Building on its reputation as the premier expedition cruise product in Australasia Orion has received three prestigious Cruise Passenger magazine Readers’ Choice Awards, announced at a ceremony at the Observatory Hotel in Sydney.

Orion was awarded top billing as

* BEST SMALL SHIP
* BEST CUISINE
* BEST ADVENTURE CRUISE SHIP

Commenting on the awards, Sarina Bratton, Founder and Managing Director of Orion Expedition Cruises, praised the enthusiasm, hard work and consistent attention to detail provided across all facets of the Orion operation, with particular attention to Orion’s 75 onboard crew as being key factors in the success.

“The Best Small Ship award was up against other well known vessels under 500 passengers, so it was credit to us that we were successful (again) in this category.

In my opinion, the award that showcases how highly our guests regard our onboard product is the Cuisine Award. We are competing with all of the big ships and whilst they have 10s of thousands of past guests voting for their favourite ship and specific product areas, clearly our guests feel passionate about their culinary experiences onboard Orion and vote accordingly.

Congratulations to everyone onboard Orion for your continuing commitment to excellence. And congratulations to all those ashore for providing service levels commensurate to that enjoyed onboard our wonderful little ship Orion.

It’s fantastic to see Orion up there for the fifth year running as winner of the Best Small Ship and Best Adventure Cruise Ship categories – a true testament to our consistency and appeal among Australasian cruisers.”

Sarina commented that the Awards results reflected consumer endorsement of niche (100 guest) expedition cruising in combination with true 5 star standards of service and luxury, citing strong forward bookings as evidence of the successful establishment of Orion in Australia and the impetus to commit to a second specialist expedition ship, Orion II, due to enter operation with Orion Expedition Cruises in April 2011.

Also pleased with the results was Serge Dansereau (The Bathers’ Pavilion), who is responsible for the planning of Orion’s dinner menus. Serge was happy to hear the news that once again Orion’s cuisine had been rated so highly and pointed to the high standards maintained by Executive Chef Lothar Greiner and his team onboard.

ABOUT ORION

Orion is Australia’s only 5 star purpose-built expedition cruise ship, featuring an unmatched range of onboard facilities. With 75 crew and a maximum of just 106 passengers Orion offers the highest staff-to-guest ratio of any ship based in Australian waters.

It is, however, Orion’s luxurious accommodation and facilities that distinguish it from other expedition ships in Australian waters. All 53 staterooms and suites are exterior with ocean views and include a sitting area or living room, Internet access, flat screen TV, DVD and CD player, private marble bathroom and choice of twin beds or queen-size bed.

The Five-star amenities include a spa, sauna, masseuse, hairdresser, boutique, several lounges and a well stocked library equipped with Internet access.

The dinner menu is created by Sydney’s renowned chef Serge Dansereau (of The Bathers’ Pavilion fame). The extensive wine list includes well known and boutique Australian and New Zealand wines.

Purpose built for the adventurous. As elegant and comfortable as Orion is, it never loses sight of its purpose as an expedition ship. There are ten, heavy-duty, Zodiac inflatable motorized boats for shore landings and a well equipped fishing boat.

The permanent onboard Expedition Team is supplemented by specialist guest lecturers and presenters selected for their areas of expertise according to the various itineraries and destinations.

Further information on Orion Expedition Cruises can be obtained by visiting the website www.orionexpeditions.com

For reservations or to obtain a brochure call Orion Expedition Cruises: 61-2 9033 8777 (Sydney callers) 1300 361 012 (regional and interstate) or your travel agent. Email: info@orionexpeditions.com

Send your pics to Cruise Passenger Magazine and win – Send us your cruise photos and we’ll publish the best – plus you could win a powerful Panasonic digital camera!

Email your photos to: cruises@edgecustom.com.au

Most of us pack a camera when going on a cruise and, thanks to the wonders of digital photography, take hundreds of pictures. Now you could win a fantastic Panasonic Lumix digital camera, a Lowepro camera backpack and a Velbon tripod, just by sending us your best cruise photo. We will showcase your photos on our website, cruises.com.au, and publish the winners in the December issue of Cruise Passenger magazine.

First prize: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 hybrid camera has a remarkable 12x optical zoom in a compact, stylish body and 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens. It also includes AVCHD Lite*1 video recorder, making the TZ7 a truly versatile point and shoot. Find out more at www.panasonic.com.au.

Terms and Conditions: Send us up to three photos (high-resolution digital only), taken on a cruise ship or at a destination reached by ship. It must have been taken within the last five years. Email your photos to: cruises@edgecustom.com.au by October 16, 2009. In addition to your photos, please include the following details in your email entry: your full name and address; name of ship and/or location featured. The photographer of the picture judged the best will win a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 hybrid camera (right). Runners-up will receive a Velbon tripod and Lowepro camera backpacks. The judging panel will consist of representatives from Edge Custom Media, Maxwell Optical and Panasonic.

Why has European river cruising more than doubled in popularity for Australians in a year when we’re supposed to be broke? Where are the best river cruises in Europe, Asia, Russia, America and Africa? What do you need to know if you’ve never been on a river cruise before?

Cruise Passenger magazine’s annual River Cruising Guide, free with the spring issue on sale now, has all the answers.

Cruise Passenger is Australasia’s leading cruise publication, dedicated to providing its discerning readership with news, reviews and in-depth features about ships and destinations by the best travel and cruise writers in the business.

Must-read features in the spring edition of Cruise Passenger include:

• New Season Special: the inside story on ships, trips, ports and itineraries as the new cruising season Down Under launches with more on offer than ever before
• Australia’s fabulous Kimberley: the essential cruising guide to this magnificent wilderness region
• Destination Asia: it’s close to home and offers an amazing array of cruise and travel experiences – no wonder we’re queuing up to book cruises there.

In this issue, readers can also win these great prizes:

• European river cruise for two, worth $13,500
• 2 return business-class Emirates flights from Sydney to Auckland
• $4,500 Orient-Express holiday anywhere in the world
• Panasonic Lumix digital camera, Velbron tripod and LowePro backpacks

The ‘bible’ of cruising is available at selected newsagents and by subscription for an amazing $29.95 a year for 4 issues, including the annual River Cruising Guide and Adventure Cruise Guide – call 1300 668 905 for details.