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Cruising for under $100 a day

Stephen Scourfield discovers you can cruise to or from Fremantle for just $100 a day ... or even less.

Cruising might be the cheapest “over seas” holiday you can find. We have found plenty of cruises for about $100 a day — some quite a bit under. Cruisers could be on Pacific Eden for $80 a day, Explorer of the Seas for $82 or Sea Princess for $96.

For that, passengers get accommodation, meals, entertainment and destinations.

And with more cruises beginning or ending in Fremantle, travellers may need only one airfare.

During the next 12 months, Royal Caribbean and P&O Australia have a number of ships calling at Fremantle, and these lines offer good value for families and first-time cruisers.

Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas, Legend and Explorer visit Australia in the next year.

But most local cruises this year and to the end of next summer are on Princess ships, with five vessels sailing to or from Fremantle. What’s offered aboard Sun, Dawn and Sea Princess is pretty consistent — it’s the itinerary that changes.

As Barry Downs, of local cruise specialist Cruisefinder says, this is real value. He cites as examples:

A 12-night cruise on Sea Princess from Singapore to Fremantle from October 17 is from $1119 per person twin share.

A 10-night voyage on Carnival Spirit from Sydney through the Pacific Islands from June 8 is from $969 per person twin share. Or 12 nights from June 18, from $1159 each, twin share.

On Pacific Jewel, there’s a nine- night voyage through the Loyalty Islands from October 22 from $799 per person twin share.

On Rhapsody of the Seas there is a cruise around Greece and Turkey over nine nights from October 21 from $999 per person (without gratuities, $1095 with) twin share.

Cruise on Celebrity Constellation around Croatia and Italy from July 1 for 10 nights from $899 per person (without gratuities, $1039 with) twin share. Or seven nights from $719 and $792.

For all of these, visit cruisefinder.com.au or phone 1800 278 473.

Another big local cruise booker, Holiday Planet, also has plenty of deals under, or about, $100 a day.

For example, Holiday Planet has a 15-day cruise on Carnival Spirit leaving Singapore on August 30 for Bali, Lombok, Darwin, Brisbane and Sydney, from $1199 — $91 a day.

The company books MSC Preziosa in the Mediterranean, with a seven-day cruise from Barcelona to Marseilles, Genoa, Rome, Palermo, Tunis and back to Barcelona from $509, or $73 a day. It departs on March 25.

MSC Sinfona leaves Durban, in South Africa, on November 30 to cruise to Maputo, Inhaca, Portuguese Island and back to Durban over five days from $500 — precisely $100 a day aboard.

Voyager of the Seas sets out on November 5 for 13 days cruising the South Pacific and New Zealand (Sydney, Bay of Islands, Auckland, Noumea, Mystery Island, Sydney) from $1283.

Sun Princess leaves Fremantle on November 5 for Komodo, Ujung Padang, Semarang, Probolinggo, Bali, Lombok and back to Fremantle over 15 days from $1599. On November 25, it has the Treasures of Asia cruise from Fremantle to Lombok, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Langkawi, Phuket, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Sihanoukville and Bangkok over 26 days from $2824.

All (and more) can be booked with Holiday Planet. Visit holidayplanet. com.au or phone 1300 729 595.

Another familiar ship in our waters is Astor and some of the longer cruises offered by CMV Australia work out to less than $100 per person per day, including food, entertainment and use of the ship’s facilities, as per the brochure.

Some of the shorter cruises to and from Fremantle are also about the $100 a day. All are sold through travel agents.

And on the subject of travel agents, it is most important, as a cruise passenger, to be on a ship that suits you, in the right cabin for you, on the right itinerary and specialist cruise travel agents offer good help in making sure you get this right.

THE BIG LIST

P&O CRUISES

The 10-night Southern Discovery is Pacific Eden’s maiden voyage departing from Fremantle on November 15, cruising to Sydney. Prices are from $799 per person quad share (with a free upgrade to oceanview and $100 on-board credit/room).

The 12-night Indonesian Adventure on Pacific Eden departs from Fremantle on May 2, 2016. Prices are from $1198 per person quad share (with a free upgrade to oceanview and $125 on-board credit/room).

Both offers end on June 10. On-board credit is per room and applies to the first two guests in the room.

Visit pocruises.com.au, phone 13 24 94 or see a travel agent.

PRINCESS CRUISES

The 12-night Treasures of Asia voyage departing from Fremantle for Singapore on Sea Princess on September 21 is from $1149 per person twin share.

The 15-night Indonesia round trip departing from Fremantle on Sun Princess on November 9 is from $1599 per person twin share.

The 46-night Indian Ocean and South Africa Odyssey departs round trip from Fremantle on Sun Princess on January 8 and costs from $6799 per person twin share ($147 per person per night).

Visit princess.com, phone 13 24 88 or see a travel agent.

ROYAL CARIBBEAN

Explorer of the Seas’ 10-night Asia repositioning cruise departs from Singapore on November 3 and sails to Fremantle, calling at Kuala Lumpur (Port Klang), Langkawi and Phuket. Fares start from $82 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

The 16-night Round Australia- Bottom End cruise aboard Explorer of the Seas departs from Fremantle on November 13 and cruises to Sydney via Adelaide, Melbourne, Milford Sound, Doubtful Sound, Dusky Sound, Dunedin, Picton and Wellington, New Zealand. Fares start from $107 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

Royal Caribbean International is also offering up to 50 per cent off the cruise fare of the second guest on new bookings on most local and international itineraries and ships made throughout this month. And eligible bookings made on 2016 and 2017 departures will also receive a discount of up to 50 per cent off the cruise fare for third and fourth guests in the same booking, excluding taxes, fees, port expenses and gratuities.

Do the maths on its voyages and this brings the fare per person right down. The offer is available for bookings made before May 31 and applies to eligible itineraries departing from June 1 of five nights or longer.

For example, the 10-night repositioning sailing from Singapore to Perth departing on November 3 on Explorer of the Seas (mentioned above) is from $1099 for the first passenger and $549.50 for the second.

Visit royalcaribbean.com.au, phone 1800 754 500 or see a travel agent.

CELEBRITY CRUISES

ASIA

Fares for the 14-night South-East Asia cruise aboard Celebrity Millennium, departing from Hong Kong on November 8 and sailing to Singapore via Hanoi, Hue/Danang, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok, start from $109 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

There’s also a 14-night South-East Asia cruise aboard Celebrity Millennium departing from Singapore on December 6 and cruising to Hong Kong. Fares start from $111 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

The 14-night Indonesia and Malaysia voyage aboard Celebrity Millennium, departing on November 22, cruises round trip from Singapore and calls at Bali, Komodo, Phuket, Penang and Port Klang. Fares start from $122 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

EUROPE

The seven-night Greece and Turkey cruise aboard Celebrity Constellation, sailing round trip from Venice and departing on August 23, calls at Dubrovnik, Kusadasi, Mykonos and Corfu. Fares are from $110 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

The 14-night Italy and Greek Isles voyage aboard Celebrity Equinox departs from Istanbul on August 24 and sails to Barcelona via Kusadasi, Mykonos, Athens (Piraeus), Kotor, Dubrovnik, Corfu, Rome (Civitavecchia), Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Nice and Marseilles. Fares start from $124 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

The 11-night Greece, Turkey and Croatia cruise aboard Celebrity Constellation sails round trip from Istanbul and departs on October 12. The voyage calls at Katakolon, Corfu, Split, Dubrovnik, Athens (Piraeus) and Kusadasi. Fares start from $130 per person per day, twin share, for an interior stateroom.

Visit celebritycruises.com.au, phone 1800 754 500 or see a travel agent.

ASTOR

Australia to UK is 38 nights, 39 days, departing on March 16, 2016. An interior cabin is from $7529 (for two people — with a “buy one get one free” deal, less than $100 per person per night).

Combine the British Isles Discovery cruise with the Australia to UK cruise mentioned above, which makes the entire itinerary of 46 nights from $8918 (with “buy one get one free”, that’s $4559.50 per person — still under $100 per night).

Cruises to and from Fremantle include:

Coastal Adventure, from January 2 for eight nights, nine days, from $969 per person for twin inner cabin.

Party Weekend, from January 15 for three nights, four days, from $459 per person.

Coastal Explorer, from January 18, for six nights, seven days from $729 per person.

FACT FILE

See travel agents. On all offers, prices are subject to change and availability, and conditions apply. Most do not include airfares.