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News MenuClipper Takes its Unique Style of Small-Ship Cruising "Down Under"
Clipper Cruise Line, the small-ship adventure operator, has announced two voyages to Australia and New Zealand this winter aboard its newest vessel, the 128-passenger Clipper Odyssey: Down Under — From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to Coastal New Zealand and Exploring New Zealand’s North & South Islands, plus Sydney, Australia.
"There’s no better way to explore the natural beauty of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand than aboard our newest ship, the intimate and luxurious 128-passenger Clipper Odyssey," said Paul H. Duynhouwer, president and CEO of Clipper. "We'll be sailing in this area during the austral summer, when the balmy weather makes it easy to forget that it is winter back home."
"The small size and relatively shallow draft of the Clipper Odyssey allows us to explore secluded bays and coves, where we can launch our fleet of Zodiac landing craft virtually anywhere we choose," Duynhouwer continued. "Passengers will enjoy snorkeling in clear blue waters or beachcombing along pristine shores, accompanied as always by our onboard naturalists. These diverse itineraries also allow exploration of remote South Pacific places like Ouvéa Atoll and Norfolk Island, as well as popular destinations like Queenstown and Christchurch in New Zealand," he concluded.
Down Under — From Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to Coastal New Zealand, a 17-day adventure, begins December 7, 1999. Embarking in Cairns, Australia, passengers will enjoy cruising along the Great Barrier Reef, with stops at Hinchinbrook Island National Park and Hardy Reef in the Whitsunday Islands, before sailing for Noumea, New Caledonia; Atoll in the Loyalty Islands; Kingston, Norfolk Island, Australia; Opua on New Zealand’s North Island; and Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty (for Rotorua); disembarking in Auckland. Naturalists and other experts travel with the ship to enhance passengers’ enjoyment of the natural beauty of this area, leading walks ashore, giving informal talks on board, and providing commentary throughout. In addition to opportunities for swimming, snorkeling and exploration of natural areas, optional excursions will also be offered throughout the voyage. Rates per person, double occupancy, begin at $7,250, which includes round-trip international air from Los Angeles. An optional two-night pre-cruise extension in Sydney and an optional two-night postcruise extension in Queenstown, New Zealand, are also available.
Exploring New Zealand’s North & South Islands, plus Sydney, Australia, is a 17-day adventure that includes two nights at the ParkRoyal Hotel in beautiful Queenstown, New Zealand, and two nights at the deluxe Regent of Sydney, overlooking Sydney Harbor, as well as a nine-night voyage aboard the Clipper Odyssey. The ship will sail through New Zealand’s stunningly beautiful Fiordlands, including renowned Milford Sound, as well as Dusky and Doubtful Sounds, before continuing to Dunedin, Lyttelton (for Christchurch); Queen Charlotte Sound; Napier; and Tauranga (for Rotorua); and Auckland. Passengers may enjoy optional excursions during the journey, including a jet-boat ride of the Lower Shotover River outside Queenstown; a Tranz Alpine Express rail journey across New Zealand’s South Island; or a gannet safari in Napier. Departure dates are January 3 and 10, and February 24, 2000. Rates begin at $6,490 per person, double occupancy, and include round-trip international air transportation from Los Angeles.
Clipper's Small-Ship Expedition
Voyages to Antarctica
Bring Passengers Up Close to Penguins, Wildlife
Clipper, the small-ship adventure cruise line, has announced a series of expedition voyages to Antarctica this winter aboard the 122-passenger Clipper Adventurer.
"This is the ideal way to explore Antarctica," said Paul H. Duynhouwer, president and CEO of Clipper. "With its ice-strengthened hull, the Clipper Adventurer can easily maneuver in waters filled with ice floes, which conventional cruise ships cannot safely do. Our fleet of ten Zodiac landing craft can accommodate all passengers at once, for exploration around giant icebergs or ashore for face-to-face encounters with penguins and other species. This is true expedition cruising; the stops made are determined by our experienced captain. We’ll be in Antarctica during the region’s austral summer, when wildlife is at its most active and visible, and when the weather is generally mild. Our expedition team of naturalists, geologists and other experts, all veterans of Antarctic exploration, add immeasurably to passengers’ enjoyment of this area, spotting and describing the many animals, seabirds and other sights," he continued.
"In addition, the onboard amenities of the Clipper Adventurer, such as a covered, window-lined promenade deck; comfortable Observation Lounge; all-outside cabins; and healthy, delicious food, make it an ideal base from which to explore this strikingly beautiful area," Duynhouwer concluded.
Falklands, South Georgia Island, the South Orkney Islands & Antarctica departs November 10, 1999. This 23-day adventure includes one pre-cruise night in Santiago and two post-cruise nights in Buenos Aires at deluxe hotels, with 17 nights aboard the Clipper Adventurer. Boarding the ship in Port Stanley, the Falklands, passengers will continue to South Georgia Island; the South Orkney Islands, and the Antarctic Peninsula before disembarkation in Ushuaia, Argentina. Rates per person, double occupancy, begin at $10,580.
Exploring Antarctica & the Falklands, a 17-day journey, departs December 6, 1999, and January 3 and 25, 2000. Two precruise nights in Buenos Aires and one postcruise night in Santiago bookend an 11-night voyage exploring Antarctica, embarking in Ushuaia, Argentina, and disembarking in Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. Rates begin at $7,780 per person, double occupancy.
Exploring Antarctica is a 15-day adventure, beginning with two pre-cruise nights in Buenos Aires. Passengers embark and disembark the Clipper Adventurer in Ushuaia, Argentina, enjoying 10 nights aboard the ship exploring the Antarctic Peninsula. Per-person, double occupancy rates begin at $7,330.
All rates include round-trip international air from Miami, and all shoreside exploration and excursions as per the itinerary.
1999/2000 Sailing Schedules Announced for Clipper Odyssey
Clipper Cruise Line has announced 1999/2000 sailing schedules for its fourth and newest ship, the 120-passenger M/S Clipper Odyssey, with year-round itineraries in the Pacific. The cruises range from as far south as New Zealand and the Great Barrier Reef, and as far north as Japan, the Kuril Islands and the Russian Far East.
"The Clipper Odyssey will unveil the cultures and wildlife of the Pacific Basin," said Paul H. Duynhouwer, president and chief executive officer of Clipper. "A number of the areas we will visit are not frequented by many other ships, places such as Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, Japan's Inland Sea, the Kurils, Coastal Vietnam, New Zealand's Bay Islands and the Spice Island east of Bali. Our onboard naturalists and historians are especially important here in that they enhance our passengers' enjoyment of regions that are not familiar to them. And our fleet of Zodiac landing craft will extend our reach whenever we encounter places where no infrastructure exists," Duynhouwer concluded.
The Clipper Odyssey's inaugural voyage, Exploring Siam, Java, Bali and Hong Kong, is scheduled for November 7, 1999. The cruise from Singapore to Bali is preceded by a three-night stay in Bangkok and a two-night journey on the luxurious Eastern & Oriental Express train, exclusively chartered for Clipper. The train, equipped with luxury sleepers, will take passengers through the ancient Siamese countryside, stopping at the River Kwai of Alec Guiness fame, and continuing through Malaysia, via Butterworth and Georgetown to Singapore.
The 11-night cruise visits islands surrounding the legendary Krakatau Volcano, Kulon National Park, Semarang (for the Borobudor Temple), the Sumatra islands, and Komodo Island, famous for its huge dragons. After disembarking in Bali, passengers will fly to Hong Kong for a two-night stay at the deluxe Regent, overlooking the harbor.
Per-person rates for the 22-day trip start from $8,740 double occupancy, including round-trip air from the U.S. West Coast.
Clipper Adds Fourth Ship for Pacific Market
Clipper Cruise Line, the U.S.-owned small-ship operator, has announced it is adding a fourth ship to its fleet. An agreement to acquire the 120-passenger luxury vessel Oceanic Odyssey from Spice Islands Cruises of Bali, Indonesia, has been signed.
Until the purchase takes effect, Spice Islands Cruises will continue to operate and market its current three- and four-day cruises from Bali under a bareboat charter of the Oceanic Odyssey from Clipper until November 1, 1999. The ship will then begin to sail under the Clipper flag as the Clipper Odyssey, joining the Nantucket Clipper, Yorktown Clipper and the Clipper Adventurer.
"The Clipper Odyssey fits our product philosophy perfectly," said Paul H. Duynhouwer, president and chief executive officer of Clipper and Intrav, Inc., its parent company. "She's a beautifully built luxury vessel designed by Group Acht Yacht Design in my native Holland and constructed in 1989 by Japanese craftsmen. The whole feeling, the onboard ambiance, is similar to that of our other ships intimate and casual. Other similarities include Zodiac landing craft for shoreside exploration in remote areas where no infrastructure exists; onboard lecturers to enhance passenger enjoyment of the places visited; spacious, all-outside staterooms; ample teak-covered deck space; and superb cuisine with regional accents served in single seatings by a friendly crew. Other extras include a swimming pool, Jacuzzi, gymnasium, sauna, spa salon and jogging track."
"The acquisition of the Clipper Odyssey comes fewer than seven months after the launching of our new Clipper Adventurer in Lisbon, Portugal, last April. Our five-year growth plan called for an ambitious expansion reflecting our total confidence in the small-ship concept. With ever-larger entertainment-driven cruise ships entering the market, we have perceived a demographic shift in the client base in our favor. More affluent, discerning travelers want a more intimate, substantive cruise experience, and we clearly benefit from this trend. We provide the antidote to big-ship cruising," Duynhouwer concluded.
The Clipper Odyssey will remain in Southeast Asia until December 1999, when she sails for Australia's Great Barrier Reef and New Zealand where 10-day cruises circumnavigating the North and South Island are scheduled from January through early March.
She returns to Australia and Indonesia in the spring of 2000 before heading north to China, Japan and the islands of the North Pacific, including Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula, for the summer. It's back to Southeast Asia for late summer and Australia in the autumn of 2000.
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