Cruise & Maritime Voyages, the UK’s newest privately-owned cruise line, is planning to expand its operations into Western Australia.
The city of Fremantle, located on the Swan River and whose harbour serves Perth, will be the beneficiary of one of Cruise & Maritime home-ported ships, the Astor.
The Astor will travel to Western Australia in December 2013 and it is anticipated that the 620-passenger ship will be very well-received upon arrival. Indeed, there was some disappointment in the community after the cancellation of the cruise seasons from P&O and Classic International Cruises’ Athena. The decision to bring the Astor to Fremantle will bring a tourism boost to the local economy.
The Astor will sail from Fremantle during the summer on 15 cruises. On 5 November the cruise ship will sail from Rome to Western Australia and will then embark on an African cruise, leaving Fremantle on 1 April 2014. CMV has also announced that they will be setting up a sales office in Sydney.
“We are extremely pleased to be entering the Australian cruise market and to introduce a new era of luxury ocean cruises on a premium ship from Fremantle Port to the loyal WA cruising market…The success of the mid size traditional ship business model, since it was launched in 2004, demonstrates that this niche sector has a significant place in the Australian cruise industry.”
— Christian Verhounig, chairman and CEO of CMV
About the Astor
The Astor was originally launched in 1987. It was most recently refurbished during 2010 and received a 14 million dollar enhancement. The Astor has already travelled to the east coast of Australia during 2011, and its great news that the ship will now be home-ported in Fremantle. Passengers onboard the Astor can take advantage of a wide range of exciting activities and luxury facilities. For instance, throughout the seven decks of the ship, there are four restaurants, two swimming pools, five different lounges and even a golf driving range. The restaurants include the Waldorf Restaurant, the Romantic, the Toscana Dining Rooms and the more informal Club Bistro.
In terms of activities, there are some great options onboard, including various spas, and different outdoor and indoor pools. For those looking for some serious relaxation, passengers can indulge at the massage parlour or in the saunas and whirlpools. And for something more active, if you want to stay fit, the ship offers volleyball, tennis, a jogging track and an entire fitness centre. But of course, most passengers choose a cruise for the level of relaxation it offers. The Astor contains a range of bars to suit every taste, from the Captain’s Club, the Sun Terrace, the Ubersee Club & Hanse Bar, and the Astor Theatre Main show Lounge. With pool rooms and a library onboard, there is no shortage of what to do on the ship. It’s easy to see why the arrival of the Astor in Western Australia is great news for potential passengers but also for the population of Fremantle.
14 Comments
Went from Fremantle to Uk on 1st April,
We had sailed extensively before but never on a small ship.We found it wonderful,friendly, clean,food gorgeous, and the places we stopped at different to the normal run of the mill cruising. We will go again, we hope this ship will go to other places-Hawaii,Japan etc. will go again.
I disembarked at Fremantle today after doing two back to back cruises out of Fremantle. The first was a 3 day weekend cruise and the second was one night where we simply stayed on Board in port.
Inspite of being on board, they made me move cabins for the last night and then proceeded to lose me in the system. It took several hours to get off the ship this morning. Yesterday morning, they failed to tell passengers who were not disembarking that breakfast closed early and there would be nothing at all to eat or drink from 8am to 1pm.
And on Sunday night I had booked for a 15 minute head and neck massage. It seems that I fell asleep during the massage (as a lot of people do) and when I woke up proceeded to charge me for a 60 minute massage – and would not negotiate in any way.
Back to this morning and disembarkation – most people had one small bag because they had only been on board for one night. But my friend and I had been on board to take part in a hobby activity that requires a lot of equipment, so we each had two big heavy bags as well as our personal things. There were no porters provided to assist with getting the bags off the boat.
All in all, I won’t be hurrying back to try them again. And that’s without talking about the noise of the engines and the paper thin cabin walls that made sleeping an impossibility.
I would not recommend this ship to anyone!
I believe on some cruise ships you are allowed to take bottled water and also soft drink, is this allowed on the Astor?
iwant to know if vacancies are available explore the coast for Jan 13 also the cruise to asia in March2014
Good afternoon Mary, these sailings are selling very quickly, I would recommend calling the cruise line directly.
Looking forward to trying out this great ship. Would like to apply for a position as a musician in the entertainment department.
You are on a winner here ,Fantastic Ship ,did a Cruise on the Astor in 2010 ,14 Nights around the Baltic Sea ,friendly staff great Food and a spotless Ship Good luck …Bernie Poll
Hi Bernie, this show certainly is getting a lot plaudits at the minute.
Hi Charles
just wondering how i could book this for 2014 Fremantle to CapeTown. I cannot seem to find a website for this. thanks
Good morning Suzanne, this cruise isn’t bookable just yet, but what this space.
do you have a cruise for 2 to 3 days from fremantle to fremantle for next year.
Good afternoon Maryanne, I have had a quick look but we can’t find any, have a look at http://blogresolve.cruise1st.com.au/cheap/short-cruises.phtml
Many Thanks
I have just booked tickets for the 3 day “Australia Day” aboard the Astor. Leaving on January 25th. Cruise number A412.
It is good that the Astor is going to be home ported at Fremantle after losing the Athena and Centaur.Both my wife and many friends have sailed on the two later mentioned passenger ships out of Fremantle.The Athena communications staff always sent a brochure detailing it’s planned annual cruises to former passengers and accordingly we would like you to keep us informed of the ships planned annual sailing itinerary.We understood the Centaur after leaving Fremantle was used between the UK and Falkland Islands whereas we would all like to know the fate of the Athena and it’s future use?