TRAVEL
The carnival is most definitely not over It has been an interesting 12 weeks in our travel shops. Buoyed by the arrival and departure of one, occasionally two, cruise ships daily to and from Sydney to augment those which already ‘homeport’ in our harbour, Trendsetter has enjoyed a constant stream of clients keen to know more. To plan their cruise, be it ocean or river...to start to dream about the fabulous experiences they will enjoy within Australasia, Asia, the Americas and Europe – or the far flung reaches of the Arctic and Antarctica...to enjoy the simple freedoms of unpacking once and letting someone else take you to the world… Then just this week, some dreams have been shattered by the realisation that unpleasant incidents onboard cruise ships do still happen, albeit infrequently and most out of the public eye. The first of these, necessitating removal of unruly passengers from a P&O ship, was quickly overshadowed by the Carnival affair – and like it or not, Carnival will continue to feature in reports for some time to come. It’s a public relations nightmare and not a job I’d like to be handling. I won’t gloss over the drawbacks of cruising, nor do I intend to exaggerate them. My own experiences have seldom been bad, and feedback from hundreds of clients also attests to the fact that cruising is a great way to holiday. Why else would we be seeing the exponential growth in repeat cruisers, and also the first timers market which is attracted not just by seductive advertisements and sharp pricing, but the tales and talk from
their friends and families. Put simply, the good and great experiences far outweigh the bad – and that includes possible seasickness! In the last 10 days, I’ve had the good fortune to inspect (and sometimes dine on) five fabulous vessels from equally fabulous cruiselines - Azamara, Viking, Crystal, Silversea and Regent - in addition to hosting a group cruise onboard Seabourn Encore from Auckland to Sydney in January. So that’s why I am looking more tubby than usual! And while an inspection and meal is but a superficial taste, this concentrated dose allows me to better differentiate among the luxury vessels. This information is then disseminated to Trendsetter Travel team members, all of whom also get to check out various ships as the occasions arise. Together with our personal sailing experience, this allows us to offer you relevant and up-to-the-minute advice such as which ships employ the smartest technology; which are best designed; which have the best pools; the ships offering the best value; those offering the biggest balconies or best rooms for families; those with the lowest single supplements for our valued solo travellers, and so on. You might be tempted to pick up the Sunday travel pages and opine that “this cruise looks great” but how do you really know? Silversea is not for everyone. Neither
is Carnival. And while some may turn up their noses at the aforementioned P&O, the entry level cruises do what the luxury end cannot – they provide cost-effective holidays for those on even the tightest budgets. And what’s wrong with that? Everyone deserves a little luxury and spoiling. The luxury of unpacking once, the luxury of having someone else cook and clean, excellent resort facilities to enjoy and then an evening kicking back in the disco or taking in a Broadway show. Our task, and one which we love to do, is to help you find your ideal cruise. I firmly believe there is a cruise for everyone, even those of you who say “you’ll never get me on a cruise ship”. You won’t believe the choices afloat... So don’t get hooked on the negative publicity still to come regarding Carnival. And try to expand your consciousness to realise that there will be a cruise option for you. Cruises are overwhelmingly a positive holiday experience – your chances of experiencing this are vastly improved when you consult a professional cruise agent team such as Trendsetter. Come see us soon!
TRAVEL Adrienne Witteman,
Managing Director, Trendsetter Travel & Cruise Centre.
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LANE COVE MARKET SQUARE 9427 6666
LONGUEVILLE 9428 5900
THE VILLAGE OBSERVER I NO. 271 I MARCH 2018 I 21 www.trendsettertravel.com.au
