Advertising spending in Australia is moving away from television and newspapers and onto the Internet. In November 2005, Merrill Lynch forecast that the Internet will be Australia's fastest-growing growing channel, with a 35% increase in advertising revenues that year. As of the end of 2005, the Audit Bureau of Verification Services reported that spending on online advertising in Australia reached $620 million. for the first quarter of 2006, the ABVS reports that the Australian online adv. market grew by 65% over the same quarter in 2005 to reach a total of A$195 million.

LINKS TO MAJOR CRUISE LINES

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ms SOUND OF MUSIC - RIVER CRUISING 2008 from $8895* plus port charges per person.  28 day Amsterdam, Gallipoli & Istanbul tour. 21 days cruising the four greatest rivers of Europe - the Rhine, Moselle, Main and Danube on board the 5 star ms Sound of Music..EARLY BIRD SAVINGS. MORE  see C&H Specials  CLICK HERE

CRUISING SPECIALS  with Pauline & Ray.

Click for MORE.

Famil Club

MICE functions

SEA DREAM: The 110-passenger, 95-crew SeaDream I, voted this month by readers of Travel + Leisure magazine the World’s Best Small ship.

Cruise & Travel web Magazine

Consumer Magazine aimed for discerning Australian  travellers

Edited by John Pond                                     Aug-2007

FESTIVE SEASON CRUISING WITH MSC CRUISES: For those wanting to escape the demands of the coming festive season, MSC Cruises are offering 11 night Mediterranean cruises that will have passengers spending their holiday break relaxing and soaking up the sights of this wonderful part of the world. MORE

Queen Elizabeth 2 Hotel Details: in less than two years, she will be converted into a floating hotel. The QE2 will be delivered to her new owner, Istithmar, the investment arm of government-owned Dubai World, in Nov. 2008. She will undergo extensive refurbishment to recreate the classic ocean liner's original décor. In 2009, the QE2 will reopen as a luxury floating hotel, retail establishment and entertainment hotspot at The Palm Jumeirah, the world's largest man-made island.

Princess Cruises is offering Australians a range of new fly, cruise and tour combo packages to Alaska and the Canadian Rockies for 2008.  

A 13-night tour package offering return flights from Sydney, a spectacular seven-night Alaska cruise from Vancouver and a six-night Rockies tour - including a ride on the famous Rocky Mountaineer and various meals -  is available from A$7083 per person twin-share.CLICK FOR MORE

Captain Cook Cruises Two-Night Weekend Sydney Harbour Cruise. Book in August for travel in September or October 07 and receive a 2 for 1 pass to see the new romantic comedy Boynton Beach Club and a free bottle of sparkling wine in your room on arrival. Early Booking Saver (EBS) fares start from AU$378 per person.  MORE:          Right A cute picture

Tonga & New Zealand on P&O

Two enticing new ‘Explorer’ itineraries have been released by P&O Cruises Australia, taking holidaymakers on extended voyages to the tropical isles of Tonga and along the stunning coastlines of New Zealand and Tasmania. MORE:

UNITED’s NEW SEATS: Later this year United's international premium cabins will begin a transformation, featuring the first 180 degree, lie-flat Business Class seat to be offered by a U.S. carrier.

Also, your flight experience will include personal 15" video screens, Apple iPod docks, world-famous cuisine.

SALAMANCA MARKETS HOBART.: Not to be missed every Sat. in Hobart. See picture Gallery. CLICK HERE FOR GALLERY

New Top End Voyages to Explore Wild Kimberley    One of the world’s last true wilderness areas, the Kimberley, will be the focus of two special Top End cruises next year aboard Princess Cruises’ superliner Sun Princess.  CLICK FOR MORE:

Holland America Line doing exactly As You Wish with new dining concept.

Choose between a pre-set or flexible dining schedule. Holland America Line is offering a brand new initiative to cater to the specific needs of each individual guest. As You Wish dining is a ground-breaking concept that allows guests to attend dinner at the traditional pre-set seating and dining times or to enjoy the flexibility of a completely open dining schedule. CLICK FOR MORE:

JOHN POND

Editor & Publisher

INDEX

Page 1:

Princess Cruises

Sea Dream

QE2

United’s new seats

Salamanca Markets Hobart

Wrest Point Hotel Casino

Emirates’ Inflight Entertainment Enjoys a Hat-Trick  Emirates has won the much-coveted Skytrax 2007 Best Airline Inflight Entertainment Award for the third year in a row. The award is a result of the World Airline Survey conducted between August 2006 and June 2007, and is based on the responses of 14 million passengers of 93 different nationalities.  MORE:

FASTER THAN A SPEEDING BULLET

 RAIL Plus has a rail pass that’s available in Australia, and cannot be bought in Japan, to get skiers to most of Japan’s amazing 500+ ski resorts at discounted prices. The passes that are valid for seven, 14- and 21-consecutive days travel from Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka can be used on the Shinkansen (bullet train,) Limited Express Trains, Express and Rapid Trains, and Japan Rail buses, and cost between $286 and $805pp depending on class and length of travel; children 6-11 are half price. Details on 1300 555 003 or www.railplus.com.au 

Crystal to Experience Multiple Berths 
Crystal has added a third berth to 20 staterooms aboard Crystal Serenity, which brings to a total of 157 staterooms and suites aboard the ship which can accommodate a third person.

MSC CRUISES

PROFILE:

MSC Cruises, is Italy’s largest styled cruise line.MSC Cruises is present in 26 countries, with its headquarters in Naples and other Italian offices in Milan, Venice, Genoa, Rome, Palermo and Bari.

Established in 1987 from the legacy of the prestigious cruise company STARLAURO SpA, it was renamed in 1995, the year in which Mediterranean Shipping Cruises was officially launched. In 1995, it began offering cruises on board MSC Rhapsody, MSC Monterey and MSC Symphony. In 1997, the company acquired another ship that was launched as MSC Melody, while in 2000 MSC Symphony was retired from service. In the same year, MSC Cruises commissioned the order for the building of two new ships, able to accommodate 2,200 passengers each: MSC Lirica and MSC Opera.  Both were christened by Sophia Loren, in April 2003 and June 2004 respectively.

As the first of the new MSC Cruises ships, MSC Lirica, joined the fleet in 2003. The same year the company took another strategic move and changed its logo. The MSC acronym inside a compass represents the central role of passengers in the world of MSC Cruises. The compass itself stands for all the different horizons towards which the company sails, in order to achieve all its future goals.
Today the MSC Cruise fleet consists of 8 stylish ships: MSC Sinfonia, MSC Opera, MSC Lirica, MSC Armonia, MSC Melody, MSC Rhapsody, MSC Monterey and MSC Musica. This will increase to 9 by 2007 and 10 by 2008, with the launch of MSC Orchestra and MSC Poesia. The building of two additional state of the art ships, MSC Fantasia in 2008 and MSC Serenata in 2009, has also been confirmed.

These will be the largest ever built by a European shipowner and will bring the fleet to a total of 12 ships by 2009.