Holland America Line Increases Australia Capacity

Holland America Line continues to strengthen its commitment to the Australian marketplace with the announcement of the Vista-class ms Oosterdam deployment to the South Pacific for the 2012-13 season. This will boost Holland America Line's capacity in the region by almost 25 percent. In preparation for the increase, the line is opening a dedicated sales, marketing and reservations office in Sydney.

This follows an earlier announcement marking the 2011-12 season as the first time the line will have two ships sailing a series of itineraries in the region simultaneously. The 1,926 passenger Oosterdam will join ms Volendam, replacing the 1,432 passenger ms Zaandam in 2012-13. Ten to 25-day itineraries will be introduced in and around Australia and New Zealand.

Said Richard D. Meadows, CTC, executive vice president, marketing, sales and guest programs, Holland America Line, “This is a natural next step in our strategy to expand our premium brand internationally. We are inspired by the continued demand for cruising in Australia.”

Detailed deployment for the 2012-13 Australia and New Zealand season will be announced later this year.

For an overview of Holland America Line visit the Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine Cruise Lines - Holland America Line profile or visit the Holland America Line site

Roger Allnutt Takes Readers "Down Under"

In two new features in the Reviews section of Prow's Edge Cruise Magazine, Roger Allnutt, a freelance travel writer based in Canberra, Australia, and a long-time member of the Australian Society of Travel Writers, takes readers "Down Under" and shares two experiences of cruises in Australia.

One explores the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef aboard the Coral Princess and another discovers the fun of a paddlesteamer journey on one of the two major rivers of Australia, the River Murray.

Also for those in the area, Roger contributes an article on Fiji with Captain Cook Cruises.

Roger Allnutt travels widely around the world researching material for publication in newspapers and magazines in Australia, New Zealand, US, Singapore and other parts of the world. When not traveling, his other interests include food and wine, classical music and theatre and playing tennis.

Roger is happy to accept commissions and can provide material on many parts of the world. He can be reached at Roger.Allnutt@bigpond.com.