APT now selling 2021 Australian cruises

APT Travel Group has begun promoting local departures aboard Caledonian Sky, with a nine-day Cape York & the Great Barrier Reef Expedition set to operate on two departures in Apr and May 2021.

The trip will take in the remote islands of the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea, en route to Thursday Island and Cape York, and includes a full day exploring Lizard Island.

The 114-passenger ship (pictured) is believed to have remained in Australian waters during the pandemic despite being flagged in the Bahamas, after an agreement was reached with the Australian Government not to kick it out despite the official edict against international ships introduced after the Ruby

Princess outbreak (CW 16 Apr). As well as the new Queensland voyage, APT is offering a Sep 2021 departure on Caledonian Sky in Western Australia, starting with a tour of the state’s Wildflower Way from Perth before joining the vessel in Geraldton and cruising north to Broome.

There’s also a reverse itinerary from Broome to Perth in Aug, with all voyages including the services of APT’s expedition team.

The Apr Queensland cruises are priced from $8,995 per person, while the Western Australia trips lead in at $15,140.

The APT website also features a 10-day Grand Kimberley Coast trip from Kununurra to Broome departing on 15 May 2021.

APT’s parent company, Australian Pacific Holdings, acquired a significant stake in UK-based Noble Caledonia in 2012, which is the owner of Caledonian Sky alongside the 116 passenger

Island Sky and the 118-passenger Hebridean Sky.