Diamond Princess

January 21, 2014 / Diamond Princess, Oceania Marina, QM2 / By

Catch the Wave? Sure can!

Last-minute opportunities for decisive cruise-lovers!

February tops Sydney’s Wave season! As the fleet of cruise ships heads this way you may be inspired to cruise for the first time, or to catch a last-minute holiday bargain!

Here is our roundup of what you could book today! 
Call 02 9968 1600 or email travel@travelchoice.com.au to make enquiries or an instant booking!
(What am I doing here? I should be booking too!)

QM2 – 2014 World Cruise aboard the world’s best-known ocean liner offering generous deck space, a huge range of entertainment and dining options. 

19FEB Sydney to Brisbane – 2-night ideal “sampler” cruise in a Balcony cabin from $929 pp

19FEB Sydney to Sydney 23-night Circumnavigation of Australia in a Princess Grill suite from $12939 pp

14MAR Sydney to Hong Kong 19 nights in a Guaranteed balcony cabin from $3869.

 14MAR Sydney to Singapore 27 nights in an Ocean-view cabin from $5479, balcony cabins also available from $5779

14MAR Sydney to Dubai 38 nights in a Balcony cabin from $10089.

14MAR Sydney to Southampton 56 nights…
 – Inside cabin #One Only Available!# $8329 –
– Balcony cabin from $10900
–  Princess Grill suite from $21869

Oceania Marina – cruise in luxury with a medium-sized ship building a reputation for excellent food, spacious cabins and 4/5-star amenities.
04FEB Papeete to Sydney 18 nights Inside stateroom from $4050, Ocean-view from $4500, Veranda from $5130 – all including $200 shipboard credit per stateroom.

23FEB Sydney to Auckland 16 nights, Inside from $6020, Veranda from $7390

23FEB Sydney to Papeete 32 nights… on Wait-list only!

11MAR Auckland to Papeete including $500 shipboard credit per stateroom, Veranda Staterooms from $4550, Concierge level from $5110

Diamond Princess – a big ship but one that has generated good feedback and become a favourite with many experienced cruisers.

09FEB Auckland to Sydney 12 nights – Suites only available, on application.

21FEB Sydney to Singapore 19 nights – Inside cabins from $1799, Obstructed Ocean-view from $1899,  Balcony from $2499, Suites from $3199.

02APR Singapore to Hong Kong 8 nights – most categories on wait-list, Suites available on application from $1750
——————–
All fares above are per person, twin or double occupancy and were available at 1730 hrs 21JAN14 and are quoted subject to availability at time of booking.

Last minute cruise specials

December 19, 2011 / Diamond Princess / By

It’s not too late to cruise!
Those big, beautiful ships just keep coming and going in our harbour… and you could still be aboard for a cruise!
The beauty of being a specialist is that we can see exactly what is still available on these ships.
Here are a few of the best that still have cabins – see this example below – on offer…

Diamond Princess – voyages you could catch…
29th Dec from Auckland to Sydney arriving 11th Jan.
11th Jan – Sydney to Auckland
4th Feb – Sydney to Beijing
27th Feb – Beijing to Singapore

It is surprising to see such a popular ship anything less than fully-booked at this time!
We still have balcony cabins available on the Sydney – Auckland sailings, and the fares look like low, rather than high-season!

3 cruise ships and a dull day

December 10, 2009 / Diamond Princess, Pacific Jewel, Sun Princess / By


Just come back from a photo trip to catch the Sun Princess, Diamond Princess and the Pacific Jewel in Sydney Harbour – or Sun Princess as it was leaving. But today Sydney turned on a grey, humid type drizzle and it really wasn’t worth it. So I’ve dropped in a picture of the deck of Sun Princess taken last time I was onboard.
28 ships in 28 days was the headline in the Sydney Morning Herald today – yes folks this is the beginning of a really busy time on Sydney Harbour as cruise ships come and go bringing thousands of tourists to our beautiful harbour. Most ships will dock at the International Cruise Terminal or Darling Harbour, but a few will be forced to use White Bay. This is a bit of hole – it has no facilities for cruise passengers and they are crowded onto buses and taken to Central Station – not much of a way to discover Sydney. When the ships don’t fit under the bridge they must moor in the harbour which is a better experience as passengers are taken by boat into Sydney.
Given that our Government doesn’t seem to understand the importance of providing decent, central facilities for cruise passengers I am not holding my breath on a solution to this problem.

A few more ships in port

March 17, 2009 / Celebrity Millenium, Diamond Princess, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Sun, popular cruises, Rhapsody of the Seas, Royal Princess, Sun Princess, Volendam / By

This week you will spot the following ships in your port…

Wednesday 18 March
Millenium is in Sydney Harbour for the day – she’s pictured here when she visited at the end of February
Rhapsody of the Seas visits Adelaide for the day
C Colombus is in Devonport, Tasmania just for the day
Diamond Princess in Hobart Tasmania, leaving same day

Thursday 19 March
Volendam will visit Sydney and stay overnight
Rhapsody of the Seas is in Melbourne for the day

Friday 20th March
Pacific Dawn arrives in Sydney and leaves same day
Sun Princess visits Fremantle and leaves the next day
Rhapsody of the Seas is in Adelaide for the day

Saturday 21st March
Pacific Sun visits Brisbane for the day
Volendam arrives in Melbourne and leaves the same day

Monday 22nd March
Melbourne will welcome Rhapsody of the Seas for the day

Tuesday 23rd March
Royal Princess arrives in Burnie, Tasmania and leaving same day
Volendam is in Adelaide, leaving the same day

More and more Aussies are taking cruises and the most popular cruises are those in our home waters – Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific – then Asia. The big attraction of cruising is the inclusion of accommodation, meals, transport, entertainment and, in many cruises some great extras, all in the one price. And for many getting on and/or off in the home port is another plus – as is only unpacking once. If you fancy cruising – or think you might – we can suggest a cruise that will suit your budget and your time-frame – there are so many to choose from. There are also many different types of cruise ships – so if you would rather travel with people of your own age, on a big ship, or a small exploration vessel, we can find the right one for you.
Drop me an email anytime – martin@travelchoice.com.au

Queen Victoria, Queen Mary and the Crystal Serenity

February 24, 2009 / Aurora, Black Watch, Celebrity Millenium, Crystal Serenity, Diamond Princess, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Rhapsody of the Seas, Royal Princess, Saga Rose, Volendam / By

Well dear readers, I was hoping to present you with some beautiful photos of the Queen Victoria docked at Sydney’s International Terminal, followed by the Dawn Princess sailing out of our beautiful harbour at night… but I need to brush up my photography skills.
So this week – the Queen Mary 2 will arrive in the Harbour on Thursday (bringing the lovely Biba back into the offices of the Mosman Cruise Centre) and the Crystal Serenity will follow on Saturday. I am thrilled to have been invited to visit both of these luxurious ladies of the sea and hope to do a better job of photography so I can present you with a slide show of them both.
If you’re out cruise spotting this week look for…

24th February

  • Rhapsody of the Seas in Sydney Harbour
  • Diamond Princess visits Melbourne for the day
  • Queen Victoria visits Adelaide for the day

25th February

  • Royal Princess arriving and leaving Sydney
  • Celebrity Millenium visits Melbourne for the day
  • Black Watch moors in Burnie, Tasmania for the day

26th February

  • The Queen Mary 2 arrives in Sydney, docking at Garden Island, and stays for a day
  • Saga Rose arrives in Sydney and berths at the International Cruise Terminal overnight
  • Rhapsody of the Seas visits Brisbane for the day
  • Black Watch visits Melbourne for the day
  • Diamond Princess goes to Hobart, Tasmania for the day

27th February

  • Aurora arrives in Brisbane and leaves same day
  • Royal Princess will also moor in Brisbane for the day
  • Volendam visits Burnie, Tasmania for the day
  • Athena goes to Fremantle for the day
  • Diamond Princess goes to Adelaide for the day

28th February

  • Millenium returns to Sydney and stays until March 2. She will moor at Athol Buoy
  • Crystal Serenity arrives in Sydney and stays at the Overseas Passenger Terminal until 1 March
  • Pacific Sun arrives in Brisbane and leaves same day
  • Volendam visits Melbourne for the day

1st March

  • Pacific Dawn arrives for the day in Sydney Harbour
  • Aurora also visits Sydney and stays overnight. She will moor at Point Piper Buoy then move to the Overseas Passenger Terminal
  • Saga Rose arrives in Brisbane for the day
  • Pacific Sun moors in Adelaide for the day

2nd March

  • Volendam arrives in Sydney and departs same day
  • Athena returns to Fremantle for the day

Phew! Busy time. If you’d like more information I’m always happy to oblige. Just email me, martin@travelchoice.com.au or phone me during office hours on 2 9968 1600

Cruise ships keep on coming

February 18, 2009 / Amadea, Arcadia, Black Warch, C. Columbus, Diamond Princess, Oriana, Pacific Dawn, Queen Victoria, Rotterdam, Seven Seas Voyager, Sun Princess, Tahitian Princess / By


Sorry – I missed a few days on the blog. I hope you weren’t planning to go ship spotting in your harbour. This the list for this week – there’s is barely time to draw breath as the cruise ships come and go at the height of our season.
If seeing these ships inspires you to cruise, we can handle last-minute bookings for this year, or take early bookings for 2010. You could be arriving in Sydney March 8, 2010 aboard Queen Mary* 2 after a relaxing 23-night sailing from Hong Kong to Sydney for $5,500 – or arriving aboard Queen Victoria – 23 nights from San Francisco – for $4,330.00
*(See below for traveller’s impressions).

16th February

  • Oriana sailing into the International Cruise Terminal in Sydney and departing again

17th February

  • C. Columbus making an entrance into Melbourne, leaving same day
  • Tahitian Princess sails into Burnie Tasmania and leaves same day
  • Queen Victoria sails into Hobart and sails again
  • Seven Seas Voyager will dock in Adelaide for the day

18th February

  • Amadea arrives in Sydney and leaves next day
  • Oriana arrives in Brisbane and leaves same day
  • Black Watch also docks in Brisbane and leaves the next day
  • Arcadia arrives in Melbourne and leaves again
  • Sun Princess also sails into Melbourne leaving same day
  • Diamond Princess sails into Hobart
  • C. Columbus visits Devonport in Tasmania

19th February

  • Queen Victoria will dock at the International Terminal in Sydney overnight
  • Tahitian Princess will make her inaugural visit to Sydney and leave again
  • Amadea will move to White Bay so the other two liners can dock and not moor in the Harbour.
  • Rotterdam visits Fremantle overnight (see new slide show on right, taken when I was on board the Rotterdam in Sydney last week)

20th February

  • Arcadia arrives in Sydney and stays overnight
  • Pacific Dawn also arrives in Darling Harbour for the day
  • Diamond Princess sails into Melbourne and sails out that night
  • C. Columbus returns to Hobart for the day

21 February

  • Black Watch arrives in Sydney, staying for 2 nights
  • Pacific Sun arrives in Brisbane sailing same day
  • Tahitian Princess will also dock in Brisbane and leave that day
  • Seven Seas Voyager sails into Fremantle for the day

22 February

  • Dawn Princess sails into Sydney departing same day
  • Diamond Princess will arrive and depart Sydney this day too

If you’d like to know more about any of these ships and their schedules drop me an email – martin@travelchoice.com.au

Ships coming and going

January 21, 2009 / Athena, Black Prince, Diamond Princess, Pacific Sun, Pacific Venus, Rhapsody of the Seas, Sun Princess / By


Bit quieter this week in the ports of Australia – they’re all at sea! It’s not until 24th that the first ship returns. Though the little known Black Prince will leave Adelaide on 23rd.
Our picture shows Pacific Dawn leaving Sydney last week – she’ll be back on 28th.
24th January
Pacific Venus will leave Darwin having arrived the day before
Pacific Sun will arrive in Brisbane and leave same day
Sun Princess will arrive in Melbourne and leave the same day
Athena will arrive in Fremantle and leave the same day
25th January
Diamond Princess will arrive in Hobart and depart same day.
27th January
Diamond Princess sails into Melbourne leaving again at 5.
Athena comes back to Fremantle and leaves again
Rhapsody of the Seas will arrive in Sydney and depart the following day
Bookmark this blog to keep up to date with ships around Oz – or contact me – martin@travelchoice.com.au if you have a specific inquiry.


Sailings for week 5 to 10 January 2009

January 6, 2009 / Athena, Celebrity Millenium, Dawn Princess, Diamond Princess, Nautica, Pacific Sun, Rhapsody of the Seas, Volendam / By


Ports are busy at this time of year as ships come and go for their Pacific seasons – all these ships are staying in the Southern Hemisphere. Ships visiting Australian ports this week are:
5 January
Celebrity Millenium, Volendam and Diamond Princess sailed into and from Sydney
Nautica arrived in Brisbane and left the same day
6 January
Rhapsody of the Seas arrives and departs Sydney for New Zealand
7 January
Nautica arrives in Sydney and stays overnight, sailing the next day (photo of Nautica taken at Circular Quay on 7 Jan.)
Volendam arrives in Melbourne and departs the same day
8 January
Pacific Dawn arrives in Sydney
Rhapsody of the Seas arrives in Melbourne and leaves same day, Celebrity Millenium arrives and stays overnight
9 January
Dawn Princess returns to Sydney and leaves same day
Fremantle will welcome Athena which departs same day
10 January
Pacific Sun visits Brisbane for the day
Nautica will visit Melbourne and leave the same day
Do email me – martin@travelchoice.com.au if you would like information on any of these ships and their itineraries. Or you can call Sydney time between 9 and 5 – 2 9968 1600.

In Australian ports over the New Year

December 30, 2008 / Athena, Diamond Princess, Millenium, Pacific Sun, Volendam, World of Residensea / By

December 29
Pacific Sun arrives and departs Brisbane
December 30
Athena arrives in Fremantle and departs again
Sun Princess arrives and departs from Melbourne
December 31
Volendam arrives in Sydney Harbour and departs next day
World of Residensea will also be in Sydney Harbour on New Year’s Eve.
Millenium arrives in Melbourne and departs the next day
January 1
Volendam leaves Sydney
Millenium leaves Melbourne
January 2
Athena arrives and departs from Fremantle
January 3
Millenium arrives in Melbourne – and stays till January 5
Diamond Princess arrives and departs from Melbourne.
For more information on any of these ships – and their schedules – you can email me anytime. martin@travelchoice.com.au

Starting with a special

November 28, 2008 / Aurora, cocktail cruise, cruise Australia, Diamond Princess, Sydney Harbour, True North / By
This is the year for travel specials! We have lots of choices in the run up to Christmas – but they will probably all go within a week so make a quick decision and contact me on 02 9968 1600!
Many international ships come to cruise Australia/New Zealand waters for the southern summer.
Check these rates and then calculate what you are paying per day for full board, resort amenities, and travel. Yes, you pay for optional extras such as bar drinks and shore excursions, but cruising is a most economical way to holiday. And you unpack just once.
Diamond Princess
Sydney to Auckland (and vice versa*) – departing Jan 5, 17*, 29, Feb 10*
12 nights from $995 per person twin-share (ppts) inside cabin; or $1,395 ocean view
Aurora – P&O Worldwide cruise ship
14th Feb 2009 – Singapore to Sydney via Darwin, Port Douglas and the Whitsundays.
16 nights from $1,995.00 interior, $2,560 Ocean View, $4,145 Balcony – all ppts.
True North – luxury Australian expedition ship
10th January – Southern Explorer
8 nights of luxury including award-winning cuisine, and daily shore excursions, while you explore from Adelaide to Ceduna visiting Cape Jervis, the Gambier Islands, Kangaroo Island, Port Lincoln and Coffin Bay, and return by light plane to Adelaide at the end of your cruise.. (it’s now almost booked out) fare is $5748.00 ppts (and that’s half-price!).
And there’s even a Cocktail Cruise on Sydney Harbour, departing nightly at 5:00 pm, returns 7:00 pm and includes a cocktail and canapés – try it as an alternative to the pre-Christmas pub get-together!

Martin

You can email martin@travelchoice.com.au if you would like any more info on these offers!