Despatches: Dame Malvina Major Confirms

Hello to all our new subscribers and regular readers. What exciting news we have to share this edition! A very special lady will join us aboard Azamara Journey for the Anzac Centenary cruise. Internationally renowned soprano, Dame Malvina Major will be travelling with us and is preparing to entertain passengers with some inspirational music.

Thank you to everyone who visited us in Adelaide and Perth, where the Epic Cruise was definitely a highlight. Some cabin classes are now sold out so, please remind any family or friends still thinking about a 2015 Anzac Cruise to give us a call.

In this issue:

CRUISE NEWS

Unravelling fact from fiction

Azamara Journey cruising the Aegean Sea

It’s been a real pleasure to meet many of our passengers in person at the Adelaide and Perth travel shows. It seems there will be many world travellers and experienced cruisers aboard Azamara Journey sharing in this one-of-a-kind event.

We received some interesting feedback too and thought it worth sharing some of that with you all.

The 2015 Gallipoli centenary is attracting lots of interest. As you may have read, the Anzac Ballot is well over-subscribed and many people are confirming travel plans now. In case cruises and tours sell out. Some of our stand visitors asked:

Isn’t the Gallipoli Cruise booked out?
?Not yet. Some cabin classes are sold out but there are some lovely oceanview and verandah cabins remaining. As well as a couple of suites with complementary butler service.

Are cruisers allowed to visit Gallipoli without ticket?
Yes. The ballot is only for tickets to attend Anzac Day commemorations on the morning of 25th April. The Epic Cruise makes a Gallipoli Battlefields pilgrimage on 22nd April. Passengers holding ballot tickets will be transferred to and from Anzac Day ceremonies.

Will we get to see Anzac Cove?
Yes. Epic Cruise passengers will visit Anzac Cove, Lone Pine and Chunuk Bair and other sites in the Anzac area. Specialist historians will introduce the Australian, British, French and Turkish areas to explore all sides of the conflict and the soldiers’ experiences.

See the Gallipoli-2015 website to meet our onboard presenters or call 1300 766 595 to learn more from a friendly team member.

THE SCOOP

Dame Malvina Major Confirms

Dame Malvina Major

Passengers are in for a special treat. New Zealand’s world-renowned soprano, Dame Malvina Major, has confirmed aboard the Epic Cruise.

Born in Hamilton, New Zealand, Dame Malvina has enjoyed an international career, performing for royalty, heads of state and music lovers around the globe. Her experience spans twenty-eight principal roles, an impressive concert and oratorio repertoire and substantial discography.

Dame Malvina Major’s exquisite voice will ring out aboard Azamara Journey during a dignified onboard Dawn Service and live broadcast from Anzac Cove. During the 10 day itinerary, she will also perform a very special Dame Vera Lynn tribute concert.

BOOK NOW to hear Dame Malvina Major aboard Azamara Journey.

TRENCH TALK

Not the cushiest assignment

The Indian Mountain Battery at Gallipoli

The citizen army at Gallipoli was drawn from subjects right across the British Empire. Over 1.5 million Indian soldiers served during the Great War. And almost 5,000 were killed or wounded at Gallipoli.

So it’s probably not surprising the troops picked up a few Hindi terms from their Indian Army colleagues. If you’ve ever described something as “cushy”, you’re using one too.

In common trench talk, cushy came to mean a comfortable billet or trench in a quiet sector. But it actually comes from the Hindi term khush, meaning pleasure.

ON THE RADAR

Next cruise instalment due

The Epic Cruise aboard Azamara Journey, explores whispering battlefields, archaeological wonders and unlocks amazing legends. It’s also your chance to witness history unfold in the Gallipoli sunrise.

Passengers booked to be at Gallipoli for 100 years of ANZAC should have received an instalment reminder. Payment of this amount is due on or before 1 March 2014.

Fairy Chimneys Travel offers a range of convenient payment options. Please contact us to arrange the payment method of your choice.

To continue with you booking, it is important to make instalment payments as they fall due. After the due date, your Epic Cruise booking will lapse. Cabins may then be offered to other passengers.

Gallipoli-2015 Epic Cruise is the only Anzac Centenary travel endorsed by Australian Geographic.

LAST POST

On the money

The last post to get our Facebook fans excited showcases the new Anzac Centenary commemorative coin.

The special commemorative 2014 $1 circulating coin features the official logo of the Anzac Centenary, including the image of an Australian soldier, head bowed and rifle reversed in solemn reflection and the words ‘100 Years of Anzac’ and ‘The Spirit Lives’.

The coin is rimmed with a motif reflecting the sun’s rays as captured on the Australian Army’s Rising Sun badge.

This is the latest copy of Despatches, but you can find past editions at the Gallipoli-2015 website. Don’t forget to share your copy around and visit our Facebook community too. You’re in for voyage of discovery aboard Azamara Journey and that experience has already begun.