Aurora Expeditions is expanding its programme of small-ship voyages to include Alaska in 2014. The inaugural 'Ultimate Adventure - Alaska's Inside Passage' will depart in May 2014 and will offer the same style of exploration as its other polar expeditions.

On board the locally-based Wilderness Adventurer, 60 passengers will travel from Ketchikan to experience all the wilderness, wildlife, exploration and tranquillity of Alaska's Eastern and Western Coves.

In Alaska, passengers will have the opportunity to try sea kayaking, free of charge, as well as paddle boarding and polar snorkelling.

Two of Aurora's expedition team members, Gary Miller and Robyn Mundy, will be onboard the inaugural voyage and will be joined by locally-based experts.

The 17-day trip departs from Seattle on May 29 to June 14 2014. Prices start from US$7,500, per person, twin share.

Carnival Cruise Lines has confirmed that a second ship, Carnival Legend, will sail seasonally from Sydney from September 24, 2014.

A sister ship to Carnival Spirit, the newest and largest ship home ported in Sydney year-round, Carnival Legend will offer more of the  experiences that have proved popular since Spirit’s arrival in October 2012. To date, more than 100,000 guests have booked a holiday on Carnival Spirit, and approximately 60 per cent of those are never-before cruisers, an indication of the growing interest in cruise holidays.

Jennifer Vandekreeke, director Carnival Cruise Lines Australia and New Zealand, says 'Carnival Legend will offer the same wide spaces, and stateroom options such as balconies and interconnecting rooms, plus a variety of activities.

'Carnival Legend will go into dry dock in 2014 where she will receive a range of upgrades to ensure she’s perfectly suited for the tastes of the Aussie market. We will be using our valuable learnings from the first year of Carnival Spirit’s deployment to decide on the best features and enhancement for Australians,' says Vandekreeke.

Carnival Legend will set sail from Sydney Harbour on her first cruise on September 24 2014. Ports of call include New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Fiji on eight to 12 day cruises. Carnival Legend will spend the winter months in the Northern Hemisphere before returning again to Australia in the spring of 2015.

Bookings are set to open in June 2013, and details of upgrades planned for Carnival Legend will be unveiled over the coming months.

Carnival Legend has capacity for 2,680 guests in its 1,062 cabins. She was built in 2002 and has a gross tonnage of 88,500.

Avalon Waterways’ newest river cruise ship Avalon Expression, was launched in a ceremony in Germany on May 6.
Designed with Australasian travellers in mind, the river ship has two decks of all-suite accommodation, with wall-to-wall panoramic windows that slide back to turn the entire cabin into an open-air balcony.
The christening is the second for Avalon this year after the 64-cabin Avalon Artistry II was launched last month.

Next year Avalon will introduce another three Suite Ships – Avalon Impression, Avalon Poetry II and Avalon Illumination – giving it a total of eight Suite Ships in an overall European fleet of 13 luxury vessels. At the naming ceremony is Captain André Harscher with Avalon Expression godmother Patricia Schultz and Avalon Waterways managing director Patrick Clark.

Celebrity Solstice and Celebrity Century is returning to Australasia in 2014-15. Celebrity Century will join Celebrity Solstice in local waters, as she returns for her third consecutive season. Together the two ships will offer 27 cruises in the region over summer 2014-15, a 50 per cent increase from the previous season.

Adam Armstrong, commercial director of Royal Caribbean Australasia, says the increased cruising programme is further evidence of the company's commitment to the region.

'Celebrity Solstice was carried over 35,000 guests around Australasia this past season and Celebrity Century will offer an expanded range of cruises skirting the South Pacific Islands, including Fiji, to add to the New Zealand-based itineraries of Celebrity Solstice.'

Celebrity Century will sail from September 16 , 2014 to January, 11 2015 and feature six new cruises, including a 23 night Trans Pacific cruise from San Francisco to Sydney; a 14-night South Pacific and Queensland hybrid cruise and shorter duration cruises around Australia.

Earlybirds savings of up to NZ$1,220 per person on the 2014-15 season, for bookings made before the end of 2013 are available. Contact 0800 102 123

The 2012 Australian Cruise Industry Report was released late April and shows that Australia’s cruise industry growth continues to lead the world, with passenger numbers surging 11 per cent last year to hit a record high of 694,062. The market now has the second highest population penetration rate in the world, with the equivalent of three per cent of Australians taking a cruise last year. Only the long-established North American cruise market had a higher penetration rate at 3.3 per cent.

For the second consecutive year, the growth of the Australian cruise passenger market has surpassed other major cruise markets, with last year’s 11 per cent increase equalled only by Germany. By comparison, North American passenger numbers grew by 2 per cent in 2012 and the UK remained steady.

Releasing the report in Sydney, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia’s Chairman Gavin Smith said 2012 was the eighth consecutive year of double digit growth for cruise passenger numbers, underlining Australians’ increasing enthusiasm for cruising.

'In only four years, the number of Australians taking a cruise holiday has more than doubled from 330,290 in 2008 to almost 700,000, while over the past decade we’ve seen an average annual growth rate of 20 per cent.' says Smith.

Smith says while the outlook for the cruise industry remained buoyant, a focus on appropriate port infrastructure and supportive government policies would be crucial to the continued growth of Australian passenger numbers.

The 2012 report includes its first breakdown of cruise passenger age, which reveals almost half of Australian cruise passengers in 2012 were under the age of 50, while a quarter were aged under 40 and one-third were over 61 years.

The report also found 43 per cent of cruise passengers came from New South Wales in 2012, while Queensland accounted for 22 per cent, Victoria 16 per cent and Western Australia nine per cent. On a per capita basis, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest population penetration rate with 5.5 per cent of residents cruising, while NSW followed with 4.1 per cent and Queensland with 3.3 per cent.

Other key findings of the CLIA Australasia 2012 Australian Cruise Industry Report include:

• The most popular destination for Australian passengers was the South Pacific which accounted for 36.4 per cent of the market in 2012 (252,555 passengers)

• Europe is now the biggest fly-cruise market for Australians with passenger numbers rising 26 per cent to 57,719 (8.3 per cent of the market)

• River cruising numbers continue to expand with 12 per cent more passengers (39,275) opting for this niche holiday experience

• The Caribbean achieved the highest growth rate with a 36 per cent rise to 17,316 Australian passengers

• Collectively, US destinations including Alaska and the Caribbean account for 8.3 per cent of the market (57,396 passengers)

• Shorter cruises of 1-4 days experienced the greatest growth in 2012 rising 38 per cent, with 76,719 Australians opting for a short break cruise.

Orion Expedition Cruises has released its Calendar of Sailings for 2014 when, as part of the Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic fleet, Orion will be renamed National Geographic Orion.

New itineraries include destinations in Micronesia and the Islands of Moluccas - a mix of island cultures, World War II naval and military sites and snorkelling and diving. New South Pacific island voyages include the Loyalty Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Millennium Atoll, Tahiti, Pitcairn, Easter Island, while voyages to Antarctica will for the first time focus on the Antarctic Peninsula and the wildlife sanctuaries of South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.

Borneo, will again include visits to Camp Leakey for exclusive orangutan and wildlife experiences, and hallmark National Geographic Orion voyages to Australia’s Kimberley coastline remain - one with a variation that includes Rowley Shoals. Additionally, there are expeditions that include Komodo, Flores, Asmat, the Spice Islands, Torres Strait and the Great Barrier Reef.

In announcing the new itineraries, Sven Lindblad, founder and president of Lindblad Expeditions, expanded on the new expeditions, 'in March 2014 we will begin a new chapter in exploration with three remarkable inaugural voyages into unusual cultures, beautiful islands and some of the world’s finest diving and snorkelling. The National Geographic Orion will be equipped with a full roster of exploration tools, including kayaks and a state-of-the art ROV (remote operated vehicle reaching depths of up to 1,000 ft.), full snorkeling gear for all, and a SCUBA programme that can accommodate up to 24 divers at a time.'

Orion is offering savings on 2014 back-to-back expeditions. Contact Orion for more information Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it visit orionexpeditions.com

Following high demand in 2013 for back-to-back expeditions there are again a number of voyages created especially to appeal to those seeking longer expeditions.

Plus from the 2014 calendar Orion is doubling the back-to-back savings to 10%.

For reservations or to obtain a brochure call Orion Expedition Cruises: 61-2 9033 8777 (Sydney callers) 1300 361 012 (regional and interstate) or your travel agent. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Captain Cook Cruises, Fiji has released a second departure date for is its 11 night Lau cruise after the first departure scheduled for October 22, 2013, sold out. The second departure is scheduled for April 22, 2014.
The Discovery Lau cruise visits the most northern island in the Lau group, Wailagilala; Lau’s largest Island, Vanuabalavu; the uninhabited island of Vuaqava; Kabara, an island with Tongan heritage and the untouched beaches of Totoya Island.

On the way to and from the Lau group the cruise will stop in at Yanuca Island, Savusavu Bay and Kadavu, famous for its wildlife and underwater world.

The 12 days cruise includes accommodation, all meals, daily stopovers and water activities, guided village, school and island tours, glass bottom boat excursions, Marine Biologist and cultural talks, on-board entertainment and use of the ship's facilities including swimming pool, spas, pool bar, sun deck, sauna, cocktail bar, day spa and library. Contact preferred wholesaler for more details