BEST OF BRITISH - TRUE BLUE!

BEST OF BRITISH - TRUE BLUE!

david ellis

THE message is delivered through the public address system in the
Best-of- British English.

It draws you to listen.

Every word is enunciated perfectly with nary a vowel flawed; every
ending "g" or "t" as discernible as Professor Henry Higgins strove for
from his battle with the hapless Cockney Eliza Doolittle in My Fair
Lady.

It's like listening to British aristocracy sans any pluminess, like
Audrey Hepburn finally evolving into an English lady from the nasally
Eliza with her aspirated king-hit "In Hartford, Hereford and
Hampshire, hurricanes hardly happen…"

So just where is this so-cultured – yet so-unaffected – accent from?

We venture maybe some royal heritage, or perhaps the result of being
born into a family with long diplomatic lineage.

We're wrong on both counts.

"I was born in Victoria and spent my earliest years at Endeavour Hills
in the Dandenongs," the lady behind the voice tells us. "When I'm not
travelling the world, home is now Maroochydore on Queensland's
Sunshine Coast."

Tanya Whitehurst is Cruise Director aboard the boutique British ship
Saga Rose, a job most teenage girls with stars in their eyes about
travelling the world – and actually being paid for it – can merely
dream about.

And she got there with one ethic: hard work.

When she was eleven Tanya's English parents moved back to Nottingham
where mum had hailed from, and Tanya quickly developed a love of the
entertainment world and the stage.

She enrolled in Nottingham's School of Performing Art, and an
elocution course that saw her lose much of her Australian accent
(although we happily pick up the occasional hint of her homeland.)

By nineteen, the energetic Tanya was Assistant Entertainment Manager
at the vast Billy Butlin's-like West Sands Caravan Park in West Sussex
that catered to 10,000 holidaymakers a week.

A year later she added the roles of Stage Manager and Sound & Light
Engineer at the Park, and at twenty-three changed course for an
Entertainment Manager's role in the Mediterranean.

Then eight years ago, still at just 28, she landed a job with Saga
Holidays that operates Saga Rose and Saga Ruby, boutique ships that
specialise in world-wide cruise holidays for the over-50s.

So how's a 35-year old Cruise Director fit in with passengers anywhere
from 50- to 90-plus?

"I love it because our guests are just so mentally and physically
active and interesting," she says as Saga Rose sails from Sydney to
Cairns as part of the ship's current annual Round World Cruise. "Few
miss anything from early morning walks or exercise classes or onboard
lectures, discussion groups, bridge lessons, and shore tours that we
tailor to their age and physical abilities.

"Most have been aboard numerous times in different parts of the world
or on world cruises, and tell us they feel so secure travelling with
small numbers of like-age.

"And while our officers and crew are largely younger than our guests,
every cruise quickly becomes like a big happy family event – for us,
welcoming back past guests is like welcoming back our own
grandparents!"

Guests too are quick to talk about the spontaneity of officers and
crew aboard Saga Rose, who always greet passing guests with a friendly
word, a question as to how they're enjoying their cruise, and even
enquiring of family members back home.

"We do everything possible to make our guests feel welcome," Tanya
says. "Simple things like a friendly greeting no matter how times you
might meet a guest in a day, helping with their trays from the buffet,
opening doors, helping them to their seats… its this face to face
contact that make their holiday for them and keeps them coming back
over and again."

Saga Rose normally carries under 600-passengers, and on most world
cruises around 450, looked after by 350 crew; she'll sail 52-nights
from Sydney to Southampton on February 27 2009 as part of her next
world cruise, visiting 24-ports in Australia, Vanuatu, the Solomon
Islands, Papua New Guinea, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka,
the Maldives, India, Oman, Yemen, Egypt Cyprus and Malta.

Early Bird 15% discount cruise-only prices start from $18,532pp
twin-share exclusively through Cruiseco; phone 1800 225 656 for the
name of your nearest Cruiseco agency Australia-wide or visit
www.cruising.com.au

…………………………

PHOTO CAPTIONS: TANYA Whitehurst: Aussie with job most girls can only

dream of.

SAGA Rose at sea.

GUESTS enjoy dining on deck in
fine weather.

SHOWTIME at night aboard Saga Rose.

Images: Saga Holidays

TAHITI HONEYMOON THAT LIFETIME DREAMS ARE MADE OF

14 February 2008

TAHITI HONEYMOON THAT LIFETIME DREAMS ARE MADE OF

A honeymoon in Tahiti sounds dreamy enough, but when it's aboard the
just-24-passenger motor catamaran Haumana – with an exclusive dinner
on deck for only the two of you – it becomes a lifetime memory.

Coral Seas Travel can arrange this unique celebration as part of
5-night packages that include return air and taxes from Sydney, two
nights in an Ocean View Room at the Radisson Plaza Tahiti in Papeete,
and a 3-night Haumana cruise on Rangiroa Lagoon in the French
Polynesian Tuamotus.

The price also includes all onboard French/Polynesian dining, wines
with lunch and dinner, all non-alcoholic drinks throughout the cruise,
escorted shore excursions and guided fishing, watersports, nightly
Polynesian entertainment, and a 4-star French picnic one day at tables
set up in the shallow waters of an uninhabited island.

The price starts from $5299pp twin-share – honeymooners simply need
proof of having just been married to enjoy their own private dinner
one evening with wine on the forward deck, and if they wish on another
occasion Haumana will put them ashore for a day to themselves on
"their own South Pacific island."

Haumana has just 12 over-size staterooms; for full details phone 1800
641 803, in Sydney 8236 9900 or visit www.coralseas.com.au

BRINGING DREAM CUISINE TO THE FAMILY TABLE

18 February 2008

BRINGING DREAM CUISINE TO THE FAMILY TABLE

Five-star recipes that have earned SeaDream Yacht Club the world's
highest accolades for Cuisine Excellence are now available for those
with a passion for creating fine food at home.

The company has released a mouth-watering cookbook titled Dream
Cuisine, featuring more than 90 of its top recipes created by its
Executive Chef d'Cuisine, Robert van Rijsbergen and the corps of Chefs
d'Cuisine aboard its boutique 110-passenger SeaDream I and SeaDream
II.

Subtitled An Adventure for the Senses, recipes that are accompanied by
spectacular photography cover classic French dishes, sophisticated
international offerings, a mingling of Asian influences, and
vegetarian choices, with quantities for each sufficient to serve four
persons.

"There's something for all occasions," says SeaDream Yacht Club's
President and CEO, Larry Pimentel, "with recipes following how guests
enjoy dining aboard from Welcoming hors d'oeuvres, through luncheon,
dinner appetizers and main courses and desserts, a spa menu and our
inspirational Menu Degustation for anyone wanting to host a truly
memorable dining experience at home."

SeaDream's Dream Cuisine cookbook costs US$30 plus postage through the
Boutique section of its website www.seadream.com; recipes are amongst
those that have earned Cuisine Excellence accolades from Conde Nast
Traveler magazine and Travel + Leisure magazine, and the highest score
in the Food Category in the Berlitz Guide to Ocean Cruising and Cruise
Ships.

CREATIONS in Dream Cruise include:

. Gratinated Escargot with aubergine caviar and mushrooms

. Cream of Pumpkin Soup with lobster and whipped cream

. Salad of Marinated Monkfish

. Thai-Style Chili Garlic Quail

. Honey & Five Spice Roast Saddle of Veal

. Sautéed "Gariguette" Strawberries and Olive Oil Ice-Cream

. Champagne Sorbet with Kirschwasser

. Lemon Soufflé in individual ramekins

……………..

Announcing the Maiden Voyage to the North Pole of the World’s Newest, Largest and Most Sophisticated Icebreaker, 50 Years of Victory

Quark Expeditions, world leader in polar adventure travel, has chartered the nuclear-powered icebreaker 50 Years of Victory for expeditions to the North Pole in 2008.

Twenty years in the making, Victory, the largest Arktika-class vessel ever built, has a spoon-shaped bow, and an all-new automated digital control system. A stainless steel ice belt 18 feet wide enables crushing through ice up to 9.2 feet thick. Two nuclear reactors produce 75,000 horsepower for a top speed of 21.4 knots in open water. Victory is equipped with a helicopter for aerial sightseeing and shore transfers.

Commissioned in 2007 as a working vessel, Victory has been newly outfitted as an expedition ship with ample public space: Aft Saloon, Forward Lounge, a bar and polar library. The Aft Saloon converts from a day-time presentation room to a place to socialize in the evening. A shop, gym, indoor pool, two saunas and massage services provide other diversions. There are 64 cabins in five categories, all with facilities en suite and a window that opens to an ocean view.

Only 128 people will be able to claim that they stood on top of the world during Victory’s maiden voyage to the North Pole. Compare that to the number of people who can say they were there when the Red Sox won the World Series or Italy won the World Cup! This rare opportunity for travelers can never be repeated. The maiden voyage runs from June 23 to July 8, 2008. The 16-day voyage starts at US$22,900 per person for a Standard Twin cabin.

In addition to a champagne celebration on the ice at 90 degrees N, the expedition will include shore landings in Franz Josef Land. The archipelago is the most northerly land mass in Eurasia. The islands are a known habitat of polar bear, walrus and vast colonies of seabirds.

Quark Expeditions will operate two other expeditions to the North Pole aboard Victory in 2008: July 6 – 21 and July 19 – August 4. The July 19 – August 14 departure is 17 days in duration to accommodate a viewing of a total solar eclipse. Cabins for all three voyages can be booked through Quark Expeditions by calling 1-800-356-5699 or +1-203-656-0499. More information about the vessel can be found at www.quarkexpeditions.com

Seadream Yacht Club gets another best service award

20 March 2008

SEADREAM YACHT CLUB WINS "BEST SERVICE" CRUISE AWARD

SeaDream Yacht Club, operator of the elite mega yacht cruisers
SeaDream I and II, was today named "Best Cruise Line for Service" at
ITB, the world's largest tourism industry fair currently being held in
Berlin.

The award, sponsored by the German-speaking market's top cruise
guidebook - Kreuzfaht.Guide – was judged by a jury of seven senior
German travel journalists and the guidebook's authors.

Accepting the award, SeaDream's Senior Vice President Worldwide Sales
and Marketing, Bob Lepisto said: "We are especially delighted to
accept this great accolade for two compelling reasons.

"First, at SeaDream service to our guests is always uppermost in our
minds. We believe that the enjoyment of the travel experience begins
and ends with guest service, something our dedicated staff strives for
on a daily basis.

"And second, this honor is highly important to us because it comes
from the German marketplace which constantly increases in importance
for us."

SeaDream Yacht Club has been the recipient of many awards and
accolades from authoritative travel organizations and publications in
North America, UK, Australia and elsewhere.

These include sharing the top Five Star Club award in the
authoritative Berlitz Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships 2008 guidebook.
Berlitz guide author Douglas Ward created a special category "Utterly
Exclusive" for only three vessels he said were above luxury.

Of the three, two were SeaDream I and II. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine
named SeaDream Yacht Club the "World's Best Small Passenger Shipping
Line" for 2006. Additionally, SeaDream scored higher than any other
cruise line---large or small---in this reader's poll--- and was the
only cruise line rated in the top 100 "World's Best Travel
Experiences."

Travel + Leisure Magazine named SeaDream World's Best Small-Ship
Cruise Line in its 2007 reader's poll. Further, Cruise Magazine,
leading UK travel publication, named SeaDream I "World's Best Small
Cruise Vessel for 2006. In 2007 SeaDream was also named one of the
"World's Best Value" travel experiences by authoritative Travel +
Leisure.

I

For information about SeaDream I and II's sailings in the
Mediterranean and Caribbean see travel agents or visit
www.seadream.com

NAME’S THE GAME WITH HAUMANA TO YOURSELVES

BOOK all 12-cabins aboard the luxury motor catamaran Haumana in Tahiti for family, friends, club-mates or the company, and you'll not only have Haumana to yourselves, you can rename her whatever you like while you're aboard.

Haumana carries just 24-guests in her 12-cabins as she sails 3- or 4-night cruises – or a week with both these options combined – across the extraordinarily beautiful Rangiroa Lagoon in the Tuamotu Archipelago.

Guests who choose to charter can also fly their own flag during their unique holiday, that includes all crew, all onboard dining, at least one 4-star French beach picnic at shady tables set up in the shallow waters of an uninhabited island, wines with lunch and dinner, and all soft drinks throughout the cruise.

Activities can include fun fishing tournaments, beach games, watersports and snorkelling competitions to identify fish species, corals and other marine life, and escorted beach- and bush-walks.

If you'd like to give Haumana a try before going for a full-yacht charter, Coral Seas Travel have 3-nights costing from $5349pp twin-share and 4-nights from $5929pp twin-share, including return air and taxes from Sydney, transfers in Tahiti, 1-night pre- and one post-cruise at the Radisson Plaza Resort in Papeete, all meals, wines with lunch and dinner and non-alcoholic drinks.

Details – including prices for an all-of-yacht charter – on 1800 641 803, in Sydney 8236 9900 or www.coralseas.com.au

RARE CRUISE LINKS ANTARCTICA, AFRICA, INDIA THE MED AND UK

Cruiseco is giving free air and discounts of up to 27% on an extraordinary adventure cruise next February aboard the 4-star Discovery between South America, Antarctica, the Falkland Islands,
South Africa, India, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Harwich (London.)

This 108-day cruise that departs Buenos Aires on February 8 2009 to join Discovery in Ushuaia is priced from $27,250pp twin-share including the exclusive Cruiseco discount and free return air from mainland capitals.

For those with less time, it can be broken into sectors as short as 58-days between Buenos Aires and Istanbul or Athens, Cape Town and Istanbul, Athens or Harwich, or Mumbai and Harwich; these sectors arepriced from as low as $14,995pp twin-share.

Discovery has 3-restaurants, 6-bars, gymn, health and beauty centre, two pools, a theatre for destination lectures and movies, show lounge featuring nightly entertainment and classical concerts, deck games and internet centre.

Bookings for these cruises that are exclusive to Cruiseco need to be made 90-days before departure or until sold out; phone 1800 225 656 for the name of your nearest Cruiseco cruise-specialist agency Australia-wide, or visit www.cruising.com.au

(Discovery will also sail a 50-day itinerary from Cairo to North Africa, South America and Antarctica on November 1 this year pricedfrom $14,850pp twin-share, including a 30% discount and free return air from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.)