NEWS UPDATE: Princess 35 night cruise cancelled + Carnival first Aussie cruise now 3 days earlier!

Watch my Spa Suite tour here: https://youtu.be/tIihsYIRULE Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Yesterday, Carnival announced that they had managed to squeeze in another voyage ahead of their scheduled October 5th departure from Sydney. Officially becoming the first Australian cruise onboard a Carnival ship since the cruise shutdown, Carnival Splendor will depart Sydney for a 3 night cruise on October 2nd this year. The voyage is officially on sale as of today, Friday May 6th. The cruising restart has proved very popular for Carnival, with many voyages and certainly many cabin grades selling out on their upcoming season. In addition, Carnival have extended their Early Payment offer for the last time. Ending on May 31st, the Early Payment Offer allows guests to save around 20% off the lead fares by paying for their cruise in full at the time of booking. The offer is only accessible through travel agents, and applies to all sailings up until September 30th, 2023. For close to sail voyages in particular, the deal can be quite appealing with rates on the new October 2nd cruise starting at $398 per person, twin share. So make sure you reach out to your agent, or me, if you’re interested in finding out more. Carnival also announced this week that for the first time since early 2020, their entire 23 ship fleet is once again operational. The final piece of the puzzle was actually Australia’s own - with Splendor setting sail from Seattle on an Alaskan itinerary. She will continue to cruise through Alaska until her return to Sydney in October. The cruise line has also announced some updates to its Carnival Hub app. In the lead up to the cruising restart, Carnival reps were excited to announce than an app overhaul will see new and revised features available to their guests. For one, muster will now be conducted via the app, allowing guests to forgo the crowded settings of a normal drill. Like other cruise lines that have implemented digital muster drills, each guest will review a safety demonstration video on their smart device or stateroom tv, before going to their muster location to have their name checked off. Plus, much like sister line Princess, Carnival will now offer an extended food delivery service within the app. Food from a range of venues will be delivered to you onboard, even in public spaces, but unlike Princess, there will be a nominal delivery fee charged to your onboard account. Princess Cruises this week announced the cancellation of their famed 35 night Hawaii and Tahiti cruise. Due to set sail in September this year from Sydney and Brisbane, the cruise line contacted guests and agents this week to inform them that due to ongoing uncertainty around the timing of cruising’s return to the South Pacific, they had no choice but to cancel the sailing. In its place, a series of shorter cruises ranging in length from 4-12 nights in duration, sailing roundtrip from Sydney are available to book from today, Friday May 6th. As most of you would recall, in March this year P&O announced that the Pacific Adventure and Encounter would miss their scheduled cruise starts, originally planned for the middle of the year. The Pacific Explorer was offered as an alternative, and of course those cruises are set to depart in just a few weeks. Many of the guests booked on the now cancelled Pacific Adventure and Encounter cruisers were offered alternative voyages on the Explorer. Unfortunately though, being a smaller ship with a smaller number of cabins, particularly in balcony and suite categories, some guests have learned that they can’t be accommodated within the same stateroom category they had booked. Where this is the case, among the usual choices of a credit or refund, guests have also been offered alternative accommodation at a reduced fare. Holland America’s new Australian season onboard the Westerdam kicks off in November this year, with a range of cruises now available to book all the way through to March 2023. The Westerdam will reposition to Australia on an epic 36 day journey from Seattle to Sydney, departing the US on October 2nd and arriving down under on November 8th. And finally, bespoke luxury cruise line, Azamara have officially christened their fourth member of the fleet. Azamara Onward previously sailed as the Pacific Princess. She has since undergone a multi million dollar refit, debuting a new addition to the Azamara experience, the Atlas Bar, occupying the space of the old library. She has also had her famous Spa Suites installed on deck 9 forward - which in my experience, is one of the most unique suites available on the high seas. Thanks for watching!