Travel Insurance and That Ash Cloud

If you have travel insurance that includes cancellation cover, and you have checked with your travel agent that you are indeed covered when things like ash clouds get in the way of your holiday, then you will be dreadfully disappointed that you can't go away - but you will not be too much out of pocket. However if you haven't insured (and I am always surprised at the people who don't...) then chances are you will lose your money.
In winter each year New Zealand puts on a fabulous tango festival with teachers from Buenos Aires as well as across the Tasman. However this year both teachers and festival goers are at the mercy of the ash cloud from the volcano in Chile.
We are currently working on bookings for people who are/were off to New Zealand this weekend. Sadly many are grounded and there is a very real possibility that they will miss this Festival - and for some it will also mean that they lose their money. Good, comprehensive travel insurance covers prepaid expenses so some of these folk will find that they are covered even for their Festival fees. This is where some of the do-it-myself travellers come unstuck. It is easy to book online and to give out credit card details to secure hotel rooms but unless you are covered by an insurance policy that includes cancellation cover you are likely to be out of pocket. It is also important to know that you have to take out the travel insurance when you book the holiday - you can't take it out once the disaster is known, even if you haven't left home. Travel agents like me are keen to make sure that their clients get value for money and will always recommend appropriate insurance - and when we do all the booking for a client's holiday we will often be able to offer a really good price.
I do hope this ash cloud clears and those who are still waiting for their flights make it

Hanseatic , the 5-star expedition Hapag-LLoyd ship gets major upgrade

An email today from my friend Gerd...

" MS HANSEATIC after shipyard - new pictures and press release"

Hi all,
MS HANSEATIC came out of shipyard here in Hamburg last night and I was on board today!!
Our MS HANSEATIC product team has taken the first pictures already, which you can see on our website under the following link.


http://www.hl-cruises.com/redwork/do.php?layoutid=100&node=174832&language=2&archivid=40&rnr=
The new cabin design on the Explorer and Bridge Deck looks very nice and in a modern style.
Also the Columbus Lounge got a new design and is from now on called the "Bistro Lemaire".

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is visually unifying the appearance of its fleet. After a 13-day-ship yard stay at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg/ Germany, the HANSEATIC now features the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ characteristic colors, an orange and blue band, as well as an orange funnel with the cruise lines logo. The comprehensive shipyard stay consisted of more than 780 items, among them, the renovation and modernization of two cabin decks, the buffet restaurant, and the sauna and pool area. The ship returns into service on June 10, 2011.

“With the charter contract for the HANSEATIC extended until 2018, we opted to add the visual unification of the fleet. Nevertheless, the legendary former logo of the HANSEATIC will be retained as a product logo on board“, says Sebastian Ahrens, Managing Director of Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, explaining the decision.
More than 400 shipyard employees worked in three shifts in order to implement the comprehensive modernisation plan, which included the fundamental renovation of the cabins on Deck 5 and Deck 6. Plenty of wood, new fabrics, furniture and carpeting helped to create a warm atmosphere, and now present a contemporary design for the HANSEATIC.
The buffet restaurant Columbus Lounge also sparkles in a new color design and will now be called the “Bistro Lemaire.” Further items include the modernization of the pool and sauna area, with a new steam sauna, as well as a multi-mode shower. In total, more than 11,482 sq. ft. of carpet, 621 gallons of paint and 3,937 sq. ft. of fabric were deployed in the context of the shipyard renovations.
New service options now available on the HANSEATIC include:

• worldwide mobile phone reception via OnAir,
  
• Wi-Fi in all cabins, an extended selection of international newspapers in full editions,
• as well as headsets for passengers during the excursions for better clarity for the experts to be heard.
  

Shining in new splendour, the HANSEATIC will set sail on 10 June for a four-day cruise from Hamburg via List/Sylt and Binz/Ruegen to Travemuende/ Germany.

Upcoming 2011 Expedition Cruises on the HANSEATIC:
NORTHWEST PASSAGE– A SHORTER ROUTE:
For the first time ever, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises is offering guests the opportunity to discover the fascination of the Arctic and the Northwest Passage on a shorter, 19-day cruise with MS HANSEATIC. Sailing through a smaller portion of the Northwest Passage, guests will follow the traces of Amundsen and Franklin and explore the ice coast of Greenland as well as the untouched island world in the north of Canada. The short itinerary departs from Kangerlussuaq/Greenland on August 14, 2011 and ends in Reykjavik/Iceland on September

2nd.MAIDEN CALL – THE INDIAN OCEAN:
Guests will experience the heavenly and exotic island world between the Seychelles, Madagascar and Mauritius onboard the HANSEATIC in November/December 2011, making a new stop in Nosy Lakandava/Madagascar. This 14-day itinerary departs from Victoria/Mahe on November 22, 2011, and ends in Port Louis/Mauritius on December 5th

MS HANSEATIC, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ small and beautifully appointed expedition ship, and the world’s only 5-star expedition ship according to Berlitz Cruise Guide, was created to provide intensive exploration in the most elegant surroundings for a maximum of 184 passengers. The HANSEATIC is known worldwide for its unsurpassed abilities to navigate and explore difficult waters of the Arctic and Antarctic due to its highest ice class for passenger vessels (E4). The HANSEATIC cruises the world year round, landing in unusual and remote destinations. A shallow draft and high manoeuvrability allow the ship to enter waters larger cruise vessels cannot reach."

Sydney to get mega-liner in 2012

Royal Caribbean has anounced that from 2012 the Voyager of the Seas will be based in Australia/Asia and sailing out of Sydney. This is a seriously large cruiser and boasts an ice skating rink, the Royal Promenade and a rock-climbing wall, just for starters.
The 138,000-ton, 3,114-guest Voyager of the Seas was the world's largest cruise ship when it entered service in November 1999. Aussies are getting behind cruising in a big way and the cruise companies are planning more voyages with us in mind. Many of us will be curious to see how Sydney Harbour handles more big cruise ships, especially those that don't fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge!
I expect there will be a big marketing campaign to get Aussies to book on this cruise so watch out for deals... if you want me to let you know when they come my way just email me - martin@travelchoice.com.au