Princess Cancels Australia Cruises Through December 19

Posted on 1 July, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

Princess Cruises announced that it is cancelling cruises in and out of Australia through December 19, 2021, citing continued uncertainty regarding the timing for the resumption of cruise holidays in the region.

“For guests booked on a cancelled cruise, Princess will move guests to an equivalent cruise in 2022,” the company said.

“The rebooking process will have the added benefit of protecting the guests’ 2021 fare on their replacement cruise. Alternatively, guests can choose a future cruise credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 10% of the cruise fare paid (minimum $25 USD) or a full refund to the original form of payment.”

New Coral Geographer Ready for Delivery

Posted on 2 February, 2021 by Spacejunkie2

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

Posted on 24 December, 2020 by Spacejunkie2

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.