Tag Archives: Australia

New Coral Geographer Ready for Delivery

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The new Coral Geographer is closer to delivery from VARD in Vietnam, according to Project Manager Frank Krone.

The 120-guest ship is a sister to the 2019-built Coral Adventurer and is now poised to make her debut in Cairns, Australia, on March 1. 

“COVID did still take us by surprise,” said Krone. “Apart from the fact that we could not have anyone from our office and ships visiting the shipyard due to travel restrictions, there were also concerns about getting all the components delivered on time. Modern shipbuilding requires integrating many sub-systems – engines from the US, navigation systems and electricals from Norway, windows and doors from Germany, flooring from Italy, bathroom modules from Korea, etc. Many of these locations were hard hit by COVID, disrupting the supply chain. If a single component was delayed, so would the entire ship!”

“The added complication was that for the sea trials of the ship, our crew and all the manufacturers’ experts would have to complete two weeks of quarantine or arrival, and on return back to Australia,” he continued.

“We improvised, Coral Expeditions style. I remained based permanently at the shipyard. We resorted to video inspections and approvals from the office in lieu of site visits. I worked closely with the shipyard and monitored supplier deliveries to ensure any delays were manageable. And of course, I applied all I had learnt from building Coral Adventurer and my decade with the company. Our crew patiently put up with the quarantine and testing requirements ahead of sea trials.”

Coral Expeditions To Return in January with Coral Adventurer

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Coral Expeditions has announced that the Coral Adventurer will return to operations this January after a ten-month hiatus in her homeport of Cairns.

Having successfully completed an eight voyage season with the Coral Discoverer on the Great Barrier Reef with new health protocols in place, Coral Expeditions is now ready to expand its domestic itineraries with the Adventurer, the company said.

This new series of expeditions involve wilderness coastlines of Australia previously unvisited in the company’s 35-year history.

Jeff Gillies, Commercial Director stated: “As we head into 2021 with ongoing uncertainties for the travel industry, there is no better sanctuary than our own home shores. Our new voyages celebrate Australia with small numbers of local guests and crew traversing a large tract of the continent that we have not explored before on a number of unique voyages between Cairns, Brisbane, Adelaide and Fremantle this summer.”

As with other domestic itineraries, guests will be drawn from the Australian market and capped at under 100. Coral Expeditions operates an all-Australian flagged fleet with an Australian crew. Its proven SailSAFE health protocols, duly approved by all state authorities, will remain in place till risks recede. To assist guests and the broader travel industry in this time of uncertainty, Coral Expeditions will continue offering flexible booking and deposit protection terms.

Holland America Line extends cruise cancellations until December

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Holland America Line has become the latest cruise line to extend its pause of cruise operations, cancelling departures on all ships in its fleet until 15 December 2020.

The extended pause affects the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama Canal, Pacific Coastal, South America, Antarctica, Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia and Asia itineraries.

The line said the pause was due to “the continuation of travel and port restrictions due to global health concerns”.

Those guests with impacted cruises automatically will be cancelled, and no action is needed for guests opting for the future cruise credit (FCC).

Guests who paid in full will receive 125 per cent FCC of the base cruise fare, while those with bookings not paid in full will receive an FCC of double the amount of the deposit paid for the cruise. The minimum FCC is $100 and the maximum will be an amount up to the base cruise fare paid.

The FCC is valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may be used to book sailings departing through 31 December 2022. All other funds paid to Holland America Line may be transferred to a new booking or will automatically be refunded via the method of payment used to purchase the services.

Guests who prefer a 100 per cent refund can visit the cruise line’s Cancellation Preferences form to indicate this preference no later than 15 September 2020.

Holland America Line has said that it will protect travel advisor commissions on bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full and for the total amount of the FCC when rebooked.

Holland America Line previously paused global cruise operations and cancelled all Alaska, Europe and Canada/New England cruises for 2020; additional departures from the port of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, in 2020; and select Hawaii itineraries for early 2021.

This week, both P&O Cruises and Seabourn announced that they too would be extending their cruise cancellations due to the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 crisis.