Classic International Cruises announced last week that its flagship, the traditional-style Athena, would make her maiden visit to Eden, located on the south coast of NSW, in January 2012.

That year will be Athena’s eighth consecutive season based in Fremantle, Western Australia, and her visit to Eden will be part of an inaugural, eight-night, roundtrip cruise from Adelaide to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide.

The 600-passenger ship is currently en route from Rome to Fremantle for her seventh Australian season. She arrives on December 19 and will operate in the region until March 2011.

Classic International Cruises recently released new statistics from passengers who travelled on board the ship last summer; stating that 92 per cent of passengers rated their experience on board as very good to excellent, while 96 per cent of passengers rated the food and dining on board as very good to excellent.

Have you cruised on Athena? How would you rate your experience?