Posts Tagged cruise ship
Woman claims Scientologists kidnapped her
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on November 30, 2011
SYDNEY, Nov. 28 (UPI) — an Australian woman claims she was held against her will on a Church of Scientology cruise ship for 12 years.
The Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported Valeska Paris said the church’s leader, David Miscavige, sent her to the cruise ship The Freewinds when she was 17 to stop her mother from taking her away from Scientology.
The broadcaster said she was born into a Scientology family in Switzerland and at age 6, moved to the church’s headquarters in the United Kingdom, where she was placed in its youth wing, then joined its Sea Organization at 14, ABC said.
“I was basically hauled in and told that my mum had attacked the church and that I needed to disconnect from her because she was suppressive,” Paris said.
Her mother had criticized Scientology on French TV after her ex-husband committed suicide, ABC said.
The Freewinds cruises around the Caribbean and docks at small islands.
“They take your passport when you go on the ship and you’re in the middle of an island,” Paris said. “So it’s a bit hard [to escape] and by that time I was 18, I’d been in Scientology my whole life. It’s not like I knew how to escape.”
Paris left the Freewinds when she was sent to the Rehabilitation Project Force in Sydney, described by Scientologists as a voluntary religious retreat and by detractors as a punitive re-education camp, ABC said. At the camp, she met former St. George Rugby League champion Chris Guider, then married him and left the church.
In a statement, the Church of Scientology denied Paris’ claim she was held against her will.
Woman claims Scientologists kidnapped her
Virgin Holidays Cruises Blog » Blog Archive » In praise of metaphysical cruising
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on November 23, 2011
You know what, you can’t beat an old fashioned physical cruise. I’m talking about the kind where you step on board a real liner, sail across a real ocean and arrive in a real port.
But occasionally your opportunities to do that are limited. If you’re ever restricted in that way, don’t despair, because there’s always another option. you can take yourself off on a . . . metaphysical cruise.
Maybe your boss won’t allow you time off work. Maybe your finances won’t stretch to a holiday just now. Maybe you’ve only recently returned from a cruise and can’t justify another one straightaway.
Sometimes there are reasons why it’s impractical for you to book a cruise at this precise point in time. but that doesn’t stop you yearning for the open sea or craving for the sight of a distant coastline.
So what can you do in a situation like that? How do you contain such an overpowering urge?
Well one thing you might consider is taking a voyage on your inner cruise ship. let your heart be the captain, your psyche be the engine and your spirit be the fuel.
Then simply close your eyes and transport yourself to another time and place.
In no time at all you’re there: in your cabin, up on deck, relaxing by the pool, strolling through a foreign city, shopping in the bazaar, watching the Kalamatianós dancers outside the taverna or sitting in Rio enjoying Moqueca washed down with some Horchata.
You can be anywhere and everywhere. and there’s no need to pack anything, no cash to hand over, no passport to remember.
Nor do you need to think about language differences, exchange rates or time zones, unless you really want to. Personally I quite like to think about those things.
As a metaphysical cruiser, you don’t even have to have an itinerary that makes any sense.
You could be crossing the Atlantic one moment and sailing into Sydney harbour the next. you could be alternately gliding down the Med then island hopping in the Caribbean.
Time becomes meaningless. If you really want to, you could complete a two day voyage in five minutes or a round-the-world cruise in half an hour.
This isn’t about having a holiday on the cheap. It’s about tuning into another dimension within your being. It’s about taking advantage of a unique form of relaxation therapy.
And it’s something you can do wherever you are, whenever you want.
Indeed, you could do it on an actual cruise and have a double strength cruising experience.
All you need is imagination and an ability to tap into the awesomeness of your inner self, exploiting that infinite innerness we all possess. This is your chance to take your innerness to its outer limits. and beyond.
I don’t know about you, but sometimes in the still of the night I have conversations in my head where I mull over matters like these.
During the discussions deep philosophical questions are addressed. Issues such as: is the human spirit like a vessel at sea? can it really transport you to La Goulette, Ocho Rios or Puerto Caldero?
Is it possible to voyage to Lisbon, Livorno or Limassol by mind force alone? can I cruise to Baltra, Baltimore or Barbados using nothing more than the power of cosmic consciousness?
And always I hear an inner voice say, “No, you have to take a ship, like everyone else.”
Virgin Holidays Cruises Blog » Blog Archive » In praise of metaphysical cruising
Fascination goes a little overboard
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on November 21, 2011
Making notes … staff captain Matt Jensen Young tosses one of his missives into the sea from MV Orion. Photo: Orion Expeditions
A sailor shows he’s full bottle on the romance of the sea.
Some days, so many ”empties” are to be found in the cabin of Matt Jensen Young, staff captain on the cruise ship MV Orion, that first-time visitors can be forgiven for thinking that he’s been hitting the bottle big time.
Not so. the bottles – ideally, of darkish glass and alluring shape – are just the latest batch he has salvaged, cleaned, stuffed with a message and corked, prior to tossing them over the ship’s side into the sea.
Jensen Young has been fascinated by the age-old idea of the ”message in a bottle” since he ran away to sea as a 17-year-old.
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”It’s all about the romance of the sea. the way the currents work. the people in faraway places. where did the bottle wash up? how did it get there? Will anyone pick it up? what sort of life does the finder have?”
Now 41, Brisbane-born Jensen Young calculates he has thrown more than 2000 from a wide range of vessels including a replica Sydney square-rigger, a BHP bulk carrier and several cruise ships.
At first, his efforts were random, largely unrecorded. Increasingly, as his fascination grows, they are more frequent, carefully planned, their track electronically charted.
On a recent Orion trip to the antipodean, sub-Antarctic island, he launched about 250, often at the rate of one every 30 nautical miles, equivalent to one every half degree of latitude.
”A lot of sailors think at first it’s pretty silly. Then they say, ‘Well OK, has anyone ever replied?’ and I can look them in the eye and tell them, ‘Yeah, 202. I’ve counted them.’ their jaws drop.”
Jensen Young would dearly like to spend time learning more about the lives of finders.
”Perhaps there’s a TV producer or publisher who might help,” he says.
But several of the 202 responses led to protracted exchanges. one, with an Italian holidaymaker who found his bottle on a Brazilian beach, even produced a marriage proposal. that, of course, was before he met his Danish wife, Lisbet.
The couple, who added each other’s surname to their own, now live – or more accurately given their time spent travelling, are based – in Holland. Jensen Young’s first message, dropped in the great Australian Bight, was found within months in Victoria. some bottles are caught in eddies, and soon dumped on a nearby beach. others are caught in currents and travel far.
In 1996, on a honeymoon cruise, he launched a bottle near the equator southbound from Tarawa in Kiribati. It was found in Vanuatu almost seven years later.
”One could speculate that the message travelled further than the straight line distance, about 900 nautical miles. that said, the finders did mention there was a delay in response while they found someone to translate.”
Another two bottles, dropped in Bass Strait and off Fiji in 1993 and 1995, respectively, turned up on the same Queensland beach within 100 metres of each other.
The launching of glass, paper and cork outside a certain land range does not infringe marine pollution law. Jensen Young should know; he is Orion’s environmental officer.
Occasionally, he has been reduced to rummaging in bins to find stubbies for his messages. There’s no shortage of empty bottles on cruise ships, though he prefers ”something romantic and old-looking”, say, a brandy bottle.
Experimentation has shown that coloured glass may obscure the message inside from casual beachcombers, but provides protection from sun damage. It has also convinced Jensen Young that corks provide the best seal.
”The difficulty is getting the things back into bottles, especially narrow-necked champagne bottles.” Fortunately, Lisbet has found the perfect birthday present for him: a corking machine.
Carnival Australia to launch "Aussified" cruising in October 2012 – Business Review Australia
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on November 17, 2011
Gear up for October 2012: Carnival Cruise Lines is bringing home the bacon.
Australian bacon, that is.
In response to their findings during an investigation of Australian cruiser preferences, Carnival is planning to “Aussify” one of its 24 cruise ships set to depart from Sydney in October.
In addition to banning American bacon in favour of the national favourite, the cruise ship will offer better coffee (and flat whites), install a barbecue, offer beer on tap, and add lamb to the dining menu. the practice of tipping will also be abolished, as this was found to be the number one complaint of Australian travellers.
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"We're going to install a Hills hoist and make a truly Australian back yard on the deck," Spirit cruise director, Stu Dunn, announced at an event in Sydney. while the Sydney Morning Herald disputed his plans to install the clothesline, the barbecue idea was no joke.
"we will be installing a barbecue. we have to have a barbecue to cook some snags,” Dunn continued. “We'll make sure we have white bread for the barbecue and plenty of tomato sauce.”
Other “Aussification” changes to take place are an expansion of the workout facilities, installing Australian pokies, and ensuring that “ping pong” is referred to as “table tennis.”
"When I heard we would be bringing Spirit to Sydney it was the happiest day of my life," said Dunn.
Cruising from Sydney will commence in October with eight-day eight 12-day cruises to New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and New Zealand
For more information, visit www.carnival.com.au or call 13 31 94.
Carnival Australia to launch "Aussified" cruising in October 2012 – Business Review Australia
Sydney Post Cruise Day 2
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on November 12, 2011
This morning I met with a small group of people that I met whiple I was on the cruise ship. in total there was seven of us, two from Australia and five from the USA and Canada.
Since I was as new to Sydney as the others from overseas, the other Aussie with us was luckily able to lead the way. We started out at Circular Quay, and followed the waterfront around to the Sydney Opera House. Looking across to the Overseas Passenger Terminal, there was another cruise ship in today, the Dawn Princess.
From here we followed around in front of the Opera House and wandered slowly through the Royal Botanical Gardens. There was a number of interesting sights going through here, however I believe that in this case pictures will speak loader than words.
After leaving the Royal Botanical Gardens it is a short walk along Macquarie St, past a number of other interesting buildings. Which include the State Library of NSW, Parliament of NSW, Sydney Hospital, and Hyde Park Barracks Museum. before reaching Hyde park, and just to the left St Mary’s Cathedral, which is an absolutely beautiful building with a lot of wonderful stained glass windows. however unfortunately photography is not permitted inside so the only pictures I have are from the outside.
Walking across the park there is a nice fountain (there seems to be quite a number of fountains around Sydney). We headed onto Market St, before walking through the Queen Victoria Building, and continuing down towards Chinatown. We found a restaurant in Chinatown for lunch which was offering a buffet style lunch where each person chooses one dish and they all go on the lazy Susan in the middle of the table. this worked out really well with seven of us, a lot of choice and the food was pretty good.
At the bottom end of Chinatown is Sydney’s Paddy’s Markets, which is ultimately like a flea market of sorts. a lot of different stalls selling just about anything you could want from souvenirs, phone covers, t-shirts, right through to wooden ornaments, gadgets and gizmo’s. Wile some of the stalls was closed it was not somewhere you need to spend very long unless you really want to spend some money on an impulse purchase, or enjoy looking around at little things. (hint souvenirs are price reasonably here)
It was not long after this that our group split up, me and one of the other people had planned to go and take a look at Sydney Tower Observation Deck. at 304 meters high is far from the tallest observation deck that I have visited however it is still probably one of the best places to see Sydney from a high point. from up here I found that there was another cruise ship in port today which was docked around near Darling Harbour, the P&O Pacific Jewel.
This rounded out another fairly long day of seeing some of the places around Sydney. There is still quite a lot here to see, however tomorrow even though it is a fairly late flight is when I fly home, and do not want to be overloading the day to much.
Ivy – Restaurant reviews – Taste.com.au
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on October 28, 2011
The Ivy is a shrine to drinking and dining. Every nook and cranny has been engineered into a unique leisure experience, making it one of Sydney’s most iconic venues.
Enter via a laneway into a pulsing multi-level complex boasting four restaurants and serving an array of Dionysus’s liquid delights. The ground-floor courtyard is all 1950s Hollywood glamour, with white and yellow upholstery, a craned-in Japanese maple tree and an oversized spiral staircase that looks like it was heisted from a cruise ship. On level two, a grey and tiled area offers alfresco cocktails and a mist shower for steamy days. Nearby, discreet alcoves include a den of turquoise ottomans and a colonial lounge with dark bamboo chairs and chandeliers. Both serve Cuban cigars and a unique South-East Asian inspired cocktail list. It’s all pretty special but you pay through the nose, with drinks being served (rather slowly) in tiny glasses for a king’s ransom. But in this realm of design and debauchery, the focus is on the fantasy not the prices.
Address: 330 GEORGE STREET, SYDNEY; Phone (02) 9240 3000www.merivale.com Drink: BAR Hours: OPEN MON–SAT NOON–LATE Price guide: BEERS $5–$9; WINES $7–$30; COCKTAILS $16–$19; FOOD $13–$22ALL CARDS ACCEPTED
Information in this article is correct as of 21 October, 2011
Eating & Drinking Sydney offers the complete eating and drinking experience, bringing you over 700 of the best restaurants, bars and cheap treats. to pick up your copy of Eating and Drinking Sydney, visit your local bookstore or newsagent. Source
Eating and Drinking Sydney – October 2011
Author
Customs says contingencies in place for strike
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on October 27, 2011
TONY EASTLEY: Jan Dorrington is the acting deputy chief executive officer with Customs and Border Protection.
She says the stoppages pose logistical problems but they are manageable.
Jan Dorrington, what contingency arrangements are in place today?
JAN DORRINGTON: We have very well planned contingency arrangements Tony. We have very carefully calculated the number of staff we need on the primary line, the number of staff required for other functions in airports in particular. And we have all of those places covered for staff who might be taking industrial action today.
TONY EASTLEY: It’s not just airports is it?
JAN DORRINGTON: no, we have stoppages in other work areas. but it’s airports that we’re most worried about.
And certainly our key message for today is for anyone from the travelling public who’s got a flight out of an international airport today to get there in plenty of time to check in, plenty of time to get through the Customs and Border Protection processes, through aviation security and so on.
And also our other message would be any passengers departing today on a cruise ship from the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay should get there in plenty of time to join the ship.
TONY EASTLEY: when it comes to air travel what sort of delays could passengers expect?
JAN DORRINGTON: We’re hoping they won’t experience anymore delays today than they would ordinarily experience. That’s sort of what our contingency plans are about.
One never knows as the day goes on, number of passengers and so on might mean that there’s some delays. but we’ll try and keep all of that to the absolute minimum.
We’ve done a check around this morning our international airports and so far our contingency plans are working well and there’s been no delays today.
TONY EASTLEY: for those people arriving in Australia over the next 24 hours say will there be announcements on the aircraft to warn them that there may be delays when they’re arriving?
JAN DORRINGTON: well there will be announcements in the airport itself and then on dynamic signage that we have up above our primary line where people come in to enter the country. there are messages apologising for any delays in case there are some related to the industrial action and so on.
We’ve got staff out on the floor advising passengers what’s going on.
TONY EASTLEY: is it a case that there may be a problem with our border protection, that it will allow illegal entries into Australia?
JAN DORRINGTON: Absolutely not and that’s why there might be delays in place. all of our border protection arrangements are in place today and that’s why in fact some people might experience a delay.
TONY EASTLEY: Jan Dorrington, the acting deputy chief executive officer with Customs and Border Protection.
Three millionth passenger welcomed by P&O
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on October 2, 2011
Pacific Pearl welcomed P&O Cruises’ three millionth passenger yesterday when Sydney mother of two Deanna Catlett embarked on a South Pacific voyage with her family.
Counted since cruises resumed post World War two, 30 per cent of the three million passengers are recorded as having travelled since 2007.
The milestone occurred on the eve of a record summer season for parent company Carnival Australia, who will see 19 of their ships sailing in Australian waters through to mid-April 2012.
Ann Sherry, Carnival Australia CEO was on hand to congratulate Ms Catlett at Wharf 5 Darling Harbour and highlighted the growth that the Australian industry has seen in recent years.
?It?s a great indication of the growing popularity of cruising in Australia as well as the economic impact that cruising is having right around the country,? Ms Sherry said.
?It also underlines the need for government and authorities around Australia to make sure their cruise ship facilities are adequate so that their cities and towns can share in this growth.?
While 310,000 passengers will be traveling on the 19 Carnival Australia ships this summer season, 500,000 Australians in total are expected to cruise in 2012 with Ms Sherry anticipating one million Australians cruising annually by 2020.
meanwhile, Ms Catlett and her family will enjoy some special treatment as part of her title of ?three millionth passenger?, including an upgrade to a mini suite, an invitation to the Captain?s cocktail party, dinner at Luke Mangan?s Salt Grill, a spa voucher and complimentary shore tour.
Two-Night Sydney Harbour Spa Weekend Cruise
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on September 27, 2011
Captain Cook Explorer
On the weekend of October 21, 2011 Captain Cook Cruises is holding a two night Sydney Harbour Spa Weekend Cruise onboard the MV Captain Cook Explorer, so passengers can discover the world?s most beautiful harbour and enjoy being pampered with spa treatments at the same time. Book now and save 10% off the fare.
This amazing two night cruise allows passengers ? both local and tourists to experience Sydney from an extraordinary perspective aboard their own small cruise ship and takes them off the beaten track and up close to some of the most beautiful and famous aspects of Sydney Harbour.
Regular shore visits include street markets, beautiful gardens and beachside Watsons Bay. From Sydney Harbour to along the Parramatta River, the views are worth the journey alone ? a breathtaking sunset over the sails of the Sydney Opera House to a sparkling dawn on the cliffs of the north shore.
Evenings on board are a blend of top class food and wine, spectacular harbour sights, getting to know new friends and enjoying great entertainment.
All this plus the chance to relax and spoil yourself with spa treatments all weekend long. Treatments available onboard include:
- Massage ? Swedish, Sports or Remedial ? ? hr $60 1hr $100
- ? hr Facial ? Priori Coffeeberry facials & enzyme peel – $60
- ? hr Manicure or Pedicures – $40
- Eye Enhancement Package including eyelash & eyebrow tint, eyebrow shape – $45
Passengers can even check-in early on the Friday with pre-boarding spa treatments available from 1.00pm.
As a special treat for the girls, if Mum and daughter both cruise, Captain Cook Cruises will guarantee 10% off their fares and help get the party started with a bottle of sparkling wine in their room on arrival.
The two night Sydney harbour Spa Weekend Cruise departs Friday October 21 at 6.00pm, with boarding from 5.00pm and pre-boarding spa treatments available from 1.00pm from no.1 King Street Wharf, Darling Harbour.
Book now to receive 10% off fares, with prices starting from $431 per person twin share, normally $479 per person twin share including all accommodation, meals and most activities.
When one old dame meets another
Posted by Malcolm in Uncategorized on September 23, 2011
MAL CHENU
CLASSIC CRUISING: Relaxing on the Athena’s deck is among the traditional cruising pastimes.
When 20-year-old Shirley Johnson last took a cruise, her dad gave the steward 10 quid to keep an eye on her. she never saw the steward again.
It was the autumn of 1952 when the cargo vessel Moreton Bay left Melbourne, taking Shirley and her friend Norma on their grand adventure to old Blighty, where stuttering George VI had just died and postwar food rationing was still in force.
It was about this time the MV Athena first went into service as a trans-Atlantic vessel under the name the MS Stockholm. Both Shirley and the ship have had a few makeovers since their maiden outings but they both scrub up quite well and neither looks her age.
Athena is promoted as an “old time” cruise ship – they still fling streamers over the side to those waving goodbye from the wharf, although Shirley’s throw barely reaches the pool – and the smaller, more personal experience it offers is indeed in stark contrast to most of its modern, monolithic rivals.
in summer, the Portuguese-registered Athena operates from Fremantle (and next year from Adelaide) in a niche market that avoids the keen competition on the eastern seaboard. Shirley (I call her Mum) and I took a four-night round trip from Fremantle with the wonderfully named Captain Pedro Pinto at the helm, taking in stops in the southern West Australian towns of Albany and Bunbury.
as a departure point, Freo’s Victoria Quay is no Circular Quay but, then again, nothing is. The Fremantle Passenger Terminal is haunted by the ghosts of cruises past, its architecture and photos from the 1950s and ’60s and its rows of ceiling fans a reminder of the days of more genteel cruising. this is a wholly suitable introduction to the Athena, which features many a nod to bygone days.
a turn around the wooden deck with painted shuffleboard courts gives Shirley a nostalgic reminder of her weeks aboard the Moreton Bay, as does the bath in our cabin, complete with spa jets. “Loo-xury!” Shirl intones in her best Pythonesque voice, recounting how, “in her day”, she and Norma would fill their bath with buckets of heated seawater.
our junior suite outside cabin also contains twin single beds, a sofa, a desk and chair, a TV, wardrobe, safe, bar fridge and bathroom, complete with bidet.
Athena can carry 550 passengers, about one-fifth the capacity of today’s mega-liners, and while there are drawbacks such as the single, small pool, there is no queuing for drinks or meals, little or no waiting for the table tennis or shuffleboard, bopping space on the dance floor and plenty of deckchairs.
also, the staff get to know you and remember how you like your coffee or your favourite pre-dinner tipple, which is nice. other facilities include a fitness centre, sauna, cinema, beauty salon, nightclub, casino, show lounge, library, internet cafe, kids’ club, two restaurants and five bars.
The food is very good; bread and biscuits are baked daily and room service is an option. Dinner at Olissipo Restaurant is especially impressive. The complimentary Portuguese wines are a bit chewy but Australian and French alternatives can be bought at restaurant prices.
Over dinner, Shirley shares a few Moreton Bay reminiscences with our table, sounding like old Rose in an early scene in the movie Titanic. Kate Winslet as Young Rose might have had her passionate moment before an iceberg ruined her party but Young Shirl managed a fling with the third engineer, who was “quite dashing but no Leo DiCaprio”.
“And Norma got the purser, so she won,” she says. “They were both gentlemen, to a point.”
our fellow passengers are an eclectic lot, with about 70 per cent from WA. all generations are represented but the bulk, as on most cruises, are baby boomers.
a group of about a dozen women known as the Red Hats (membership rules: over 50 and single) are highly visible in their purple outfits and, well, red hats. They change their dress code only once, to all don dresses with shapely, brief bikini-bod motifs front and back, which is both inspirational and disturbing.
The on-board entertainment ranges from the exceptional to the mundane. Paraguayan harpist Segio is superb, Jose the pianist and Ines the vocalist leave the audience entranced and the Latin rhythms of Los Paraguayos seduce the tipsy Red Hats into a hip-endangering salsa routine. Romao the magician appears, appropriately, from nowhere for impromptu card tricks and there’s a different cabaret show in the show lounge nightly. The mr and miss Athena pageants are a hoot. There is always something going on.
Athena might lack the wow factor of today’s floating cities but its intimacy and ties with cruising’s grand old days stamp it with a personality to be admired and soaked up. They don’t make ‘em like this any more.
The writer travelled courtesy of Classic International Cruises and Tourism WA.
Trip notes
get on board
Classic International Cruises’ Athena will operate from Fremantle and Adelaide during 2011-12. The Australian calendar runs from December to April, with 17 cruises from two to 38 nights. Fares start from $450 a person for a two-night cruise.
Bookings through travel agents only. classicintcruises.com.
– Sydney Morning Herald