Expert’s cruise guide
Aaustralia’s biggest cruising family reveal why their holiday style is perfect for all ages!
Gold Coast couple Mark and Leanne Weston are so addicted to holidays at sea, they’ve just clocked up their 100th cruise sailing to the South Pacific with their family of 11!
With a host of different ships, dozens of global ports and plenty of kilometres under their belts, they needed to find something pretty special to bring in their century. So they decided to take their crew of three children, their partners and five grandchildren – aged between one and 17 – to mark the milestone.
“We knew we’d found our perfect holiday the first time we stepped on board a cruise ship in 1977,” says Mark, 58. “The friendships you make on a cruise ship are lifelong, and we often arrange to travel with friends that we’ve made along the way.”
With a raft of entertainment and activities designed to keep everyone, from toddlers to teens, having fun around the clock, the Westons chose Carnival Spirit’s tropical itinerary to Vanuatu and New Caledonia because it ticked all of their boxes.
SWIM WITH TURTLES
A major highlight of their 11-day ocean voyage, which stops at Noumea, Lifou Isle, Mystery Island and Port Vila, is the shore excursion to Turtle Bay on the Isle of Pines. The local loggerhead and green turtles are so friendly – they pop their heads out of the water to pose with swimmers for photos!
A visit to the uninhabited Brush Island is also straight out of a tropical daydream, with crystal
clear turquoise water and white sand to snorkel, swim and relax!
FAMILY FRIENDLY
The Westons enjoyed themed dress-up nights, family comedy, live stage shows and daily adrenaline hits on the famous green thunder water slide – claimed to be the steepest and fastest slide at sea.
“Cruising with a family group is a lot of fun,” says Mark. His tip is to plan some activities together that everyone is interested in, but not to smother the family so they can enjoy some time on their own.
“We let our kids do their own fun activities during breakfast and lunch, but we had dinner together each night,” he says.
CRUISE TO ASIA
Carnival’s new cruise program for 2018 offers a new voyage through Asia and 35 itineraries between April and December. Visit carnival.com.au