Here’s some good news from the Anzac centenary front: you can still mark the 100th anniversary of the Anzac landings at Gallipoli next year with an Anzac Day cruise/tour, including airfares from Australia.
Sydney-based operator Horizons Cruise and Tours, a member of the Travel Partners Group, has acted to reassure prospective travellers that its fully escorted cruise/tour to Gallipoli Cove aboard the Louis Cruises luxury cruise ship M/V Louis Cristal is proceeding as planned.
Louis Cruises, operator of the M/V Louis Cristal, has taken great care to abide by all the rules governing Anzac Day 2015 and its diligence has been rewarded.
As David Lyons of Horizons Cruise and Tours explains, two important facts distinguish the M/V Louis Cristal cruise:
- Firstly, the tour does not go ashore at Anzac Cove on Anzac Day. It goes ashore there on the Thursday before Anzac Day. That makes all the difference, as well as avoiding the crowds.
- Secondly, M/V Louis Cristal will not anchor in the Anzac Cove area on Anzac Day. It will anchor at a designated and respectful distance during the Centenary Dawn Service, a cruise highlight which will be screened live to the ship’s poolside and theatre. Passengers who were successful in the official Government Dawn Service ballot will be transferred ashore by Louis Cruises and escorted to Anzac Cove and after to Istanbul.
The cruise forms part of a special 14-day tour centenary cruise/tour package, departing Sydney on 15 April 2015. The package includes eight nights aboard MV Louis Cristal. Sailing from Athens, the ship heads to Turkey, taking in the exotic ports of Istanbul, Limnos, and Izmir – with focus on Gallipoli – a shore excursion to Anzac Cove, North Beach and the Ari Burnu beach cemetery.
Additionally, a retired senior commander of the Royal Australian Air Force, Raymond George Funnell, will speak about his experience during his time in service and will also provide detailed information about the Gallipoli Campaign.
After the screening of the Centenary Dawn Service, the ship will return to Istanbul. From there, passengers will fly to Paris for a tour of the Somme battlefield, where so many diggers fought and lost their lives.
Prices for the cruise/tour, including return flights from Sydney, begin at A$6097, twin share per person. For single cabins, prices for the tour begin at A$7150. Importantly, those prices include round-trip airfares from Australia. Bookings received and deposited by 31 July 2014 gain an onboard credit of A$150 per cabin. A full list of prices, along with deck plans of the ship and other details, can be seen on: www.horizonscruisetours.com.au
The tour provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join fellow Australians and actually be at Gallipoli 100 years on.
Source: Horizons Cruise and Tours