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 Posted Tuesday, 31 August 2010, 03:10 PM By Cruise News Hound |
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A fantastic news release from P&O Australia for those looking to tie the knot with their cruise. The ceremony can't be valid at sea, so P&O has arranged for availability of celebrants aboard in several cruise ports.
As reported in today's Cruise Weekly:
P&O’s new weddings & ceremonies Australians can now get married or renew their vows on any P&O cruise ship.
P&O Cruises has introduced its first ever program offering wedding services, commitment ceremonies and vow renewals on Pacific Jewel, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Sun and the soon-to-debut Pacific Pearl.
The cruise line handles the event’s catering, music, photographer, flowers and post-wedding dinners in its restaurants. Jenny Lourey, senior vice president of Carnival Australia, which operates P&O, said the new service was an extension of the romantic opportunities of cruising.
“Thousands of our passengers have found their true love on our ships, and many of them take their honeymoons with us, but now we’re offering the ultimate in romance with weddings onboard,” Lourey said. “Couples are always looking for a memorable wedding location, and running away to sea to get married on a ship has to be one of the best.”
Wedding ceremonies, performed by a celebrant, will be available in port in Sydney, Brisbane, Newcastle, Fremantle and Auckland. Vow renewals and commitment ceremonies can be performed at sea by the Captain or a senior officer.
The wedding package includes priority boarding, a dedicated venue, music, a rose bouquet and buttonhole, photographer, sparkling wine and wedding cake, as well as dinner for two in the ship’s fine dining restaurant.
Group travel discounts are also available for the wedding party. Optional extras include cocktail receptions, hire of the exclusive Salt Grill by Luke Mangan onboard Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewel and Pacific Pearl, and the Seafood and Steakhouse Restaurant on Pacific Sun.
Passengers wanting to renew their vows or declare their commitment during their cruise can also enjoy a tailored ceremony onboard. The package includes music, a rose bouquet, a photo of the special occasion and sparkling wine, plus dinner for two in the ship’s specialty restaurant.
‘Ceremonies At Sea’ bookings will open in September for cruises from October 2010. Wedding packages are priced from $1320 and commitment ceremonies from $450.
For more info, contact a travel agent, call 13 24 94 or visit You must be registered to view this link
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| Posted Friday, 27 August 2010, 09:59 PM By Cruise News Hound |
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There has been a bit of member discussion about ESTA when travelling to the US, and mention of sites ripping people off by charging more for the service. McAfee investigations have found it goes far deeper than a price ripoff:
The rogues, cheats, fraudsters and swindlers who inhabit the dark side of the internet have set up a scam to catch tourists planning to visit America.
Internet security firm McAfee has released a Consumer Threat Alert warning people travelling to the United States about the cyberscam, designed to steal their financial and personal information.
The scam looks just like the US Department of Homeland Security’s legitimate Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) site, and asks travellers to enter their credit card information in order to secure a visa to enter the United States.
McAfee warns that travellers trying to register online for travel to the US may encounter the phony websites designed to steal their money and information, or spread malware, Residents of the 36 countries participating in the US Visa Waiver Program, including Australians, need to be vigilant when planning their trip. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of a relatively new US requirement for travellers from these countries to register online for travel authorisation.
Cybercrooks, McAfee said in its warning, know that the only way to register for travel authorisation is online, through Homeland Security’s Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) site. Accordingly the crooks have been busy building phony websites designed to take information and money from prospective visitors to the US. McAfee notes that the sites prey on foreigners’ lack of familiarity with official US government sites and registration processes.
When McAfee recently did a simple search for “ESTA,” “ESTA form,” or “ESTA online registration” a variety of dangerous websites showed up in search results.
What’s more, incidents of these fake visa sites have escalated over the last two weeks following the US Government’s announcement of a $14 fee for travel authorisation, beginning 8 September 8 2010. Now scammers are asking for credit card numbers and financial information as well as personal details on fake sites.
McAfee has included examples of the fake sites and is helping protect travellers by teaching them what to lookout for, and the right way to apply for travel authorisation online.
The Hook: Cybercriminals set up fake websites designed to fool travellers into thinking that they are registering for US travel authorisation. These sites mimic the look and feel of the official ESTA site, and some even offer registration in multiple languages. However, these sites have been crafted to steal users’ money, and personal and financial information, or spread malware.
The Methods:
1) Form Filing Services – Some fake sites offer to help travellers complete their travel authorisation form, for a fee. This fee can range from $30 to $250, far exceeding the $14 fee you would pay to do it yourself.
While you may actually get your form registered, you should still regard these sites with suspicion. Even if your form is filed, your personal information, such as your email address, credit card information and travel dates are now in the hands of cybercriminals.
2) Fake Government Sites – This kind of site is far more dangerous than the form filing services in that they are designed solely to extract your personal information, including your passport number, date of birth, and banking and credit card details.
They may also ask for information normally asked by US immigration, such as for your criminal or medical history, and for details about family members travelling with you.
3) Form Download Sites – In this scam, users are asked to download the travel authorisation form. However, these downloads are nothing but malware designed to harm your computer or install malicious software. The actual ESTA site does not offer a downloadable form – you simply fill out the form using an online application.
The Dangers:
•Visitors to these fake sites face a series of dangers, including loss of money, identity theft, an infected computer, and even burglary since the scammers know what dates visitors will be away from home.
•Victims may also not be able to travel to the U.S. as planned since they did not get official travel authorisation.
Bottom Line:
•When applying for travel authorisation under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, only use the official Homeland Security site at You must be registered to view this link.
•Do not believe any website that offers to file the travel authorisation form for you, or asks you to download the form. Only you can only fill out the official form online at the above address.
•Be particularly cautious around high travel times, such as summer vacation and the holidays, since we expect these scams to increase over these periods
Source: Global Travel News
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| Posted Tuesday, 24 August 2010, 06:11 PM By Cruise News Hound |
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The claims asserted in this story about Vanuatu being the Best Kept Secret in the Pacific may not ring true for most OzCC members, as Aussie cruisers have been spreading the word for years. Just in case, this is just between you and me. Shhhhh.
www.OzCruiseClub.com.au
Lonely Planet released its latest travel guide list of the world’s happiest places. Topping the list is the 80 tropical island archipelago of Vanuatu, in the South Pacific, while Montreal in Quebec holds second place.
Lonely Planet said it was not surprised that Vanuatu emerged as the happiest place, because the general idea of a happy life, has images of a hammock in a white-sand beach. Vanuatu is known for its blue waters teeming with life, lush vegetation and scenic environment. This and more is reflected in the happy smiles of the local Ni-Vanuatu people.
Lonely Planet’s travel guide pointed out Montreal is considered a happy city because it hosts Just for Laughs, which is one of the world’s biggest comedy festivals during summer. Lonely Planet said the Quebec city is also clean, welcoming and multicultural.
The travel guide said other happy cities could be found in Wuyi Shan in China and Malawi in Africa. Wuyi Shan is described as a place of secret valleys with waterfalls and mysterious caves. Malawi is known for greeting visitors with effusive grins.
In 2009, Forbes.com named Rio de Janeiro in Brazil as the world’s happiest city, followed by Sydney in Australia.
In 2006 Vanuatu was named the happiest place on earth on the Happy Planet Index. The survey, compiled by the New Economics Foundation and the Friends of the Earth, said Vanuatu, with a population of just 209,000, came out on top because its people are happy, live to nearly 70 years of age and do little damage to the planet.
Vanuatu was followed by ten Latin American and Caribbean countries, all ranked according to their ecological footprint, life-satisfaction and life expectancy.
The Happy Planet Index was compiled to prove that people can live long, happy lives without consuming large amounts of the Earth’s resources. Though living standards in the West may have improved dramatically over the past 50 years, it does not mean that people are any happier.
Although Vanuatu topped the happiness index, it ranked 207th out of 233 economies, when measured against Gross Domestic Product and is classed as a Developing Nation.
Many now consider Vanuatu as the best kept secret of the South Pacific islands.
Source: The Tropic Post, story by Lyn Thomas
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