Cruise & Travel web Magazine

Edited & written by John Pond               Dec 2007

NEW WEB SITE Enrico Martini launched the Italian Government Tourist Office new site at The Museum of Sydney. Ms Sandra Tiltman (Travel Writer), Ms Christina Spaccaavento (Italian State Tourist Board) with Eddy Krieger (Paxtours) at the breakfast launch.

Travel Italy like a Local With 80 years of Italian touring heritage behind them, Globus’ 2008 Italy brochure has been designed to delight Australian travellers, offering six different combinations of city stays for the more independent traveller as well as longer coach tours exploring the country from tip to toe. CLICK FOR MORE:

CRUISE TIPS: Cruise Holiday Checklist for Plain Sailing

As Australia prepares for its biggest cruise season ever, the International Cruise Council Australasia has come up with some tips to help holiday makers choose the right cruise for their next vacation.  CLICK FOR MORE:

FROM BRAS TO PLANES   by david ellis

How do you explain that as a successful aircraft engineer you’ve been moved from building war planes to building the world’s first strapless bra for a busty Hollywood starlet named Jane Russell. CLICK FOR MORE:

Sun Princess Cruise: I will be doing their Christmas Cruise. A full report with lots of my pictures next issue.

ADELAIDE A MUST Story page 2

JOHN POND

Editor & Publisher

INDEX

Page 1:

Italian Web Site Launch

Howard Hughes

Sun Princess

Page 2:

Editorial - AMX

ADELAIDE

JOHN POND

Editor & Publisher

EDITORIAL

My AMX Platinum card had 4 bogus charges. After being a cardholder with AMX for over 40 years without a problem, my last 2 months accounts had 4 bogus charges over 4 days within the same week.

To their credit AMX were reasonably quick to act, eventually putting the matter into the hands of their fraud department. 

The first 2 items took them 6 weeks to chase up. The second two, only hours. Naturally I cancelled my card and was reissued a new one the next day.

My only complaint was I feel they should have moved faster on the first complaint.

Their staff were most courteous, but it still leaves one with a bad taste in the mouth.

One must be careful using the card - If I am in establishments that could be doubtful, I use travellers cheques.  I use my card only in major stores or hotels, preferring AMX travellers cheques for most transactions.

LETTERS: 1 of several.

Congratulations to you on the latest Trav Mag. Fantastic. Full of great information & very interesting stuff. LWT

Saphire Princess Photo Gallery

http://www.msccruises.com.au/

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 (ABVS) reported that spending on online advertising in Aust. reached $620 million. & for the first quarter of 2006, the Australian online advertising market grew by 65% over the same quarter in 2005 to reach a total of  over $195 million.

John Pond: OTHER TRAVEL RELATED LINKS. GOOGLE#1 CRUISE & TRAVEL SITE

VISITED BY OVER A 1/3rd OF A MILLION TRAVELLERS ANNUALLY. Based on hits to index page.

Also emailed to an additional 3000 plus Australian travellers MONTHLY

Emirates was lauded for Best IFE in the World - for airlines with a fleet larger than 25 aircraft.

BE PART OF QUEEN VICTORIA’S PACIFIC DEBUT. MAKE a regal start to 2008 with an historic 24-night crossing of the Pacific from Los Angeles on Cunard’s spectacular and brand-new Queen Victoria, that will end with a night onboard in Sydney for a royal meet between she and her “older sister,” QE2 in the Harbour City. Queen Victoria will sail from Los Angeles on January 31 next year,  The price will start from $9799pp twin-share, plus air taxes applicable at time of booking.

Globus has combined the best of North America’s glitz and glamour with the continent’s most spectacular wilderness areas in its 2008 United States & Canada brochure.

Queen Elizabeth’ to Enter Service in 2010

Cunard Line announces that it has ordered a new 92,000-ton liner, to be named ‘Queen Elizabeth’, scheduled to enter service in the autumn of 2010.

Cunard, is a unit of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE CUK). Built at a  cost of approximately €500 million, the vessel will be the second largest Cunarder ever built.

ADELAIDE A MUST DO by John Pond. My travel policy has basically been “see Australia last”. I make an average of 2 or 3 overseas trips a year and have neglected Australia, one reason has been cost, it’s often cheaper to spend a week in Hawaii than on the Gold Coast or Cairns. Anyhow I listened to John Howard when he suggested that Sydneysiders should get out of town  for APEC Week and I did just that. Taking advantage of my “FREE” Qantas ticket per  year as part of my AMX Platinum deal, I booked 4 nights in Adelaide, a city I had not visited since I was 8 years old. A less than 2 hour flight saw my partner Sandra  and I in the southern capital.

As is my usual practice I booked two hotels for the stay (it’s like having two different holidays). SEE reviews on page 3:

Adelaide, often called the city of churches is wonderful and has so much to offer. Started, not as a convict settlement, but as a city of free settlers, often well to do, many seeking religious freedom and by “remittance men” paid to stay away from them their families in England. Grand homes and a local society quickly developed and is evident to this day. Adelaide is a city full of culture and events, a lot of thanks going to ex Premier Don Dunstan. There are major events throughout the year. The city is within a surrounding green belt, wide roads, stunning old houses and friendly locals. Great restaurants abound and the city’s fresh food markets are amongst the best I have ever seen. A short drive takes you to the wine country, many vineyards with outstanding 5 star restaurants. Visit the South Australian web site for more details and check out my page four photos. “Adelaide Gallery”.

SouthAustralia-Adelaide,CLICK LINK:

ABOVE: Anthony Gallagher (Vacations & Travel Magazine) with Lynne Clarke (MSC Cruises GM). RIGHT: Mike Heard (Cruise Weekly) with Kevin Clarke MD MSC Aust.) at a MSC launch lunch.

World’s Most Luxurious Cruise Vessel to Visit Australia on Seabourn’s First World Cruise

 The Yachts of Seabourn, has announced that the world’s most luxurious cruise vessel, Seabourn Odyssey, will debut in June 2009 and will visit Australia on her first world cruise in 2010.

Her magnificent 108-day world cruise - a first for Seabourn - will set sail from Fort Lauderdale on January 5 2010 and will include visits to Melbourne on February 22, Sydney on February 24-25, Cairns on March 1 and Darwin on March 4, 2010. 

SUPERSTAR GEMINI  is coming to Australia between November this year to February 2008, She returns to Singapore from Sydney on January 30 by way of Brisbane, the Whitsundays, Cairns, Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, Darwin, Komodo, Bali and Singapore, with prices from $4329pp twin-share for a 19-night package ex-Sydney including air back to mainland capitals and a hotel night in Singapore.

SEE MORE ADELAIDE PICTURES PAGE 4.

PACIFIC

DAWN

ARRIVES IN SYDNEY