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POSTED: 30 DECEMBER 2011
Ecruising.travel looks beyond the shipping lanes to maximise the travel experience
I spent a couple of days recently with Brett Dudley, founder and chairman of ecruising.travel, on a short leg of a journey that in March 2013 will marry one of the world’s iconic rail journeys with a chance to explore Perth and a cruise on a luxury ocean liner.
The trip involves catching the Indian Pacific for the three-night journey from Sydney to Perth in a Red-Class Sleeper, spending three nights in Perth’s Parmelia Hilton, then boarding Radiance of the Seas for an 18-night cruise back to Sydney via New Zealand.
“The Indian Pacific and a luxury cruise are things that many people have on their travel wish list, and we’re providing a rare opportunity for them to tick off both during one journey ... and to do so at what really is a good price,” said Brett over a schooner and a game of pool in one of Broken Hill’s grand old pubs.
It was a chance to stretch our legs after boarding the Indian Pacific earlier that day in Adelaide for a somewhat bumpy 26-hour journey to Sydney.
And he’s certainly right about the price, which at $4629 per person twin-share is excellent value, especially given that the Indian Pacific component normally sells for about $1500 each.
That means that the 21 nights of hotel accommodation and cruising will cost about $150 per night per head. Not bad when you consider that includes entertainment and all meals for 18 days.
Port visits include Albany, Esperance, Adelaide, Hobart, Melbourne, Milford Sound, Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington.
The package is indicative of a broadening of direction for ecruising.travel, which Brett founded a little over a decade ago and which now sells more cruise holidays than any other company.
“We want to provide our customers with the best travel experience we can and offer them the best value possible,” he said in between shots.
“And if that means packaging other forms of travel together with our strong suit of traditional cruising, then that’s fine by me.”
An earlier opportunity to check out the Indian Pacific and Radiance combo will come with the 2012 Seniors Tropics to The Outback package, which departs on 19 February 2012. This 20-night itinerary includes a 16-night cruise from Sydney to Perth aboard the Radiance of the Seas with port visits to Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Port Douglas, Darwin, Bali, Port Hedland and Geraldton.
Then there’s a night at the Sheraton Perth before returning to Sydney in red-class sleeper on the Indian Pacific.
The package has been reduced from $5079 to $3299 per person twin-share, though the deal does require one passenger to be over 55 years of age.
For further details, phone 1300 369 848 or visit www.ecruising.travel.
