Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL), the innovator in global cruise travel with a 57-year history of breaking boundaries, launches over 30 new port-intensive cruises across Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand, for a total of 85 voyages from September 2024 through March 2026 on new-to-the-region ships – Norwegian Spirit, Sun and Sky.

For the first time in its history, NCL will deploy the most ships in this part of the world for an extended season of bucket-list worthy voyages from 15 departure ports, including Auckland, New Zealand; Bali (Benoa) Indonesia; Bangkok (Laem Chabang); Manila, Phillippines; Papeete (Tahiti), French Polynesia; Seoul (Incheon), South Korea; Singapore; Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan; Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan; Vancouver, Canada; Sydney, Melbourne and for the first time, Cairns, Australia, and Lautoka, Fiji. This will also mark the Brand’s first summer cruises in Asia, offering guests more choices to discover the diverse scenery, culture and culinary delights of the region.

Asia is of growing interest among travelers, with the Asia-Pacific region set to be the primary driver of travel growth, up 20% over 20231. With top destinations for U.S.- based travelers in 2024 being Tokyo and Osaka, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; Taipei City, Taiwan and Hong Kong1, NCL is living up to its commitment to deliver immersive port-rich itineraries to these cities and more. These new nine-to-19-day voyages offer guests an average of 10 hours in port to over 60 dream locations, including Brand-first calls to Albany, Busselton, Fremantle, Port Douglas and Townsville, Australia; Matsuyama and Niigata, Japan; Aitutaki in the Cook Islands; and Suva, Fiji. Spanning 18 months, this season will also feature 36 overnight port stays in Asia Pacific to 11 unique places. Some of the highlights include Osaka, Japan, where guests can explore over 1,600 temples and fascinating heritage; Himeji, Japan, home to Himeji Castle, the iconic UNESCO World Heritage site; and Tokushima, Japan, where guests can savor a wide variety of culinary specialties, as well learn about the town’s deep history and culture, and even visit the Tatsue-ji Temple. Other overnight calls include Hong Kong, where ancient traditions blend with modern marvels, making it Asia’s culinary capital; Bangkok (Laem Chabang), home to splendid golden temples and palaces, including the revered Temple of the Emerald Buddha and the opulent Royal Palace; and Melbourne, Australia, where guests can spend extra time exploring striking architecture, chic galleries and even encounter native wildlife at nearby parks. Additionally, for the first time, NCL will overnight in Bali and the idyllic island of Lembar (Lombok), Indonesia.

“Our Company is committed to delivering more opportunities for our guests to explore the world with remarkable vacation experiences…and having lived in Asia with my family, I can attest to it being one of those unforgettable places,” said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line. “With the increased interest in more immersive and exotic itineraries, we are excited to expand our season and offer additional ships to cater to travelers looking to uncover the most sought-out cities in the region, but also those less discovered. Countries in Asia Pacific provide unmatched diversity, from so many captivating cultures across Asia to island-hopping in the South Pacific and the rugged natural beauty of Australia and New Zealand. Now, with more voyages, choice of ships and departure ports to choose from, guests can curate their vacation to this region their way.”

Norwegian Spirit will debut in Asia on May 26, 2024 for a 10-day Japan cruise departing from Tokyo. Then, in the fall, she will return for a season of nine-to-15-day voyages to Japan and Southeast Asia, from Sept. 22, 2024 through Nov. 17, 2025, exploring both well-known and off-the-beaten-path cities that invite a deeper exploration, and truly come alive after dark, such as Himeji, Osaka, Tokyo and Tokushima, Japan; Hong Kong; Incheon, South Korea; Taipei (Keelung), Taiwan; and Bangkok (Laem Chabang). From December 2025 to March 2026, she will return to offer a series of 11-to14-day journeys to-and-beween Australia and New Zealand.

This December, Norwegian Sun will make her Australian debut, arriving in Brisbane and Melbourne on Dec. 18 and 21, 2024, following a leisurely 18-day French Polynesia and South Pacific sailing, which departs Papeete on Dec. 3 and visits eight ports. She will sail a section of 12-to-15-day voyages between Australia and New Zealand, including a new collection of Brand first itineraries to the Great Barrier Reef and South Pacific between Cairns and Lautoka, Australia, which is also NCL’s first turnaround in both ports. She will also sail six island-hopping French Polynesia cruises between Fiji and Tahiti and two Asia cruises through May 21, 2025. From November 2025 to March 2026, Norwegian Sun will sail a selection of 11-to-15-day itineraries exploring Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and other highly sought out destinations in Southeast Asia. In addition, Norwegian Sky will debut in Asia in January 2025, offering select Japan and Southeast Asia cruises ranging from 10-to-17 days through March 2025.

Guests looking to maximize their Asia Pacific cruise adventure can take advantage of NCL’s Free at Sea program, which delivers more value with holiday enhancing benefits including specialty dining credits, unlimited beverage package, shore excursion credits, Wi-Fi minutes and more; as well as extend their vacation with one of NCL’s Cruisetours in Auckland, New Zealand; Taipei, Taiwan; as well as Singapore, Tokyo and Sydney.

To learn more, enquire with our team.

Emirates announced the first set of destinations to be served by its A350 aircraft entering service in September 2024. With 10 new A350s expected to join the Emirates fleet by 31 March 2025, the airline plans to deploy its latest aircraft type to 9 destinations in the coming months, offering customers its latest signature cabin experiences.

 

These first 10 Emirates A350 aircraft will offer three cabin classes, with 32 next generation Business Class seats, 21 seats in Premium Economy, and 259 generously pitched Economy Class seats. All of these aircraft are earmarked to serve short to medium haul cities on the Emirates network including Edinburgh and Europe, with Bahrain as its inaugural destination. The announcement of the A350s coincides with Emirates returning to Edinburgh. See related article here.

 

Emirates flights to A350 destinations are now available. Customers can look forward to the A350’s spacious and quiet cabin, high ceilings, expansive bin space and customised mood lighting designed to reduce fatigue and jet lag. Additional Emirates A350 seat features and other cabin details will be announced in the coming months.

 

Emirates has 65 A350-900s on order, and all are carefully planned to support the airline’s future growth as well as Dubai’s overall economic agenda.

 

Hamilton Island Enterprises, the team behind luxury resort qualia, is excited to introduce “The Sundays”, Hamilton Island’s new boutique hotel in the heart of Australia’s World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef.

Created with families in mind and situated at the northern end of palm-fringed Catseye Beach, The Sundays offers 59 rooms thoughtfully designed to capture the essence of Hamilton Island’s tropical surroundings and blue water views. Guestrooms offer a serene colour scheme, benefit from gentle sea breezes and a choice of either a balcony or terrace, overlooking the Coral Sea and the hotel’s gardens. Interconnecting rooms, perfect for families are also available. The hotel features private cabanas around a pool exclusively for guests and a waters-edge restaurant and bar offering al fresco dining with views of the aquatic playground that is Catseye Bay. 

The hotel is set to open in Autumn 2025 (AEST) and is expected to significantly contribute to the Whitsundays’ visitor economy, providing employment for over 100 full-time equivalent hospitality workers in the region.

Pete Brulisauer, CEO of Hamilton Island, says, “The Sundays marks over 20 years of continuous significant investment in Hamilton Island by the Oatley family. 

In developing its ethos, we were inspired by the essence of what makes a Sunday so special – relaxing, treasuring time and fostering connections with loved ones, and embracing nature. It will be a place where you can expect an extraordinary experience for all ages amidst the breathtaking natural beauty of The Whitsundays in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef.”

Mr Brulisauer says in recent years Hamilton Island, accessible via direct flights in under 2.5 hours from major Australian East Coast cities, has seen a sharp increase in domestic travellers seeking a luxury tropical island escape without the hassle and time of international flights.

“We also continue to welcome back international travellers who want to experience the best Australia has to offer – like Whitehaven Beach and the iconic Heart Reef,” he adds.

The project, estimated at over $30M, adds to the $400M already invested in facilities and infrastructure improvements underpinning Hamilton Island’s status as a world class island resort as envisioned by the late Mr. Bob Oatley upon acquisition in 2003.

Sandy Oatley, Chairman of Hamilton Island Enterprises, says, “We are responding to our guests’ request for more family focused boutique accommodation, in our ideal location. We remain focused on continuing to enhance Hamilton Island’s reputation as one of Australia’s most iconic holiday destinations.”

The Sundays complements Hamilton Island’s wide-range of accommodation offerings, including the internationally-acclaimed luxury resort qualia, the boutique beachfront hotel, Beach Club and the family-friendly Reef View Hotel and Palm Bungalows.

Reservations for The Sundays open in Spring 2024 (AEST).

Qantas domestic passengers flying from Melbourne will soon be able to keep laptops, liquids and aerosols in their carry-on as Melbourne Airport embarks on a major security upgrade it says will make travel “smoother, enhanced experience for travellers” at T1.

Stage one kicks off this week with the construction of a temporary checkpoint fitted with new ‘computed tomography’ (CT) security scanners at the eastern end of the Qantas domestic terminal.

If all goes to plan, its six lanes should be open from August 2024.

When that happens, you can wave goodbye to removing laptops and aerosols from bags, with the time-saving scanners – already seen in Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and the Gold Coast, and indeed Melbourne Terminals 2 to 4 – generating 3D images that can be viewed and rotated on three axes.

From there, work switches to a refurbishment of the existing security area, which is pencilled in for completion in December 2025 and will also see the installation of full body scanners.

Melbourne isn’t the only hub overhauling its facilities though, with Brisbane and Sydney also rolling out upgraded scanners by the end of 2025, in line with the Federal Government’s mandated airport security requirements.

Sydney Airport already has 3D scanners in its own T3 Qantas domestic terminal, and they’ve also been added to many but not all lanes at the T1 international.

The rest of T1 is expected to follow, along with the domestic T2 terminal used by Virgin Australia, Rex, Jetstar and other domestic airlines.

Brisbane is on track to upgrade all scanners at its domestic and international terminals “by 2025” to meet the Government’s Strengthening Aviation Security Initiative deadline, which aligns security screening with global standards by 2025.

We’re excited that Scenic Eclipse II has arrived in Sydney ahead of it’s two-year voyage around Australia and Oceania.

Scenic Group Chairman and Founder, Glen Moroney says, ‘As an Australian-founded company, we are proud to set the global benchmark for ultra-luxury yacht cruising.’

The 6-star cruise ship will travel to Queensland, NT and the Kimberley region, then onto WA and beyond in 2025.

Scenic Eclipse II has been named a ‘game changer for the local cruising industry with it’s unrivalled ultra-luxury spaces, new culinary experiences, two helicopters and next-generation submersible” says Anthony Laver, Scenic Group GM Sales and Marketing APAC.

Inside are 114 luxurious suites, 10 all-inclusive dining experiences and an impressive one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio. Bespoke service and the highest of luxuries aboard.

Other points of interest include helicopters and a submersible which can transport up to eight guests and dives up to 200 metres below the surface, providing 270-degree panoramic views.