Go Down Under This Winter With Voyages of Discovery

Here's a great pre-Christmas deal that is worth passing on this week: Save up to £1,370pp and snap up a great deal on Voyages of Discovery’s recently reduced South-East Asia and Australia cruise.

A remarkable melting pot of Asian and Latin cultures thick with history and flavour, Manila promises an exciting start to a voyage inviting you to meet the ‘Wild Man of Borneo’ and immerse yourself in local life on charming Indonesian islands. ‘Tamed’ territory, Darwin is an eclectic blend – modern city, Asian village and frontier town.

‘Untamed’ Australia comes in its rich rainforests and then the underwater riches of the Great Barrier Reef. Sample life on the Gold Coast with its miles of glorious beaches, or stroll along with some of the Hunter Valley’s finest wines before sailing into the ‘Harbour City’ – its twin icons Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge stealing the limelight.

With an itinerary carefully crafted to get the most out of each port of call and bring to life destinations with renowned Guest Speakers and excursions, a cruise with Voyages of Discovery is a cruise you’ll never forget.

This 20-night cruise now costs from as little as £1699 per person (based on two people sharing an inside guarantee cabin). The price includes return flights from London, transfers and the voyage departing from Manila (Philippines, overnight) and calling at Sandakan (Borneo), Bitung (Indonesia), Ambon (Indonesia), Darwin, Port Douglas, Brisbane and Newcastle before arriving at Sydney for another overnight stay. Price is based on a January 21 departure.

For more info and booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's adventure cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Expeditions to Papua New Guinea and West Papua

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Travellers seeking a path less travelled to neighbouring Papua New Guinea and West Papua during 2011 will need to move quickly as Orion Expedition Cruises will visit this tropical paradise for only one season of cruises on their chic little Orion during March and April.

Two voyages will feature the popular Papua New Guinea Cultural Highlights itinerary while the third is an exciting all-new West Papua & Maluku expedition, taking in many rarely-visited places across the north of Papua New Guinea and West Papua, where even Google struggles to provide in-depth information!

Under the watchful eye of the specialist expedition team, Orion’s guests on the signature Voyage of Discovery expedition, departing April 14, will redefine the word ‘remote’, visiting rarely seen areas across the top of West Papua, including Mapia Atoll (just north of the equator) and the marine wonderland of Rajah Ampat, the Bird’s Head Peninsula, Kei and Yamdena Islands in the Tanimbars, concluding in Darwin.

11-night Papua New Guinea Cultural Highlights (March 23 and April 3)

Starting with an overnight in Rabaul, this voyage visits Sepik River & Watam Village, Madang, Tami Islands, Tufi, Fergusson Island, Samarai and Kwato Islands and Alotau (Milne Bay) before finishing in Cairns (April 3 voyage in reverse). Prices from £5,265 per person including 11 nights onboard Orion, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes. Two-for-one air is also available on these voyages.

11-night West Papua & Malaku Voyage of Discovery (April 14)

Starting in Rabaul, this 11-night voyage visits Wewak, Jayapura, Urbanasi, Mapia Atoll, Raja Ampat, McClure Gulf, Kei Islands and Tanimbars before finishing in Darwin. Prices from £4,785 per person, including 11 nights onboard Orion, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes. Two-for-one air is also available on this voyage.

For reservations and enquiries, visit http://www.orionexpeditions.com/ or call the UK's adventure cruises specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Rare Papua New Guinea Opportunity

Travellers seeking a path less travelled should seek out Orion Expedition Cruises, who will be operating a short season of cruises to Papua New Guinea and West Papua during 2011.

Two voyages will feature the popular Papua New Guinea Cultural Highlights itinerary while the third is an exciting all-new West Papua & Maluku expedition visiting many rarely-visited places across the north of Papua New Guinea and West Papua, where even Google struggles to provide in-depth information!

The two Cultural Highlights voyages (March 23 and April 3, 2011) provide guests with a taste of primitive tribal cultures, unique flora and fauna, the opportunity to purchase superb indigenous artwork, visit isolated villages, enjoy world-class snorkelling and reflect on our recent past at historic World War II sites.

For keen photographers, the April 3 voyage is also a great opportunity to join the photographic workshop of a lifetime, capturing all the action in one of the world’s most photo-opportunistic locations, Papua New Guinea.

In association with Better Photography magazine and the Australian Geographic Society, and under the knowledgeable guidance of internationally recognised photographer Nick Rains and Grand Master of Photography Peter Eastwood, this voyage is designed to appeal to photographers of all levels. Hone photographic skills with the guidance of experts in one of the most photogenic places on earth.

Under the watchful eye of the specialist expedition team, Orion’s guests on the all-new West Papua & Maluku signature Voyage of Discovery expedition, departing April 14, will re-define the word ‘remote’, visiting rarely visited areas across the top of West Papua including Mapia Atoll (just north of the equator) and the marine wonderland of Rajah Ampat, the Bird’s Head Peninsula, Kei and Yamdena Islands in the Tanimbars, concluding in Darwin. Parts of this voyage are to places so remote most of the well-travelled crew onboard Orion have not yet been there!

11-night Papua New Guinea Cultural Highlights

Starting with an overnight in Rabaul, this 11-night voyage visits Sepik River & Watam Village, Madang, Tami Islands, Tufi, Fergusson Island, Samarai and Kwato Islands and Alotau (Milne Bay) before finishing in Cairns (April 3 voyage in reverse). Prices from £5,265 per person, including 11 nights onboard Orion, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes. Two-for-one air is also available on these voyages.

11-night West Papua & Malaku Voyage of Discovery

Starting in Rabaul, this 11-night voyage visits Wewak, Jayapura, Urbanasi, Mapia Atoll, Raja Ampat, McClure Gulf, Kei Islands and Tanimbars before finishing in Darwin. Prices from £4,785 per person including 11 nights onboard Orion, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes. Two-for-one air is also available on this voyage.

For reservations and enquiries, call 020 7399 7620 or visit http://www.orionexpeditions.com/. Orion also feature in the Adventure Cruise Collection brochure of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Free return filghts to OZ

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Orion Expedition Cruises, the leading operator of five-star expedition cruising in the Australasian region, is offering free helicopter flight-seeing trips on all 2011 Kimberley voyages booked before the end of the November 2010.

In 2011, Orion Expedition Cruises will operate 13 Kimberley expeditions between the tropical city of Darwin and the historic pearling town of Broome (and vice versa). During these voyages guests will experience the dramatic contrasts of Australia’s north-west, rich in Aboriginal culture and galleries of ancient artwork. Towards the west, in the historic pearling town of Broome, the colours of nature are vibrant and intense: rich red earth, azure blue seas and brilliant white sand beaches. North of Broome lies the ragged Kimberley coast, a place you can only comprehend from the sea. Rugged gorges, inlets, waterfalls plunging 100 metres ( above) all combine for an awe-inspiring experience you simply can't have by travelling overland.

Anyone booking a Kimberley voyage before 30th November 2010 will have the choice of a free helicopter flight-seeing trip to either King George Falls or Mitchell Falls. This is in addition to the free flight over the Bungle Bungle ranges which guests already receive along with free return flights from the UK.

Prices for Orion Expedition Cruises’ Kimberley voyages start from £5,325 per person based on twin share including onboard accommodation, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes. Also included is the free helicopter flight-seeing trip to either King George Falls or Mitchell Falls, a free flight over the Bungle Bungle ranges and free return flights from the UK.

For reservations and enquiries visit www.orionexpeditions.com

Whale Watching - With a Difference

It should be fairly clear by now that we are big fans of adventure cruising here at Time Spent At Sea, hence we're always pleased to see new initiatives and offbeat cruises that focus on this growing trend (like the Adventure Cruise Collection, which we've featured several times).

The latest news to arrive in our Inbox comes from Orion Expedition Cruises in Australia, and highlights a wonderful opportunity to go whale-watching. Here's what they say:

Late July through to September in the Kimberley is prime time to view pods of migrating whales. And, what better way to see the largest humpback whale population in the world heading north from the Antarctic to rest and calve than from onboard the luxury expedition cruise ship, Orion?

With 3,000km of undeveloped shoreline and over 1,000 rarely visited islands, this land, so ancient it pre-dates the existence of fossils, ranks as one of Australia’s, and the world’s, truly remarkable destinations.

Join Orion’s specialist Expedition Team to view pre-history Gwion Gwion and Wandjina rock art, land on remote islands and beaches, explore gorges, venture into a labyrinth of waterways in search of saltwater crocodiles or climb to the plateau next to the highest waterfall in the Kimberley, King George Falls.

With embarkation/debarkation in Darwin or Broome, Orion’s 10-night voyages combine the contrasts of exploring the ancient and magnificent Kimberley wilderness, incredible at-sea experiences and the historic pearling town of Broome with its cafes and art galleries. All this plus the chance to see migrating humpback whales, estimated to exceed 20,000 individuals, breaching, tail slapping and blowing.

Orion offers seven 10-night Kimberley voyages between 20th July and 16th September 2010 starting in either Darwin or Broome and visiting, typically, King George River and Falls, Vansittart Bay, Hunter River (for Mitchell Falls), Montgomery Reef and Raft Point, Talbot Bay/Horizontal Waterfalls, Cape Leveque and the Lacepedes.

Prices start from £5,325 per person, cruise only, based on twin share. Price includes 10 nights onboard accommodation, all meals, entertainment and educational programmes, use of the ship’s sporting equipment and facilities, Zodiac excursions, port and handling charges, tender transfers and government fees and taxes. Also included is one night’s accommodation in Broome pre- or post-cruise plus a complimentary Bungle Bungle sightseeing flight.