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Sydney Ports celebrates 50 years of the Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal, now known as the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) at Circular Quay.   30 December 2010 marks 50 years since the “Oriana” arrived at Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal.

Sixteen cruise ships visited Sydney Harbour in December, with Sydney hosting two ships on three separate occasions during the month.  On 4 December, Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas berthed at the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) while Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess pulled in to Barangaroo Wharf 5.

And on 17 December, Sun Princess berthed again at Barangaroo while Holland America’s Volendam paid another visit to the OPT. The next day, Rhapsody of the Seas was back at the OPT while P&O Cruises’ Pacific Jewel tied up at Barangaroo.

The ability of Sydney to host two ships at a time underlines the port’s status as the preferred cruise destination in Australia.

On 22 December, Princess Cruises’ luxurious 116,000-tonne Diamond Princess returned to these shores for the first time this cruise season.

The 2010/11 Sydney cruise season, which began on 1 October, is the busiest on record, with 150 cruise ship visits scheduled in for Sydney Harbour — a 26% increase on last year.

It is also the first time passenger numbers are expected to break the 300,000 mark, injecting an estimated $190 million into the NSW economy. This cruise season Sydney also sees the return of ‘Cruise February’ — 28 cruise ship visits are expected in the 28 days of February.

On 6 December 2010, Sydney was named for the 6th time in a row The Best Cruise Port as voted by Cruise Passengers Magazine reader’s choice awards, followed by Venice and Vancouver. The magazine went on to mention that there is probably nothing as wonderful as sailing through Sydney Heads and towards the harbour bridge and the magnificent Sydney Opera House.

Upcoming for the Month of January 2011  Seventeen cruise ships will visit Sydney in January–the ‘calm before the storm’, before those 28 cruise ship visits in the 28 days of February.

50th Anniversary of Overseas Passenger Terminal It has now been a Sydney landmark for half a century and the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) at Circular Quay West is still going strong as a spectacular berthing point for cruise ships.

December marks the 50 the Anniversary of the OPT whose ringside location places it as the centre of the commercial action in Sydney and it offers unsurpassed views of the Opera House.  The OPT, then known as the Sydney Cove Passenger Terminal, was officially opened on 20 December 1960 by the Hon. J B Renshaw MLA, Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for Lands.

Ten days later on 30 December 1960, the 45,000 tonne superliner “Oriana”, on her maiden voyage to Sydney Harbour, was the first vessel to berth at the new terminal.

The terminal has since undergone two major refurbishments in 1988 and 2001 and remains Australia’s leading international cruise passenger terminal.

Above facts courtesy Peter Zangari and the team at Sydney Ports Corporation.

See you on a cruise soon,

Have a great 2011,

John.

Air New Zealand’s first Boeing 777-300ER aircraft and will touch down in Auckland on Christmas Eve morning, bringing the Kiwi designed economy Skycouch to New Zealand for the first time.

The majority of Air NZ flights are long-haul, finding a way for people to lie down in economy without compromising affordability is a major step for the industry.

Few airlines have invested time and money beyond First Class, whereas Air NZ have focused on the areas where most of their passengers sit,  Economy and Premium Economy.

They have created the world’s first economy seating that enables passengers to lie down and a Premium Economy seat that many airlines would call Business Class.

“We’re also the first commercial airline to introduce induction ovens for all cabins to give our customers freshly prepared food and have developed an inflight entertainment (IFE) system to give people greater control over the way their journey will unfold,” says Mr Sims.

More than 30 airlines have been in contact with Air New Zealand regarding the new seats and formal negotiations are underway with carriers from Asia, North America and Europe to licence the seats following an 18 month period of exclusivity for Air New Zealand.

Air New Zealand has five Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on order, with the second due for delivery in February followed by a third in April. The 338 seat 777-300 aircraft is configured with 244 in Economy (including 60 seats creating 20 Skycouch combinations), 50 in Premium Economy and 44 in Business Premier.

The first routes to guarantee travellers the next generation of long-haul travel will be on dedicated return services on NZ1 and NZ2 between Auckland and Los Angeles and through to London from April 2011.

I have been advocating this type of seating for over 20 years. Thanks Air NZ for taking the lead. Others will surely follow.

John.

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The Travel Weekly Lifetime Achievement Award was recently awarded to Richard Fain CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines. He said ”I am humbled and honored to be the recipient of this award especially because it was awarded by Travel Weekly’s readers, most of whom are travel agents. The growth of our industry and its many exciting changes would not have been possible without the biggest driver of Royal Caribbean’s overall success – our people – our shipboard teams, as well as our shoreside employees”.

Mr Fain first joined Royal Caribbean in 1979 as an outside director on the company’s Board of Directors. He became Chairman and CEO in 1988, and now oversees the global cruise company operating 40 ships under the Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises and CDF Croisières de France brands.

He  is a past chair of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), and industry trade association representing nearly 17,000 affiliated travel agencies and the bulk of the world’s cruise lines. He holds a B.S. degree in economics from the University of California Berkeley and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

RCCI is going from strength to strength in Australia and next year we will see even more of their ships in our waters.

John.

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PHOTO LEFT: Emma Coburn of APT receiving Best River Cruise Line  Award from John Pond at the recent Cruise Passenger Magazine Awards Night.

Due to the company’s success and growth APT is moving its 201 Hampton Street staff to the third and fourth floors at 1230 Nepean Highway, Cheltenham, 7 kilometres away. Management, reservations, product, accounts and marketing personnel for the APT Group (including Travelmarvel and Botanica) will be located there.

APT CEO, Chris Hall said APT was reluctant to move from the Hampton business community but there was no additional space available and there were obvious business inefficiencies in having staff in three different buildings along Hampton Street.  “We were bursting at the seams,” he said.  “We have a very solid business platform and we have enjoyed

consistent growth over the last 10 years, even accounting for the recent GFCrisis, and we need new space for the strategic development of the company.”

APT resisted the temptation to move to the CBD, or to an inner suburban office because of the company’s history there and the fact that most staff had been drawn from the local area over many years, Mr Hall said.

When APT moved into Hampton Street 35 years ago, it had about 25 staff.

One of Australia’s largest travel companies, APT operates cruises and touring in Canada/Alaska, luxury river cruising and touring in Europe, Russia, China and Vietnam-Cambodia, luxury rail in Russia, international and local garden tours, coach touring in New Zealand and Australia, small group 4WD adventures in Outback Australia and inbound language special tours.

Mr Hall said that while “extraordinary” demand for the company’s luxury river cruising product over the last five years was fuelling growth, he attributed the overall growth to the business partnerships APT had created, and nurtured, with specialist operators, such as European river ship designers AMAWATERWAYS, Indo China river cruise operators – Indochina Sails, the garden touring expert Judy Vanrennen, the Aboriginal communities in northern Australia and the Conway family at Kings Canyon.

“We’ve built our own river ships, we’ve built our own wilderness lodges and we’ve built our own small group 4WD vehicles so we have made a significant investment in infrastructure,” he said.

“Through these partnerships and that investment we have created control over our product which ultimately delivers consistently high quality holiday experiences to our customers and trust through the agency networks,” he said.

I love River Ship Cruising,

John.

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I love the Hawaiian Islands and these cruises caught my eye, I thought I would pass the information along.  In 2011 and 2012 two Holland America Line ships –– ms Westerdam and ms Rotterdam –– will sail three 30-day “Circle Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas Islands” explorations, visiting beautiful and picturesque islands throughout French Polynesia and the Aloha state.   ms Westerdam’s voyage sails round trip from San Diego, California, and departs 29 September 2011.  ms Rotterdam also sails round trip from San Diego and departs 4 January 2012 and 4 March 2012.

Guests sailing on ms Westerdam will have two opportunities to extend their voyage and embark early for the coastal portion of the cruise. The ship departs Seattle, Washington on 24 September, making it a 35-day voyage, or 25 September from Vancouver, B.C., making it 34 days.

The ships will call at Hilo, Lahaina, Honolulu and Hawaii; Fanning Island, Kiribati; Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, and Raiatea, Bora Bora, Papeete, Moorea, Rangiroa and Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia.

Highlights of the journey include crossing the equator and International Date Line, two “musts” on every traveller’s list. Extended stays at Lahaina, Hilo and Honolulu allow for a more in-depth Hawaiian experience, while an overnight call at Papeete, Tahiti, affords guests time to explore the island’s French culture as well as learn more about painter Paul Gauguin.

Cruise fares for ms Westerdam’s “Circle Hawaii, Tahiti and Marquesas Islands” voyage begin at AU$4,020 for 30-day, AU$4,262 for the 34-day and AU$4,328 for the 35-day journey. ms Rotterdam cruise fares begin at AU$5,050. All fares are per person, double occupancy, inside stateroom, category MM. INFORMATION: Travel the World on 1300 950 622 or visit www.traveltheworld.com.au. 

See you on a cruise soon, and a great holiday season,

John.

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Helen Wong’s Tours hosted an afternoon event at their Sydney offices.  Jason Sacriz, Marketing Manager, introduced their new China and Vietnam brochures which include a new cruising element.

Jason was very proud to announce that most tours had slashed up to $1,380 off their last year’s brochure prices thanks to the strong Australian dollar and other savings gained due to Helen Wong’s buying power.

It was a most enjoyable afternoon, made even better by the exquisite Asian delicacies served.

Mike Smith, Public Relations & Marketing General Manager said how delighted he was to be part of the Helen Wong Group in his position with World Trade Travel.

Helen Wong is currently in China and sent her best wishes to the guests.

I am a big fan of Helen Wong and her tours and now that they are including cruising in their itineraries, I am even more excited.

John

Editor at Sea

PHOTOS: Jason Sacriz, Marketing Manager

Barry Matheson with Mike Smith

Sandra Tiltman, Associate Editor, Cruise & Travel.biz with Kathleen Chan, Operations Manager, Helen Wong’s Tours

Sandra Tiltman with Scott McConnell, Langham Hotels

Exquisite Finger Food

International Cruise Council Australasia (ICCA) is a not-for-profit membership based organisation that was formed in 1996 to represent the cruise industry.

They have just appointed Gavin Smith, managing director for Royal Caribbean in Australia, as their new chairman.

Outgoing chairman, Karen Christensen, Silversea regional director Australia and New Zealand vacates her chair.

Other board members are APT CEO Chris Hall as treasurer; Travel the World managing director Andrew Millmore as deputy chairman membership and marketing; Complete Cruise Solution director of sales Don Clark as deputy chairman training; and Viking River Cruises managing director Australia/New Zealand Teresia Fors is secretary.

General Manager ICCA Brett Jardine said, “Cruise capacity continues to expand both locally and internationally, and with visiting ships boosting consumer interest in cruise holidays all around Australia, there’s never been a better time for travel agents to ensure they’re cruise-wise.”

John Pond

Editor at Sea.

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Sandra T. and I attended a function promoting Oman Tourism held at “Souk in the City”, a  leading Sydney restaurant.  We were greeted royally with rose petals thrown over us.  Guests included travel providers, agents and media.

Mona Tannous, Manager Australia/New Zealand of Tourism Oman introduced the special guests Mohammad Ali Bin Said, Senior Advisor to the Minister of Tourism and His Excellency Hamed Al Hajri Consulate General of the Sultanate of Oman.

They indicated that there had been an increase in tourism and their aim was to nurture even more trade and tourism to their country from Australia.

Sandra and I recently returned from a cruise around the Arab Emirates when we visited Muscat, unfortunately only for one day.  Oman offers a lot for tourists and we look forward to returning in the not too distant future.

John Pond, Editor at Sea.

PHOTOS:  His Excellency Hamed Al Hajri, Consulate General of the Sultanate of Oman, Mona Tannous and Mohammad Ali Bin Said.

Tim Harrowell, Emirates with Lynne Clarke, MSC Cruises.

Television personality Shelley Craft will host the 10th annual International Cruise Council Australasia (ICCA) Awards in early 2011. The event will take place on Saturday 29 January, 2011 at Sydney’s Sheraton on the Park Hotel.

“ICCA’s awards night is recognised as a highlight of the cruise industry calendar” said Council General Manager Brett Jardine.

Brett is “delighted” to have Shelley Craft, presenter for popular television programs, Australia’s Funniest Home Videos and Domestic Blitz, host the gala event.

The Gold Sponsor of the event will be Cruise Passenger Magazine, who has maintained primary sponsorship over the past four years.

This year’s event sees the amount of awards on offer increased to 15, expanding the Consumer Cruise Promotion category.

Agencies will be able to make nominations for the Cruise Promotion category as well as the Neil Frazer Outstanding Contribution by an Individual to the Cruise Industry award.

Other award categories – including Cruise Agency of the Year, Cruise Consultant of the Year and the Rising Star Award – are voted on by cruise line members and the Council.

I look forward to being there on the night and taking lots of pictures that you will see on my and Cruise Passenger Magazines blogs,

John.

PHOTOS:

Shelley Craft will host 2010 Cruise Industry Awards.

Brett Jardine ICCA.

Last night saw a great awards night at Sydney’s Observatory Hotel.

I gave out three awards. For the full list – GO TO   2010 Readers’ Choice Awards | Cruise Passenger

Buy the latest issue of Cruise Passenger Magazine with all the winners out NOW.

PICTURE: John Pond, Editor at Sea giving Readers Choice Awards to Ms Emma Coburn of APT who won Best River Cruise Line and Best River Ship.

What a great night,

John.

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MORE LATER.

FOR PHOTOS TAKEN ON THE NIGHT – GO TO: cruisepond.com

Last Friday I was fortunate to be among the invited cruise media for lunch at one of Australia’s finest restaurants overlooking Sydney harbour at the International Cruise Terminal.

Gavin Smith, head of RCI Australia, hosted the event celebrating Royal Caribbean’s 40 years of operation, as well as a celebration for their Australian office, which has been doing record business for two years and which recently won RCI’s award for the highest sales growth world wide.

In his speech, Gavin gave us an inkling of what was in store for Australian cruisers over the next eighteen months, when we would see three RCI ships in our waters during our cruise season.

RCI’s ships (Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Azamara lines), will offer a broad array of cruise product with dining options never before seen in our waters on a regular basis.

RCI offers the finest cruising and I have always enjoyed sailing on her vessels,

John.

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As Australians gear up for the traditional summer holiday period, leading travel insurance provider Travel Insurance Direct (TID) is advising travellers to take some simple precautions to assist themselves with any holiday claims. General Manager Ian Jackson said that while most Australians would enjoy an uneventful holiday, a small proportion would inevitably experience an incident or emergency, which would result in an insurance claim.

TID has prepared a simple 10-point check list for travellers which could assist them in the event of a claim. I think it is worth passing along.

TIPS TO HELP SPEED ANY CLAIMS:

1. Photograph any expensive items you are taking on your travels such as jewellery, handbags or electronic items. Where applicable, record serial numbers.
2. Email images of your valuables to a safe location such as a webmail address, online vault site or your phone, along with a scan of your passport.
3. Make sure you have the receipts for any valuable items that you take on your travels.
4. Once you’ve packed your bag, check the value of items against your insurance policy.  If you need to increase your coverage, call your travel insurer and let them know before you depart.
5. If you buy something expensive while you are travelling, take a photograph and make sure the receipt is stored in a safe location.
6. If you are the victim of a crime during your holiday, make sure you obtain a local police report
7. Your travel insurer should provide you with a reverse charges phone number – if you need to make a claim, then contact your insurer while you’re travelling to discuss the next step.
8. Make sure you take your travel insurance policy number with you – ideally load it into your mobile phone and send it to your webmail along with any emergency numbers.
9. If you have to make a claim, include copies of all documentation you think may be relevant – the more information that you make available, the easier it is for your insurer to assess your claim.

10.  When submitting your claim, make sure that you keep your own copy of all supporting documentation. If you can submit your claim electronically it will expedite the process. Or if you mail your claim, use Registered Post to ensure proof of delivery.

Most importantly have a great holiday,

John.

Emirates has reinforced its commitment to Western Australian passengers with the launch of its new Boeing 777-200LR aircraft on its twice-daily Perth to Dubai flights.  The Boeing 777-200LR (long range) aircraft will commence on Emirates’ early morning service (EK425) to Dubai, creating a consistent aircraft product with Emirates’ evening service (EK421), which has already received the aircraft.

The B777-200LR is specifically designed for medium to long-haul flights. Its luxurious onboard features include Private Suites in First Class, flat-beds in Business Class, spacious seating for Economy Class travellers, and an expanded in-flight entertainment system with over 1,200 channels available.  The early morning service also allows Emirates flyers to have breakfast in Perth, lunch in Dubai and dinner in Europe.

The aircraft is configured with 8 Private Suites in First Class, 42 Business Class lie-flat seats, and 216 Economy Class seats. Passengers travelling across all cabin classes will experience the benefits of this aircraft with premium seating and in-flight entertainment.

The new and improved third generation in-flight entertainment system – ICE (information, communications and entertainment) – features larger screens, a wider selection of movies, popular television programs, music, and flight information. It also has the capability for passengers to make phone calls and use email and SMS services from any seat.

Emirates passengers will continue to enjoy complimentary gourmet food and beverages, generous baggage allowances of up to 30kg in Economy Class, and fully inclusive pricing in all classes.

John.

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