The Icons of Africa package includes two bonus private Cape Town tours

Two exclusive day tours offered in Cape Town, South Africa – Exclusive to Cruise Express!

as part of new luxury land and sea exploration of southern Africa

The icons of South Africa – wild animals, safari camps, tribal villages, Victoria Falls and spectacular Cape Town – will all be showcased as part of a luxury new land and cruise tour in November and December 2020, offered by Cruise Express.

The Icons of Africa package includes, as a bonus, two private tours from Cape Town, exclusive to Cruise Express.

The 18-night tour begins with a flight from Australia to South Africa and a three-night stay at the luxurious & Beyond Kirkman’s Kamp in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve near Kruger National Park. The stay here includes meals, select beverages and daily game drives in search of giraffes, zebras, impalas, kudus, elephants, rhinos, lions and leopards.

A two-night stay at the Victoria Falls Safari Club in Zimbabwe follows adjacent to the world’s largest waterfall.

Up to 500 million litres of water thunder into a 108m-deep gorge every second.  A tour of the spectacular lookouts at Victoria Falls and a sunset cruise on the Zambezi River are included.

The itinerary then moves south to Cape Town for a night’s stay before guests board the boutique ship, Azamara Journey, for a 10-night, round-trip cruise exploring the South African coast. The deluxe, 690-guest ship will call into Port Elizabeth, Durban, East London and Richards Bay, with optional shore tours unveiling rhino-rich wildlife parks, traditional Zulu villages and South Africa’s stunning white beaches.  Onboard beverages are included.

The cruise ends with a two-night stay onboard in Cape Town where Cruise Express will offer, as part of its package, two tours – a full day tour to the Cape of Good Hope where the Indian and Atlantic Oceans meet and another day tour taking in majestic Table Mountain and the Winelands with lunch and tastings included.

Including return flights from Australia, flights within Africa, transfers and the two bonus tours in Cape Town, the 18-night Icons of Africa cruise holiday is available from $13,490 per person, twin-share.

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au 

Direct link – cruiseexpress.com.au/cruise-list/icons-of-africa

New luxury Expedition through the Subantarctic Islands in 2021 

Aboard new Ponant Ship, Le Bellot

Includes wilderness excursions, onboard beverages, WiFi and polar gear

Media Release – September 17, 2019

More than 1.5 million penguins, 3.5 million seabirds, 80,000 elephant seals and the world’s remotest tree can be found on the isolated and rarely visited, subantarctic islands of Australia and New Zealand. 

To help adventure-hungry Australians discover the wild and untouched beauty of these lost islands, luxury expedition specialists, Cruise Express, is offering a special, two-week expedition in southern waters in 2021 aboard Ponant’s latest luxury expedition yacht, Le Bellot.

Described as the ‘Galapagos of the Southern Ocean’, the remote outposts of Macquarie Island, Campbell Island, The Snares, Bounty Islands, Antipodes Islands and the Auckland Islands – all outlying territories of New Zealand and Australia – are among the world’s best-preserved and protected environments, with natural features and wildlife seen nowhere else on Earth. 

The most southern of the islands is Australia’s Macquarie Island, only accessible by sea and lying 1500km south-east of Tasmania, halfway to Antarctica. The World Heritage-listed island is home to 3.5 million seabirds, 80,000 huge elephant seals and 1.5 million penguins of several varieties as well as an Australian base staffed by 30 scientists.

Another of the subantarctic isles – New Zealand’s uninhabited and almost treeless Campbell Island – sits 600km south of New Zealand and is home to the world’s most remote tree. The lonely Sitka spruce, introduced by early explorers, is the island’s only tree and 222km from the next nearest tree on the Auckland Islands to the north.

Available through Cruise Express, the 14-night voyage departs Auckland on February 8, 2021, and ends in Christchurch after a passage to all of the six groups of subantarctic islands, with guests taken ashore on Zodiac outings led by expert naturalists and guides.

Set for launch in 2020 as Ponant’s 11th luxury expedition ship, the 180-passenger Le Bellot will offer balconies on all staterooms as well as an underwater lounge, pool, theatre, restaurant, panoramic lounge, gym and a fleet of kayaks and Zodiacs.

Fares for the 14-night voyage are available from $13,490 per person, twin-share, including selected onboard beverages, unlimited WiFi, Zodiac excursions, a free Ponant parka and free polar boot rental. Flights from Australia are extra. 

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au  

Direct link – www.cruiseexpress.com.au/cruise-list/new-zealand-and-sub-antarctic-islands

New Seven-Day Rail & Sail Adventure

Featuring the new-look Explorer Dream & the famous Spirit of Progress

Melbourne to Sydney return

Media Release – August 26, 2019

A cruise ship new to Australia and a historic express train that was once the main link between Sydney and Melbourne will feature in a unique, new, seven-day rail and sail adventure between the two cities in February 2020.

Ideal for rail and cruise lovers, the six-night ‘Northern Explorer’ tour will see guests sail to Sydney by cruise ship and return aboard two restored trains – Australia’s famous, former express train, the Spirit of Progress, and the rail motor 621/721.

Hosted by Cruise Express, which specialises in cruises and heritage rail trips, the short break begins in Melbourne on February 13, 2020, with a relaxing, three-night cruise to Sydney via Burnie aboard Dream Cruises’ 1974-passenger ship, Explorer Dream. The ship was recently transformed in a major A$44 million facelift and will begin her maiden season in Australia this summer.

In Sydney, guests will spend two nights at Sydney’s historic, art deco-styled Grace Hotel that dates back to 1930 when it was the headquarters for the department store chain, Grace Brothers. A private morning tea inside the expansive and graceful Queen Victoria Building, completed in 1898, is also included to complement the heritage theme of the trip.

It’s then all aboard the heritage rail motor, 621/721, for a leisurely and nostalgic journey from Sydney to Albury, with morning and afternoon tea included along the way and a café lunch stop inside the heritage-listed Junee Railway Station, which opened in 1878.

The rail motor, built in 1962, features windows that open, allowing passengers to easily take in the ever-changing scenery. During the trip, guests can visit the driver’s cab to see how the train operates.

After a night in Atura Hotel in Albury, passengers will ride the iconic Spirit of Progress train for the final leg to Melbourne. The former express train served the Melbourne-Sydney route from 1937 to 1986. Heritage locomotives will haul the original carriages including compartment, kiosk and parlor cars, with morning tea served onboard.

Exclusive to Cruise Express, the six-night Northern Explorer from Melbourne is available from $2390 per person, twin-share.

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au 

The British Isles by Rail and Sail

Unique new exploration by luxury heritage train and a circumnavigation of the British Isles by cruise ship
Up to US$200 onboard spending credit

Media Release – August 16, 2019

A unique new, in-depth exploration of the British Isles by luxury heritage trains and a cruise ship has been released by Australian rail and sail specialists, Cruise Express.

The 26-night ‘British Isles Rail and Sail’ tour in May, 2020, will take travellers through some of the most remote and beautiful countryside in Britain by historic steam and diesel locomotives before they board Regal Princess for a circumnavigation of the Isles.

After flying to London on May 5, 2020, guests will spend a night in London and then embark on an eight-night heritage rail tour of England and Wales, travelling in luxury Pullman Class carriages and staying in character-filled accommodation each night. The circular route will take in Salisbury, Dartmouth and Gloucester in western England, the heart of Wales including Snowdonia National Park and back to London through northern England via Carlisle and Skipton.

The itinerary showcases some of the UK’s most spectacular railway lines, with passengers enjoying panoramic views of classic moors and dales, mountains, streams, coastlines, quaint villages and travelling over historic and majestic viaducts.

After a night back in London, guests will board the 3600-passenger Regal Princess in Southampton for a 12-night circumnavigation of the British Isles including visits to the Channel Islands, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and France.

Two nights in London after the cruise and a flight back to Australia will bring the grand journey to an end.

Including return flights from Australia, 12 nights in England and Wales and the 12-night cruise, the ‘British Isles Rail and Sail’ cruise tour is available from A$13,990 per person, twin-share, in an Inside Cabin, including US$100 onboard spending credit per cabin.  Fares in a Mini Suite start at A$15,990 per person, twin-share, including US$200 onboard spending credit per cabin.

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au/cruise-list/british-isles-rail-sail

Exploration of the Kimberley by Sea with National Geographic 

Complimentary flights and three nights’ accommodation

All-inclusive package – Book by 31 August 2019

Media Release: 4 August 2019

Complimentary flights and free accommodation for three nights are being offered to nature lovers booking a unique, in-depth National Geographic cruise expedition in the Kimberley in 2020 before 31 August 2019. The special, one-off voyage will explore remote and rarely visited islands and reefs away from the route normally taken by vessels in the region.

Available through Cruise Express, the 16-night package from Broome to Darwin in August 2020, will feature an expert team of geologists, historians, cultural experts, marine biologists, naturalists, conservationists and photographers aboard Ponant’s sleek expedition ship, Le Laperouse.

Twice the size of Victoria, the ancient and pristine Kimberley wilderness is one of the last unspoiled regions on Earth, encompassing magnificent waterfalls, remote coves, indigenous rock art, abundant wildlife and majestic coastal cliffs that glow red at sunset. 

A specially curated itinerary designed for this cruise by Ponant and National Geographic Expeditions will take guests to rarely visited places such as Browse Island – a lonely nesting site for green turtles – the stunning coral reefs at Rowley Shoals,  the bird and dugong sanctuary of Ashmore Reef in the middle of the Timor Sea and the indigenous rock art of Jar Island where some of the oldest, detailed descriptions of human figures in the world can be found.

The 13-night, all-inclusive cruise will also take in majestic King George Falls, Mitchell Falls, Montgomery Reef, mangrove crocodile habitats and the world-famous Horizontal Falls where seawater thunders horizontally at high tide through a narrow break in the cliffs, forming huge rapids – a phenomenon described by David Attenborough as one of the greatest wonders of the natural world.

Launched last year and named after an 18th Century French explorer, Le Laperouse features a unique, underwater, multi-sensory lounge where whale-shaped windows, hydrophones and video cameras enable guests to experience life underwater without getting wet. The 184-guest ship also boasts two restaurants, two lounges, a theatre, pool, spa sanctuary, gourmet cuisine, personalised service and intimate ambience. 

The expedition includes multiple, guided excursions on Zodiacs, lectures and complimentary drinks onboard, including a stateroom minibar.

If booked by 31 August 2019, the Cruise Express package features a complimentary flight to Broome on 24 August 2020, and two nights’ free accommodation in Broome, followed by the 13-night cruise, one free night in Darwin after the cruise and a free flight home. Free transfers in Broome and Darwin are also included in the special offer. The package is available from $17,990 per person, twin-share.

Call Cruise Express on 1300 766 537 or visit www.cruiseexpress.com.au