Two ships now call WA home
FREMANTLE – Western Australia will have two ships home ported at Fremantle this year,
Athena has arrived in Fremantle at the start of the State’s biggest-ever cruise season and the sixth successive summer in WA for the liner’s owner, Classic International Cruises.
The 550-passenger liner will offer a series of cruises around the Australian coastline and to Asia before returning to Europe on March 14, 2010.
Athena will call into Fremantle 10 times this summer – more than any other ship – with her visits making up more than one third of the 28 cruise ship visits Fremantle will see from December to March.
Originally a transatlantic liner, the 16,200-ton, Portuguese-registered Athena features a wrap-around promenade deck and traditional wooden deck chairs. All cabins have a full-sized bath.
Meanwhile, P&O Cruises has begun Pacific Sun’s maiden Western Australian cruise season with news that the ship will return in 2011 for a second cruise season.
Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, said Pacific Sun would return between July and October 2011 to sail nine cruises from Fremantle ranging in length from three to 16 nights.
She said regional WA would also benefit from the cruise expansion, with Pacific Sun making 18 calls to WA ports including Geraldton, Exmouth and Broome compared with 12 scheduled for 2009-10.
The new 2011 program will include a three-night food and wine-themed cruise and a comedy-themed cruise, as well as two 16-night voyages to Indonesia via Christmas Island, two 12-night cruises to Indonesia and an eight-night coastal sailing to Broome, Exmouth and Geraldton.
Ms Sherry said Carnival Australia cruise lines would make a record 47 calls to ports in WA this summer cruise season, including the maiden visits of Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria.
Ian Jarrett
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