Teresa Ooi 
Gone are the days when embarking on a cruise almost guaranteed coming home a few kilos heavier and a little worse for wear after overindulging at the bars and buffets. Today, many travellers are choosing to combine their love of cruising with some more healthy pursuits. Welcome to the fast-growing sector of wellness cruising. Whether … Read more
The case of the Perth passenger thrown off a P&O ship in Bali for flicking his cigarette butt over the side highlights the need for rules around what you can and can’t do onboard a ship. Even those with private balconies are not immune from the regulations that ensure safety and decorum. It’s called balcony … Read more
The gloves are off. Norwegian Jewel will call Australia home from October next year and promises to knock your socks off as it will have the best food, the best service, the best onboard experience and the best “hardware,’’ so says Harry Sommer, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Executive Vice President of International Business Development. In lay … Read more
Passengers on Celebrity Cruises will be slugged with higher gratuities of up to US$17 per person per day – up 55 cents – for sailings after July 1, the line confirmed this week. Those staying in standard cabins will also have to pay more – $13.30 per person per day up from $12.95. Passengers in … Read more
Princess Cruises’ celebrity chef Curtis Stone is all about truffles. He loves to shave truffle onto the dishes he cooks. That’s according to his executive chef Christian Dortch who worked with Stone in his Beverley Hills restaurant before coming on board the Sun Princess. This week, Stone was in LA opening his second restaurant – … Read more
Would you rather Feel Free or board a ship Full of Fun? Australian families will be the winners of a new rivalry between major cruise lines in the coming months. While Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line, was quaffing beer and pledging no discount war in the bar of Sydney’s Lord Nelson this week, … Read more
Australia’s love affair with cruising in the wilds of the Kimberley coast is off to a flying start, with few cabins available for this year – and we’re only in January! An astonishing 90% of APT’s 13 cruises are already sold out. Nine of APT’s 11-day voyages to the Kimberley coastline have been booked out. … Read more
So you are going on a cruise. You have paid your airfare, and the cost of your holiday looks pretty cheap. According to Cruise Lines International Association Australasia, the average cruiser spends $3,058 per person on a cruise including $2,272 on the cost of the voyage. This does not include the return airfare. But wait … Read more
Crystal Symphony Published by Teresa Ooi Published on 21 Aug 2015 My first meeting with David the butler is unforgettable. Impeccably dressed in a morning suit, pin-striped trousers with slicked-back hair, he takes my right hand, kisses it and kicks his left foot in the air. Of course, I am bowled over. If this is … Read more
She's the most specious ship yet from luxury line Oceania Cruises. James Sitters tells Rose Kelly and Peter Lynch what's on board the new class of ship, including restaurants, spas and suites.
