The Project Orient Survey

The intriguing prospect that is Project Orient - a planned new cruise line operating traditional liner-type services between Britain and Australia - has put out an urgent plea for all cruise-goers to respond to its online survey to gauge interest in the potential idea.

It is a genuinely new and novel proposal and the company is continuing to work towards securing funding this year for the long-term dream of resurrecting the classic liner service to Australia.

In case you have not already seen it, Project Orient has a new website at www.sailtoaustralia.com, featuring various press coverage about the project and the all-important Survey, which asks a number of questions about potential interest in taking the traditional 26-day voyage, which would call at the likes of Rome, Suez, Dubai, Singapore and Mumbai, as well as Fremantle, Perth and Sydney.

Project Orient are in the process of building alliances with tourist boards, designers and banks, and aim for a full launch once an equity partner is signed on.

It remains a pipe-dream for now - but with the potential to be a very real and tempting cruise line if the cruise-going world shows sufficient interest. 

And it certainly shows more sign of becoming a reality than the ludicrous Titanic II idea of Australian billionaire Clive Palmer, who has yet to sign anything remotely resembling a ship-building contract more than a year after trumpeting his sea-going nonsense at two high-profile dinners in New York and London that many media outlets bought hook, line and sinker!

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Winter Collection from Oceania

By guest blogger Steve Newman


Winter blues starting already? If so, upmarket Oceania Cruises has announced its 2011-12 winter line-up of 27 exotic itineraries in Asia, South America and the Caribbean, including new sailings to ports in Hawaii, the South Pacific and Australia/New Zealand.

The line’s Winter Collection also includes special introductory fares, which means 10-day cruise-only fares begin at just £499 per guest.

Winter Collection Highlights:

* 27 unique itineraries, 16 of which are all new
* 33 new ports of call
* New Hawaii and South Pacific voyages, including Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and American Samoa
* A return to Australia and New Zealand
* Diverse and distinctive voyages in Asia
* A new Dubai-to-Cape Town cruise, showcasing Arabia and Africa
* New ship Marina (above) debuts on her first full season of voyages to the Caribbean
* Popular Amazon River cruise to depart from New York City
* New 16-day South America cruise round-trip from Valparaiso, which offers the opportunity to discover rarely visited Nazca Lines, plus Machu Picchu
* A grand 35-day Hong Kong-to-Athens adventure via the Suez Canal

For more information, contact Oceania Cruises on 0845 505 1920 or http://www.oceaniacruises.co.uk/

Oceania Cruises are exhibiting at The Cruise Show in Birmingham on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia March 26-27, 2011.

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

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From the Nile to Damascus

By guest blogger Steve Newman

The Middle East has long been a magnet for those who wish to combine cruising with the study of ancient civilisations. Take this tradition with a combined land-and-cruise journey and you really have the chance to get under the skin of these places and their cultures, both past and present.

In March next year, discerning travellers have the chance to take a six-night cruise in the Red Sea combined with land elements to visit some of the most impressive ancient ruins on Earth for an amazing 17-day journey.

Organised in typical exemplary style by Noble Caledonia, the trip starts with three nights in Cairo with trips to the Pyramids and other famous historical sites before you board the MS Island Sky for the cruise from Suez to Aqaba. The ship underwent a complete refurbishment in May and I can thoroughly recommend her as a superb vessel for this type of cruise having sailed on her myself recently.

Calling in at Safaga, a journey through the desert brings you to Luxor for a two-day excursion that also includes the Valley of the Kings. Amazingly, the best is yet to come as, after disembarking at Aqaba, the wonder of the orange and red sands of the desert of Wadi Rum are visited in Jordan, followed by a two-night stay at Petra (above) the "Rose red city, older than time."

Floating in the Dead Sea at its marvellous resort that drips luxury and exclusiveness, walking through Amman and sitting in wonder on the steps of the theatres in the ancient Roman city of Jerash are all followed by the fascination of the Mosques and Orthodox churches of Damascus.

How's that for true Middle Eastern magnificence?

For more information, look up http://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk/

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.