Pacific cruises

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32702, 3 September 1971, Page 14

Pacific cruises

Sir,—l am constrained to draw your attention to errors in an article on Pacific cruises on page 15 of today’s issue of “The Press.” Yout opening paragraph refers to “the first purely cruise ships to be based in the South Pacific.” The second paragraph attributes to Mr Lauro a statement that his ships

(which will come into operation next year) would be the first cruise ships to be based in Australia. These statements are misleading as the popular T.S.M.V. Marco Polo, a purely cruise ship, based in Australia, managed by an Australian company, sailing under the British flag, has been operating on a full programme of long and short Pacific cruises since June, 1970. She carries no cargo, is fully air conditioned, is stabilised, and is designed entirely and delightfully for the utmost comfort and enjoyment of her 361 cruise passengers.—Yours, etc.,

A. M. MacRAE. August 21, 1971..

[Mr G. B. Lynch, managing director of Harrowgate Associates, replies on behalf of Sitmar Cruises: “Your correspondent refers to the Marco Polo, claiming it to be the first cruise ship to be based in Sydney. As I understand it, the Marco Polo was a line ship operating in the Far East, and was later given a cruising schedule out of Australia. Cruising to date out of Australia has been conducted by line ships ships, for example, built to carry passengers between Southampton and Australia and New Zealand; from point A to point B. The Fairwind and Fairsea arc being fitted at Trieste as purely cruising vessels of luxury class that is, they will be like floating hotels or resorts, moving among the South Pacific islands and, on occasions, cruising across the Pacific to change cruising stations.”]