed it will be delivering their newest ship, the Silver Moon on 30 October. Despite the global pandemic, this is the second ship Silversea will launch this year. The Galapagos bound Silver Origin was delivered on 3 June and is set to depart on 7 November. The 596-guest Silver Moon, … Read more
Aged care front line worker Melinda Manley wanted to push the boat out when her partner retired. And since he had never been out of the country, she booked their dream – a $60,000 European land and cruise tour. But like so many travel dreams, it was dashed by COVID-19. Their Scenic holiday was cancelled … Read more
MSC Cruises has announced that it will postpone the restart of MSC Magnifica to 26 September after the line saw passengers cancelling their cruises. MSC said the recent introduction of additional testing measures for residents of Italy who travel to Greece resulted in a ‘softening in demand since the ship’s itinerary includes as many as three ports … Read more
A family of five has fallen victim to the tough new rules to safeguard the first big ship cruises in Europe, after being kicked off the MSC Grandiosa’s first sailing. In what looks like a precursor to the kind of no-excuses regulations needed to safeguard other passengers, the family received their marching orders after they … Read more
Find your next Australian holiday with these deals. Frolic on the beaches of Palm Cove and Coffs Harbour from beachside resorts. Or enjoy the best of both the reef and rainforest in Port Douglas. Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain and Perth’s Margaret River also feature forest retreats. Alternatively, experience a Darwin city stay or explore the Barossa … Read more
The rolling hills and the unspoilt bush of the Southern Highlands is one of the best weekend getaways. Bernadette Chua discovers this lovely region, filled with quaint English villages and pies. The Southern Highlands, just a short drive from the nation’s capital and an hour from Sydney, is filled with boutique shops, lovely warm bustling cafes … Read more
NSW Health made a number of serious mistakes of its handling of the Ruby Princess including the delay in sending swabs for COVID-19 testing and assessing the cruise ship as low risk. A special commission of inquiry investigated the decisions made by Carnival Australia, NSW Health and Federal Government agencies into what became on of … Read more
The beginning of August heralded the start of a soft launch of the Northern Hemisphere cruise season. It did not go well for everyone. “This virus teaches us something every day,” veteran Norwegian Cruise Lines head Frank Del Rio said. “While it’s disappointing, I’m glad the ports and the cruise companies that suffered these setbacks … Read more