Silversea has announced an exciting new itinerary for 2011, providing discerning travellers with the unique opportunity to circumnavigate Australia for the first time ever.
    

The 30-day Sydney roundtrip, which sails from 19 January to 18 February 2011, will enable guests to visit a diverse range of destinations, from great State capitals and paradise islands to remote regions which are only accessible by Silversea’s intimate vessel, Silver Shadow.
    

Departing from the vibrant city of Sydney, Silver Shadow will sail counter-clockwise around the vast island continent with calls in Brisbane, Whitsunday Islands, Willis Island (Great Barrier Reef), Port Douglas, Cooktown, Darwin, Broome, Exmouth, Perth, Albany, Port Lincoln, Adelaide, Geelong, Melbourne and Hobart.  
    

This proves to be one of the world’s most desirable destinations.  With its exceptional range of experiences and landscapes, Australia offers cruise lovers an adventure of a lifetime.  Cruising in Australia for an extended period will give the cruising community an opportunity to truly immerse themselves in the country, meet the locals and enjoy uniquely Aussie experiences. 
   
In addition to the many activities onboard, the Silver Shore Concierge will be on hand to organize exclusive shore excursions for guests seeking travel adventures that go beyond the ordinary, from interesting twists on popular attractions to off the beaten track adventures.  Several overnight land excursions are also available to those wishing to immerse themselves in remote areas such as the Outback.

This is the cruise to watch for, especially if you've always wanted to go "down under."

Cruise Lines Offer Help to Haiti

Royal Caribbean and sister-line Celebrity -- the only cruise lines with a presence in Haiti -- were in limbo temporarily, waiting on word from the Haitian government as to whether its ships would be able to call at the private beach resort of Labadee, far from the epicenter of Tuesday's earthquake. Word came and the ships have been making voyages there  -- but with more than just sunbathing in mind.

The company's 3,600-passenger Independence of the Seas was the first to be loaded with relief supplies (including rice, dried beans, water, dried milk, and a variety of other canned items), and arrived at Labadee, January 15th.  Additional relief supplies were delivered by Navigator of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas  and by Celebrity's Celebrity Solstice.

As these efforts continue, guests aboard these ships can make their own direct contributions to the relief effort by charging donations to Food for the Poor's Haiti Relief Fund through their onboard accounts.

I say, "Way to Go RCCL!"