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Here is a brief summary of the follow up fax......
"Questions and Answers.
Why have you changed your plans?US demand for South America is so strong. Pacific Princess will now come to Au for an extended 6 month season.It's a matter of managing GLOBAL CAPACITY and DEMAND.
Why did Princess pull Dawn away if the first cruise offered (the circumnavigation) was a sellout?Pacific Princess will do 2 circumnavigation cruises.Passengers have been moved to a voyage depending on the order in which they booked and have tilll Aug 11 to cancel and receive a full deposit refund."
The revised Circle Australia cruises on Pacific Princess are;
1. 11 November 06.....9 December 062. 28 February 07.......28 March 07
I am very dissapointed that Australians and Kiwis will not have have the chance of experiencing Dawn downunder.
PACIFIC PRINCESS was going to visit Adelaide Nov. 5, 2006 and DAWN PRINCESS on Nov. 28, 2006.
It is a little disappointing we won't see DAWN PRINCESS this time around. Hopefully they'll have a re-think and send us something decent for the 2007/2008 season.
Thanks for the news bmajor.
******
Cheers
It will be interesting to see how many passengers rebook on Pacific Princess.The sellout of the Circle Australia cruise may have been because it was on Dawn Princess.If so ,and P&O are scheduling 2 circle cruises ,there may be some segments available, nearer to sailing time!!!!!
We will have to wait and see I guess.
Well I guess this board isnt really that evenly representative...there was much more bitching about the lack of Australian capacity than South America, yet South America seems to have a sudden explosion of demand!
quote:Originally posted by pungpui:Well I guess this board isnt really that evenly representative...there was much more bitching about the lack of Australian capacity than South America, yet South America seems to have a sudden explosion of demand!
The biggest cruise market in the world is America and it is almost certainly Americans that want to go to South America.
Australia (like the UK) will only start to get new and bigger ships when the demand grows from Australians and tourists. You will just have to be patient. It must be very frustrating for ship fans.
The UK only started getting more bigger and newer ships in the past few years, until then we mainly had smaller/oder tonnage. However, I understand that the UK is now the second biggest cruise market in the world?
[ 07-28-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]
From the UK, the airfares to South America, Oz, New Zeland or even Hawaii, for example, can coat as much as the cruises themselves.
As I've said before we need more space and faster aircraft!
quote:jeffrossatsea wrote:hey bulbousbow....i don't know if this will make you feel better.....send me your mail address by private e-mail and i'll send you a pic of the dawn princess (sun,sea and ocean as well)......if i had a choice of the dawn or pacific princess....it would definatly be the pacific.....i would love the interior a lot better
Hi Jeff, thanks for the offer. I have e-mailed you my e-mail address you can use for sending an image(s) (if you wish).
I am not too disappointed DAWN PRINCESS is not coming. I am more disappointed that Princess does not send DIAMOND or SAPPHIRE to Adelaide like they did with STAR PRINCESS. I know to some extent our port authority and state government are to blame for this. I am waiting to see whether the 2007/2008 season brings any changes.
Catch you soon.
quote:Noordam wrote:Bigger isn't always better... In my opinion the Pacific is a much better ship then Dawn... Although smaller, she is much more intimate, has more dining options, and to be honest she is one of the few homey ships afloat... Be happy that this precious ships is remaining in Australia!
I agree that PACIFIC PRINCESS is a better ship, however DAWN PRINCESS would be better for our mass market. Regardless, we should be happy that we have such a quality ship available.
quote:Originally posted by Frosty 4:I would like to do an Australian/NZ cruise, but that LONG flight, Ouch! After going to Tahiti --13 hours from Chicago on rock hard seats on Air Tahiti Nui,plus the time zone changes-jet lag.
Mate, try living here, where I'm doing a return SYD-LHR at least once a year...8 hours to Singapore, 14 hours to London, with transit of at least 2 hours...thats 24 hours.
quote:Originally posted by pungpui:Mate, try living here, where I'm doing a return SYD-LHR at least once a year...8 hours to Singapore, 14 hours to London, with transit of at least 2 hours...thats 24 hours.
I don't do a third trip Down Under every year ...
It ain't gonna happen!
The "faster aircraft" have been retired, one is on a NYC pier adjacent to QM2's intermitten visits. And the laws of physics dictate that "whot we got is whot we gonna get." 7E7s will only shorten journeys marginally. Pace of baggage delivery will probably make a greater difference.
And world geography is pretty much a constant.
As a layman I see no reason why we can't have faster subsonic aircraft? However, I do recall reading that the science and economics were not so simple to achieve.
[/b]I still want faster Aircraft, with low fares, though! [/b]
Also on my wish list is some long range SeaCats, such as Transatlantic, operating in the niche between cruise ships and aircraft. Lets not forget my global fleet of giant Airships too!
[ 07-29-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:[QUOTE]Originally posted by Cambodge:And the laws of physics dictate that "whot we got is whot we gonna get." As a layman I see no reason why we can't have faster subsonic aircraft? However, I do recall reading that the science and economics were not so simple to achieve.[/b]I still want faster Aircraft, with low fares, though! [/b]Also on my wish list is some long range SeaCats, such as Transatlantic, operating in the niche between cruise ships and aircraft. Lets not forget my global fleet of giant Airships too![ 07-29-2005: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]
Malcolm,
existing aircrafts are already flying with a speed close to the speed of sound so there can in principle not be much faster subsonic aircrafts.
I am not sure wheter you really want to cross the Atlantic with a "SeaCat" like ship. They are not really good ships - as long as the wheater is "fine" they can go fast, but then....
The speed of ships is predominantly limited by the wavemaking resistance, which is increasing dramatically with the speed. Only a small increase in speed calls for a very hefty increase in power making fast ships very, very expensive thus not competitive with the efficiency of planes. (not to talk about the duration of the journey)
Greetings
Ernst
quote: Originally posted by Malcom : Also on my wish list is some long range SeaCats, such as Transatlantic, operating in the niche between cruise ships and aircraft .
Why a seacat ? Those ships are so ugly ! They are as wide as they are long. You can find HSC with a similar speed with a much more elegant Monohull. But, just like the catamarans, they aren't good ships in bad weather.
However, I think we should remember that 53 years ago, the United States was able to reach 43 knts (as much as any HSC). So we may imagine that with modern tecnolgies we could build a very fast true intercontinental liner.
quote:Originally posted by Pascal:[...]However, I think we should remember that 53 years ago, the United States was able to reach 43 knts (as much as any HSC). So we may imagine that with modern tecnolgies we could build a very fast true intercontinental liner.
[...]
Of course it is technically possible to build a modern version of the United States but it can not be justified as the fuel consumption would still be very high. For intercontinental distances the plane is more efficient and will always be much faster. Fast ships have their niche on shorter routes.
I think there is a niche between crossing the Atlantic in 6 nights at great expenses on the QM2 and flying in 7 hours. I’m sure that there are some people that would snap up a 2.3 (3?) day voyage on a SeaCat (or mono hull). They would not need the finest accommodation or finest food, just a rapid way to cross the pond WITHOUT flying. The fare would need to be pitched in-between a liner crossing and flying.
I recall a firm proposed this idea after 9/11. A summer spring to autumn service you prove possible with existing technology?
Likewise I’m sure there is a niche for intercontinental Airship travel. Faster than a ship, but with some of the luxury.
As for the fuel consumption argument, I don’t buy it. You all sound like envoronmentalists. (My cars got an 11,00 CC engine, what’s yours got?) People love speed and are always prepared to pay for it. People were prepared to pay the Concord fares; it was the development costs which broke the camels back.
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:I[...]As for the fuel consumption argument, I don’t buy it. You all sound like envoronmentalists. (My cars got an 11,00 CC engine, what’s yours got?) People love speed and are always prepared to pay for it. People were prepared to pay the Concord fares; it was the development costs which broke the camels back.
I am afraid you have to buy not only the argument but a lot of fuel to realize that. The wave making resistance - which is dominant for fast ships - may appoximetely increase with the 6th (!) power of the velocity. (this is very simplified, read a proper book on that topic) Concorde looks very very cheap compared to a ship crossing the Atlantic in two (!!!!) days. (finally her engines are very efficent when operated in the supersonic range)
quote:Originally posted by Ernst: The wave making resistance - which is dominant for fast ships - may appoximetely increase with the 6th (!) power of the velocity.
The wave making resistance - which is dominant for fast ships - may appoximetely increase with the 6th (!) power of the velocity.
Trust you Ernst to introduce Science into my dream!
O.K. a Transatlantic Hovercraft!
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:Trust you Ernst to introduce Science into my dream!O.K. a Transatlantic Hovercraft!
Maybe a combined Hovercraft Zeppelin service. Or amphibiouse vessels which allow to offer a very direct service from city centre to city centre. (O.K. you can do that with a Hovercraft too....)
[ 07-29-2005: Message edited by: Ernst ]
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