Win a Kimberley Expedition Cruise - but hurry!

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Win this Kimberley expedition cruise worth over $21,000!
Up for grabs are two spots to sail Australia's untouched Northwest in a luxurious Balcony Cabin with Coral Expeditions.

DETAILS HERE

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Australia and Indonesia work together to open up new expedition cruise ports

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A dispatch has just been received from Justin Friend, a long-time supporter of this website and a major player in the provision of excursions through his company, Austronesian Expedition Services.

Justin has been instrumental in opening numerous destinations to cruise ships, including Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, and Indonesia.

[Pic above: L-R Justin Friend, Director of Austronesian Expedition Services, Australian Consulate-General, Glen Askew, Captain Thomas McCandless of Le Laperouse, Acting Governor of East Java, Adhy Karyono, Mick Fogg, Australian Director of Expeditions at Ponant.]

American Cruise Lines Doubles Capacity in Alaska for 2025

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American Cruise Lines announces their biggest Alaska cruise season ever. The company will have two small ships in Alaska and five extraordinary itineraries, delivering once-in-a-lifetime experiences aboard sailings operating this May through September.

Natalya Leahy appointed Lindblad Expeditions CEO

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Natalya Leahy, the former president of Seabourn, became the CEO of Lindblad Expeditions on January 1, 2025.

Leahy has a background in the luxury cruise industry and has held leadership positions at Holland America Group, The Procter & Gamble Company, The Coca-Cola Company, and the United Nations. As president of Seabourn, she oversaw the operations of the luxury cruise line and led a global team of over 4,000 employees.

Leahy's appointment to CEO of Lindblad Expeditions comes as the company's founder, Sven-Olof Lindblad, transitions to the role of co-chair of the board. Rick Goldberg was also appointed as CFO of Lindblad Expeditions, effective December 31, 2024

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New Discoveries on the Mekong

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Captain Dinh Hoe Holds The Line
Major February discounts on CFM Mekong River TT2 cruises

Captain Tran Dinh Hoe looks at me and smiles. He remembers. It was a year ago when he let me take the helm of the Toum Tiou 2 on the New Discovery Tour. We were cruising the Mekong River from Tonle Sap Lake, S.E. Asia’s largest freshwater lake between Cambodia and Vietnam. Everything would have been okay had the boat not taken a bearing off course prompting the Captain to nudge me aside to restore control.

Lindblad rebrands - new ships for 2025

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The new agreement with Disney's majority-owned National Geographic brand grants Lindblad Expeditions exclusive global rights for expedition cruises.

From On Board: Celestyal Journey in Oman

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For a long time, travelling colleagues have been telling me about the wonders of Oman. They extol the lovely people, the fabulous scenery, the history and the generally 'chill' nature of the destination compared to elsewhere in the Middle East.

From On Board: Celestyal Journey in UAE- Sir Bani Yas

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Location: Sir Bani Yas, UAE [Google Map ref]

Vessel: Celestyal Journey

Itinerary: Desert Days

Main image above sourced from Visit Abu Dhabi

The notion of a wildlife safari on a sandy island in the Persian Gulf might sound like a far-fetched tale from The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, but believe me, it’s true.

Laying the keel of the RV Kochi Pandaw

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On the auspicious day of 10th December the Kochi Pandaw keel was laid at a shipyard in Kerala with the blessings of a Roman Catholic priest in this predominantly Christian community.

Technically a houseboat, the Kochi Pandaw will be designed in true Pandaw style with 10 state rooms. Launch date is October 2025 and the ship will make a one week circular expedition around the Kerala backwaters and lakes. This is a very beautiful area with a rich and diverse culture with so much to see and do.

Source: Pandaw Media Release

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From On Board: with CF Mekong aboard Toum Tiou II

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Ask anyone what they know about the Mekong Delta in Vietnam's south, and you'll most likely hear descriptions of a vast waterlogged plain interspersed with villages and rice paddies, crisscrossed with canals and green with a wide variety of crops.

[updated] Statement from Swan Hellenic re: Technical issue aboard SH Diana

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SH Diana departs Ushuaia for first dedicated Antarctic cruise of season after prompt propulsion motor repair

 

 

UPDATE 5 December 2024

Swan Hellenic is pleased to confirm that the technical team organized by Wärtsilä, the maker of SH Diana’s propulsion system, together with the other technical specialists called out to assist in Ushuaia, have diligently completed the repair to one of the ship’s electric propulsion motors and all the related tests.

Passing of former Orion executive chef, Lothar Greiner

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News has reached our desk of the sudden passing of executive chef, Lothar Greiner, well known to guests aboard the former Orion Expeditions as head chef.

"We lost one of our wonderful Orion family members. Lothar was with us from the beginning and Tracy his wife was our Hotel Manager," former chairman of Orion, Sarina Bratton, told ExpeditionCruising, "We won numerous, back-to-back Gourmet Traveller Food awards."

A Celebration of Life will be held later this week in his home town of Noosa in Queensland.

Greiner moved to Lindblad as Manager of Culinary Operations when Orion came under the control of stalwart US-based expedition cruise company, Lindblad Expeditions, in 2013.

Our condolences to wife, Tracey, and his many friends in the industry.

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