Avatar of Teresa OoiTeresa Ooi

An experienced writer and editor, Teresa has worked on many prestigious titles, from The Australian to The Financial Times of London. She loves to cruise in luxury!

Crystal Symphony turns on the sparkle

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Crystal Symphony turns on the sparkle

The luxury sector has never been move competitive, with new contenders and pretenders everywhere.

Crystal Cruises once held centre stage, winning awards for more than two decades.

Now, the line is fighting back.The Crystal Symphony has emerged from an expansive multi-million dollar make-over looking chic and contemporary as she sails on her 114-day world cruise from Capetown to Fort Lauderdale. She is now currently cruising in French Polynesia, where Cruise Passenger joined her for an inspection.

The ship has introduced a new open seating concept in her revamped main dining restaurant called the Waterside. Instead of the formal two seating arrangement where dinner is promptly served at 6pm and 8.30pm, now guests can simply walk in without any reservations.

There’s a new Silk Kitchen and bar restaurant on deck 11 serving dim sum and other Asian favourites including Hainanese chicken rice. For lovers of Brazilian food, there is the new Churrascaria, a stylish casual eatery for tapas, ceviche and grilled meats.

Celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa’s restaurant has been renamed Umi Uma serving fine Japanese cuisine and has retained its popular, seven-seater, Sushi Bar.

A total of 40 new Seabreeze penthouse suites have been added on deck 9. Restyled in a soothing palette of beige, white and silver, the suites are elegant and spacious. The Seabreeze penthouse suites with verandah at 367 sq ft has a comfortable sofa with geometric  designed pillows in white and dusky pink.  Bigger penthouse suites at 491 sq ft have a separate lounge room, two flat-screen televisions and a built-in washer-dryer.

The drinks cabinet in light wood has subtle touches of gold. There is a Julius Meinl coffee machine with similar branded cups and saucers.  The white and grey marble bathroom has double washbasins, a shower room big enough to fit two people and the water pressure from the Hansgrohe shower is heavenly. There are ample supplies of Etro bath products and fluffy Egyptian cotton towels.

All penthouse suites come with their own butler.

Crystal Symphony has also upped its internet offering giving passengers unlimited complimentary WiFi connectivity on any Crystal voyage. All public areas feature high-definition, interactive flat-panel televisions.

And the Starlite Club, the hub for evening dancing and cocktails has also been refitted.

Sister ship, Crystal Serenity is due for a major facelift later this year.

WiFi wars – Princess Cruises claims the fastest at sea

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Battle of the WiFi - Royal Caribbean vs Norwegian Cruise Line

Princess Cruises has claimed passengers sailing on the Regal Princess have access to the newly developed MedallionNet, giving them the fastest WiFi at sea. MedallionNet is expected to spread to other ships, meaning passengers and crew can stay connected at speeds that equals or exceed those on land. The days of poor connections while on … Read more

Cunard confirms second record season for Queen Elizabeth and digs in for the long haul

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Cunard confirms second record season for Queen Elizabeth and digs in for the long haul

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth will spend a second season sailing in Australian waters for at least 101 days or more in the summer of 2021. “There is no doubt that Cunard will maintain, if not grow Queen Elizabeth’s presence in Australia in 2021 – but we will vary her voyages,” David Rousham, Cunard vice president UK … Read more

Record number of Aussies book North West Passage

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Record number of Aussies book North West Passage

Luxury expedition line Ponant launched its 2020 North West Passage cruise on Thursday – and by lunchtime, 60 per cent of the ship’s cabins had been snapped up by Australians.

In an astonishing result which underscores that passengers are now reserving cabins earlier and earlier.  The amazing journey in a Prestige Stateroom with private balcony, based on a double occupancy  costs from A$36,590pp .

The  22-night expedition aboard L’Austral, departs on  24 August 2020 from Kangerlussuaq, Greenland,  and goes to Nome, Alaska,  crossing the Arctic Circle enroute

Expedition leaders Nicholas Dubreuil says of the trip: : “On last year’s voyage I counted 33 polar bear sightings –  quite extraordinary.”

The small-ship French line is quickly establishing itself as a world leader in expedition cruising.

They have four new ships on order, and L’Austral will be in Australia at the end of the year with a host of new itineraries.

The line is proudest of its world’s first electric hybrid Icebreaker, to be launched in 2021.

The new generation Icebreaker will be able to cut through 2.5 metres of moving ice at three knots, and take passengers to previously inaccessible places including the Weddell Sea, the Ross Sea and Peter I Islands.

Designed for extreme destinations, the 135-cabin Icebreaker will have 16 zodiacs, two helicopters and one of the world’s most experienced expedition leaders in Mr Dubreuil, who will accompany the ship on every sailing.

“The Icebreaker is the result of 30 years of experience in expedition cruising,’’ Mr Dubreuil said. “It will take passengers to remote areas visited by very few people – less than the number of people who have been to the moon.’’

The extreme Polar expedition exploration vessel will be able to reach the true North Pole at 90 degrees latitude North, cross the Arctic Ocean and discover the extreme North East Greenland – “previously an inaccessible dream”, Mr Dubreuil said.

It will be one of the most environmentally friendly ships sailing the seas and will be the first hybrid electric Icebreaker powered by Liquefied Natural Gas. It will produce no emissions.

Mr Dubreuil who has crossed the poles by kayak, sleigh and skis said that sea ice is always moving, changing, breaking and melting.

“We have to manage the ice. Our itineraries will offer scenic helicopter rides to take passengers to experience the real Greenland and see the mountain summits. Guests will also be able to take part in dog sledging and snowshoeing.’’

As Sarina Bratton, Ponant’s chair Asia Pacific said: “Our expeditions set us apart from other operators because of leaders like Nick Dubreuil.”

See more at https://au.ponant.com

Cunard doubles days Queen Elizabeth will spend in Australia

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Cruise Passenger's top ten deals of the week

Luxury cruise line, Cunard will double the Australian sailing season for Queen Elizabeth to 101 days in 2019-20 summer. This is because of the “unprecedented growth in demand” from Australian cruisers, Cunard senior vice president Simon Palethorpe said today. Instead of spending 54-days Down Under as originally scheduled, Queen Elizabeth will spend 101 days in … Read more

Oceania Regatta

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Oceania Regatta

FACT FILE:

Line: Oceania Cruises

Launched: 1998

Size: 30,277 tonnes

Passengers: 684

Crew: 400

Crew to passenger ratio: 1 to 1.71

Cabin sizes: 15 to 93 sq m

ADULTS ONLY AREA: Whole ship – kids have to be “well behaved and well educated” to sail on the Regatta, we were told.

FOOD: Oceania Regatta’s battle cry is that it has “The Finest Cuisine At Sea.’’ So dining on board is all about choice. There’s the Grand Dining Room and Jacques Bistro, which offers authentic French bistro food at lunch time and classic French cuisine inspired by celebrity chef Jacques Pepin. There’s also Polo Grill, a classic steakhouse, the informal Terrace Café where you can dine inside or alfresco and Waves Grill by the swimming pool for all-American favourites.

We dined at Toscana – and the food was, indeed, fabulous. Our mains of lobster and dover sole were sensational, and the crème brulee was perfect.

ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT: A fitness Centre with gym and stretch/exercises classes on offer. Canyon Ranch Spaland has a private spa terrace with Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room. There’s a heated swimming pool, two whirlpools and a sports deck where you can play mini golf and shuffleboard. There’s also string quartet and lively evening entertainment at its theatre. For quiet moments, there’s a well-stocked, English-style library with over 2000 books and periodicals and a 24-hour internet centre.

BEST FOR: Experienced cruisers who are also foodie aficionados. The ship has a cosy and casual atmosphere that appeals to guests.

OUR VERDICT: If you enjoy eating, cruising, seeing the world and spending more overnight stays in port to learn about the culture, cuisine and history of the destination, then Regatta is your ship. Australia has already given its verdict on Oceania – we’re their second biggest market after America.

Seven Seas Navigator

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Seven Seas Navigator

FACT FILE

Line: Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Launched: 1991

Size: 33,000 tonnes

Crew: 345

Passengers: 490

Crew to passenger ratio: 1 to 1.42

Size of cabins: 28 – 99 sq m

 

ADULTS ONLY AREA: Whole ship. Kids are only encouraged to come on board during summer and Christmas holidays.

FOOD: Regent Seven Seas takes food seriously and prides itself in serving fine cuisine on Versace plates. There is no charge for speciality restaurants like steakhouse Prime 7. All the passenger has to do is to make a reservation and every guest is guaranteed to experience at least one meal at every speciality restaurant. Compass Rose is the main dining room, La Veranda offers a buffet for breakfast/lunch and transforms into a chic Italian restaurant for evening meals. Afternoon tea is served at the Galileo’s Lounge. There’s also a pool grill. We had lobster with melon, steak or Chilean sea bass and rich chocolate cake in Compass Rose.

ACTIVITIES & ENTERTAINMENT:

A fitness centre comprising a gym and aerobics studio is on Deck 12. Next door is the salubrious and spacious Canyon Ranch spa offering a range of facials, body treatments and manicure/pedicure for women and men. The spa also has a full-service beauty salon and offers make-up consultation. For the more active guests, a golf putting course and shuffleboard are on Deck 12. There are five bars and lounges. Daily evening entertainment is held at Seven Seas Lounge which can seat 490 guests.

BEST FOR: Seasoned travellers with a taste for fine food and exotic destinations. They prefer to pay an all-inclusive price which includes beverage, shore excursions and no extra charge for speciality restaurants.

OUR VERDICT: Navigator has just been given an extensive bow-to-stern refurbishment. Compass Rose was beautifully lit with modern chandeliers, leather seats at Prime 7 and an eclectic mix of artwork across the whole ship. It is the smallest ship in the fleet with an intimate feel to it. We liked it – a lot. You get the best – but you pay for it. Average spend is $20,000 per suite for 12 nights.

Crystal Cruises scales back its ships

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Crystal Cruises scales back its ships

Crystal Cruises will downsize its new generation of ocean-going ships to accommodate fewer passengers, newly installed CEO Thomas Wolber said. The line has also abandoned plans to build 48 super-luxury private apartments on the top deck of each of its three new ships. Instead of building its new ocean-going vessels at 100,000 gross tons with … Read more

Asia likely to overtake Europe as Australia’s favourite long haul destination

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Asia, Northern Europe & Alaska: Where Aussies cruised in 2015

It is only the start of 2018, but cruise lines and agents are already feeling the effects of a dramatic change in booking patterns, with Australians securing their cabins up to nine months in advance. As a result, local sailings and fly-cruise itineraries around the world are selling fast, according to lines like Princess Cruises … Read more