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The summer cruising season has well and truly started in Australia with Sydney welcoming Royal Caribbean’s Radiance of the Seas for the first time last weekend.

Taking a look back in time at Cruise Passenger Magazine’s 15th birthday edition this week, it became even more apparent to me the leaps and bounds that this industry is experiencing.

The substantial growth in Australia alone was highlighted at a Holland America event in Sydney this week. This nation boasts the third highest market penetration rank in the world at 2.1%. This is only slightly behind the U.S.A at 3.1% and the U.K and Ireland at 2.4%.

So I thought we could take a walk down memory lane this week and share our first cruising memories.

Mine is sailing for the first time onboard P&O’s Fair Princess at the age of 19. I was a solo cruiser from way back and was sharing a cabin with three women I had never met before. As it so happens, I’m still friends with the passengers I met on that cruise to the South Pacific!

From dressing like a man for the ‘Gender Bender’ night, to nearly missing the ship after stepping into the infamous ‘Ma Barker’s Pub’ in Vila, that cruise in particular shaped the way I travelled. I was well and truly addicted from the very first note played on the steel drums at their ‘Sailaway Party’.

Share your first cruising experience via the comments section below…

Yours in cruising,
Natalie

	Seabourn named ‘Best Small-Ship Cruise Line’ Condè Nast Traveler has named Seabourn the “Best Small Ship Cruise Line” for the second year in a row in the magazine’s 24th annual Readers’ Choice Awards.
	New cruise terminal for Abu Dhabi A new tented cruise terminal has been erected at Mina Zayed, Abu Dhabi and will be officially opened in conjunction with a welcome ceremony for MSC Lirica later this month.
	A Sydney NYE for Crystal Symphony Crystal Symphony will be celebrating a unique New Year’s Eve in Sydney in 2012 with the ship spending two nights in the Harbour city during her Auckland to Melbourne voyage.
	Cruise Like a Norwegian Norwegian Cruise Line has announced their new ‘Cruise Like a Norwegian’ campaign that will integrate social media, television, digital and onboard components.
	All-inclusive for Crystal Following the success of their ‘As You Wish’ promotion, Crystal Cruises has confirmed their decision to become an all-inclusive cruise line in 2012.
	ICCA seeks closer relations with cruise bodies ICCA chairman, Gavin Smith, has advocated a closer relationship with fellow cruise industry bodies including the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) in an interview with e-Travel Blackboard yesterday.
	Cunard swaps ‘Southampton’ for weddings The name ‘Southampton’ will be swapped for ‘Hamilton’ across the bow of Cunard’s Queens following the decision to register their fleet outside of the U.K. to allow for marriages at sea.
	Spokesperson proposed for ICCA Chairman, Gavin Smith, has detailed his proposal to recruit an independent spokesperson for the ICCA, ahead of their annual general meeting in December.
	Awards for Cruise Whitsundays Cruise Whitsundays has taken out two categories at the annual ‘Whitsundays Tourism Awards’ held at Whitsunday Airport last Saturday.
	Wellington cruise numbers skyrocket Almost five times as many visitors will cruise into Wellington this summer season compared to five years ago, along with an estimated NZD $32 million injection into the city’s economy.
ANMM Collection. Reproduced courtesy of the Australian National Maritime Museum