Category Archives: Oceania

Oceania's rugby sevens teams have been handed an increase in funding as they seek to replicate the achievement of the Fijian men's side at Rio 2016.

Fiji's 13-man squad became the country's first Olympic gold medallists when they triumphed at last year's Olympics.

The sevens team defeated Britain 43-7 in the final as the sport made its debut at the Games.

Before Rio, the Fijian team were also crowned as winners of the World Rugby Sevens Series after a number of fine performances.

Their achievements saw the team inducted into the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) Hall of Fame earlier this week, while they have also acted as an inspiration to the region's other sides.

Oceania Rugby's services manager Bruce Cook has now confirmed several teams are set to receive a funding boost as they look towards qualification for Tokyo 2020.

"This is the start of a new four-year cycle for Fijian rugby and other teams in the Pacific," Cook told the Fiji Sun.

"Most teams that missed out on the Olympics have been given additional funding and chances to get through the repechage, both men and women, [including] teams from Cook Islands, Samoa and Tonga.

"There are a number of exciting programmes aligned with the increase of funding, which rugby unions can apply for and the funding could help them.

"It is up to the National Federations to get their houses in order."

Australia, Fiji and New Zealand represented Oceania in the men's and women's competitions at last years Games.

Samoa narrowly missed out on securing the last place in the men's event, losing in the final qualifier to Spain.

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Oceania's rugby sevens teams poised for funding boost - Insidethegames.biz

Macquarie-backed Oceania Healthcare will seek to raise up to about $250 million for its listing in Australia and New Zealand.

The Kiwi aged care provider lodged a prospectus for its proposed dual listing on Friday morning, following rounds of meetings and analyst marketing to fund managers on both sides of the Tasman in recent weeks.

Oceania will seek to raise up to $NZ273 million ($250million) via the sale of up to a 41.4 per cent stake in the company.

The offer was priced at $NZ0.76 to $NZ1.04 a share, which implied a 5 per cent to 6 per cent dividend yield on 2018 financial year forecasts.

If successful, Oceania would like with a $NZ471.5 million to $NZ570.6 million market capitalisation and an enterprise value of $NZ574.7 million to $NZ673.8 million.

Existing owner Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets would not sell any shares as part of the listing.

Oceania, which is New Zealand's third largest residential aged care provider, is expected back in front of Australian investors on Monday.

It is seeking to list in the first week of May. Offer proceeds would be used to fund its development pipeline.

Macquarie Capital is running the deal, while Deutsche Craigs andFirst NZ Capital are also joint lead managers.

Excerpt from:

Details out for Oceania Healthcare IPO - The Australian Financial Review

Rocket League has seen an incredibly exponential rate of growth over the last year, jumping roughly 40 per cent over the entire years worth of players in 2016 just in the first three months alone.

Better yet, as we enter the third Season for the Rocket League Championship Series or RLCS for short we clearly see that incredible growth in the extreme array of new names entering the professional Rocket League esports community.

For the past two seasons, Psyonix have kept their ever-expansive and growing international community at bay, holding spots for the Rocket League Championship Series to be exclusively from North American and European regions however, this year, we are set to see a change.

With the third season on the horizon, players will be set with new challenges with the Oceanic Rocket League region entering the midst of the competitive play; but there is a clear, distinct difference between the new competitive region and the pre-existing NA and EU regions.

Following the announcement of the regions addition, Psyonix updated their esports rules to include Oceanias potentiality for the RLCS, stating the following outline for qualifying teams from the region:

A tournament series employing the Title Game will take place in the region of Oceania by a third party organiser from March 10, 2017 to May 5, 2017 (the Oceania Series). The top two teams from the Oceania Series will be invited to participate in the World Championship.

This, in its shortest form, essentially states that a 3rd-party organiser (confirmed to by ThrowdownTV) will host the ongoing Oceanic League Play and finalist LAN event between March 10th (registration date) and May 5th (finals date).

The final contenders from Throwdowns RLCS LAN finals will be invited to participate in the World Championship, and the teams will also take away and increasing share of the $20,000 prize pool.

However, unlike the North American and European regions which are often not bound by the difficulties of high ping and extreme disarray Oceania is a region that has very much been locked in on itself, not carrying the ability to play internationally without having an extreme disadvantage.

That being said, the Oceanic Rocket League region has its own fair share of powerhouses that each could pose their own threat at the very pinnacle of International Rocket League play.

Regionally speaking the top contending teams like Alpha Sydney, JAM Gaming and Athletico are all filled with incredibly strong players who absolutely could hold their own at an international LAN event; so long as they can hold their nerves away.

However, it really boils down to one specific question is Oceania ready to take on the Rocket League Championship Series?

We got the chance to talk to CloudFuel, a very well-respected member of the Rocket League community known widely for his incredible dedication to esports on Twitch, as well as his primary dedication to the development of the international Rocket League community.

What is your take on the addition of Oceania as an RLCS region? Do you think the region deserves the addition at all?

Cloudfuel: Were very excited to see the RLCS growing and expanding into more regions. For me at least, Oceania was a fairly obvious choice for the first expansion due to the active and passionate community, viewership, and consistency of tournaments being run.

Thats not to say that other regions dont belong in the RLCS as well, I just think Oceania as a competitive community is a little closer to what we see in North America and Europe at this time.

As an external party, what do you think is the current state of Oceania as a region coming into RLCS?

Cloudfuel: Its difficult to predict how well Oceania will stack up against the likes of North America and Europe. There really hasnt been too many opportunities see those regions mixing it up and any time they do, its typically with a massive ping disadvantage.

From what Ive seen recently, it appears that there are a couple of teams consistently at the top with some wildcards that could upset them, given the right circumstances.

Thats pretty similar to how I see North America and Europe right now. Personally, Id love to see Oceania come in and surprise everyone with a strong run at the World Championship.

What aspects do you think Oceania is doing right in comparison to the rest of the world, and what do you think the region is doing incorrectly?

Cloudfuel: When Im comparing regions, I always start with North America and Europe since weve seen so much growth and activity from there.

To have a healthy competitive ecosystem, you need a good variety of top-tier events to facilitate pro level play, draw in viewership, produce content and incentivise players. However, you also need mid-tier and lower-tier events, to provide semi-pro and relatively new players a place to compete and practice and get a taste of competition relative to their competitive skill level.

This creates a cycle where elite players bring in viewers and new competitors who will start out in open tournaments, grind their way up to mid-tier, and potentially make it all the way up to the professional level of play.

Overall, its hard to say with the regions lack of international competitive play, shaping up against their opponents who can only continue to improve off each other will be an uphill battle to say the least.

However, as with every underdog, theres always the hope and belief of the community that something incredible will happen whether thats necessary for Oceania to perform well at the RLCS playoffs or not is an entirely different question.

In addition, having a constant stream of content (like power rankings, articles, weekly recaps, podcasts, etc) that creates discussion and interest within the community helps keep everyone engaged.

Oceania has all of the above, but due to the size of the population and time difference its difficult to generate the level of participation and viewership that North America and Europe regularly experience. This can make it easy for some to overlook what the community has been able to accomplish over the past 2 years.

Personally, my suggestion would be to simple keep growing whats already in place and find new ways to bring competitors and fresh viewers.

I, for one, am personally extremely excited to see how Oceania performs on the big stage. With the ability to watch and monitor as the region continues to grow, as well as have an almost third party perspective on the Rocket League eSports community as a whole, Id say that Oceania has the potential to do some great things at the upcoming RLCS LAN event so long as the players who qualify are able to calm themselves, play their best game and, most importantly, enjoying themselves.

On the other hand, Oceania as a region has developed incredibly quickly over the past year, the competitive player-base in general has grown, and the standard of competitive play coming from the region has also brought up the attention of international Rocket League organisations such as Rocket Dailies a community-driven twitter that showcases the most impressive Rocket League plays; of which, Oceania has begun to be featured more consistently.

Of course, the praise being delivered doesnt come without some criticism and while the level of play coming from Oceania Rocket League players has dramatically increased, the region still has a long way to come in tournament structure before it can be considered a powerhouse region like North America and Europe.

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Is Oceania ready to take on the Rocket League World Championships? - The Roar

Details Published: 28 March 2017

SOLOMON Islands is a soccer mad nation but the recent trail of us knocking out of competitions in international matches has caused some fans to describe our representing football teams as under achievers.

However, I believe this is not the time for us to give up on our teams.

Solomon Islands has come a long way to where it is today, in fact today Solomon Islands is right in the mix with the Oceanias elites during international tournaments.

Let us reflect on our soccer journey.

During recent Oceania outings, Solomon Islands either reached the semi-final or final stages.

This has been the trend since the days of our football golden generation.

In 2004 during the OFC Nations Cup we also reached the final in the Oceania World Cup qualifiers with a historic 2-2 draw with former Oceania heavy weights Australia.

Honiara was in huge celebration during the teams arrival after that competition.

This is a perfect example of how Solomon Islanders are proud of their football.

Just two games away from a place at Germany 2006, Solomon Islands lost the home and away two legged ties 9-1 on aggregate.

Most people will remember Australias last competitive appearance in Oceania was a narrow 2-1 win over Solomon Islands.

The islanders were knocked out of the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifiers having got off to a good start in every game in their qualifying group and comfortably progressing to the knockout rounds, defeats to New Caledonia and then to Vanuatu saw them knocked out of the competition.

In 2012, the 2012 OFC Nations Cup which was also the second round of World Cup qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup was played at home.

The nations hope of going a step forward after its best runners-up finish in 2014 saw them finished in fourth place after qualifying through to the semi-finals by defeating Papua New Guinea and having draws against Fiji and New Zealand.

A semi-final defeat to the champions Tahiti from a Jonathan Tehau goal ended the entire nations expectation for a first major crown on home soil.

They later lost to New Zealand in the third-place playoff.

The third round of World Cup qualifying saw the team finish bottom of the group after only taking one win against Tahiti.

Just last year, the country made its way out of a strong group with a win over Vanuatu and two defeats at the hands of Fiji and New Zealand in the OFC Nations Cup 2016 held in Port Moresby.

Despite a semi-final defeat at the hands of the hosts, Solomon Islands progressed to the OFC Stage 3 of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifying rounds.

In November last year, Solomon Islands lost its away leg with Tahiti and won the return match to challenge Tahiti in the race for top spot in Group B.

Meanwhile, Tahiti moved three points clear at the top of Group B in OFC Stage 3 of 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia Qualifying after defeating 10-man PNG 3-1 on Thursday.

Solomon Islands sits on second spot with 3 points and it is crucial going into the two legged series with PNG this summer.

Another defeat for Flemming Serritslev and Co in the away leg with Tahiti will put them out of the race for top spot in Group B.

Solomon Islands will host PNG at home on June 9 and away in Lae City few days later.

A training squad was revealed last week as preparation for the two big matches are set to start this month.

Like I said earlier, Solomon Islands football has come a long way to where it is today and what our teams need now is our support.

This is not the time to give up on our teams but a time to reinforce our support to give back momentum to our representing teams.

By SIMON ABANA

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Still in the mix with Oceania elites - Solomon Star

Following Vietnam's surprise offer of minimum 2.5 million barrels of light Bach Ho crude in the spot market last week, regional suppliers and end-users are bracing themselves for hefty oversupply conditions in Southeast Asia and Oceania, market participants said Wednesday.

Very little was heard on first round discussions taking place at Vietnam's latest sell tender for light Bach Ho crude for loading over May-July, though many trade participants were already on their toes, carefully assessing the potential damage the Vietnamese barrels could cause to other rival regional grades.

"The market is waiting for the bombshell to be deployed ... this could [potentially] be a nuclear bomb for the Far East regional market," said a North Asian sweet crude trader, indicating that various regional crude sellers would have been surprised by the unusually large volume of light Bach Ho crude offered in the spot market.

Last week, PetroVietnam Oil offered a large volume of light Bach Ho crude for loading over May to July in a tender that closed March 23. Bids into the tender are to remain valid until March 31.

Article continues below...

Bach Ho, with a gravity of 39-40 API, hardly offered in the spot market in recent months, is being shown on the back of an upcoming turnaround at the country's 130,000 b/d Dung Quat refinery, market sources said.

Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical -- operator of the refinery -- plans to shut the entire plant over May-July.

PV Oil has not offered light Bach Ho crude in the spot market since July. Market participants had been expecting PV Oil to sell some Bach Ho crude in the market with the scheduled turnaround, but the total volume still took many traders by surprise.

"It's a huge volume and there will be a big impact on the market," said a sweet crude trader based in Singapore. The market "must digest it in one month's time."

Very few trade deals were heard in Malaysia so far in the May trading cycle with at least four 600,000-barrel cargoes of light sweet Kimanis crude still available in the spot market, market sources said.

Sentiment remained downbeat in Oceania as well, with suppliers of Australian heavy sweet crude grades struggling to clear their May-loading cargoes.

Latest market talk indicated that Mitsui was still offering a 550,000-barrel cargo of Enfield crude for loading in late May, while Woodside Petroleum was said to have been offering a 550,000-barrel cargo of Vincent crude for loading in May, with little success to date.

Furthermore, trade sources said BHP Billiton has yet to find a buyer for its cargo of heavy sweet Pyrenees crude for loading in the second half of May.

"It has been a very very long time since [South Korean] plants last took light Bach Ho crude as feedstock," said a trader with a South Korean refining company.

In addition, traders also said chances are slim for the Bach Ho barrels to end up in Japan as the country's utilities prefer to take much heavier and more affordable Southeast Asian grades for direct burning and thermal power generation purposes.

"Light Bach Ho is too expensive for burning," said another North Asian crude trader.

Many regional traders, however, pointed at Chinese end-users as the best candidate capable of absorbing the big Vietnamese spot supply.

"The best scenario would be for [a big state-run] Chinese company to take all the [available Bach Ho] supply ... for big buyers like them, what's another VLCC of crude? It's nothing," the first North Asian trader said.

"Otherwise, [if the Bach Ho supply falls into the hands of various trading companies,] it will be a bloodbath for regional light and medium sweet grades," the trader said.

--Gawoon Philip Vahn, philip.vahn@spglobal.com

--Deborah Lee, deborah.lee@spglobal.com

--Edited by Jonathan Fox, jonathan.fox@spglobal.com

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Asian crude traders brace for potential Southeast Asia, Oceania supply glut - Platts

Last updated07:48, March 28 2017

Hagen Hopkins/ Getty Images

Jordie Barrett will play for the Baby Blacks.

The youngest of the successful Barrett clan, Hurricanes utility Jordie, headlines the New Zealand under-20s side for an Oceania tournament in Australia next month.

Barrett will vice-captain the New Zealand side, the loyal lieutenant to Waikato's loose forward Luke Jacobson.

"This is a very experienced squad we are taking to the Oceania under 20s," coach Craig Philpott said.

HAGEN HOPKINS/GETTY IMAGES

Jordie Barrett will play for the Baby Blacks this year.

READ MORE: *Saturday scrumfest, anyone? *Aussie rugby hits new low

"Thirteenplayers have been in the Under 20 environment before and nine played in last year's World Championship in Manchester. That previous experience of an international competition will come in valuable on the Gold Coast. "

Philpott said about 50 players had been to previous training camps, meaning tough decisions had to be made to limit the squad to just 30.

A further two players will be added prior to the tournament, with selectors hopeful that Blues first-five Stephen Perofetawill be recovered from injury in time to join the squad.

"We have selected Luke Jacobson as captain and Jordie Barrett as vice captain.

"Luke is a leader who leads by his deeds. He is a very good player who will be on the field for most of the Tests and can play at either number eights or number six.

"He also brings experience from last year's World Championship campaign and has featured in the in Chiefs' programme this year including the Brisbane 10s where he had an excellent tournament."

New Zealand will play Fiji, Samoa and Australia on the Gold Coast from April 28 to May 6. The World Rugby Under 20 Championship is in Georgia in June.

New Zealand Under-20s: Harrison Allan, Asafo Aumua, Sam Caird, Adrian Choat, Tom Christie, Ryan Coxon, Tim Farrell, Alex Fidow, Luke Jacobson, Ezekiel Lindenmuth, Marino Mikaele-Tuu, Dalton Papalii, Jacob Pierce, John Sauni, Samuel Slade, Pouri Rakete-Stones, Isaia Walker-Leawere, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Ereatara Enari, Braydon Ennor, Tima Faingaanuku, Tiaan Falcon, Will Jordan, Kemara Hauiti-Parapara, Orbyn Leger, Josh McKay, Jona Nareki, Carlos Price, Tamati Tua.

-Stuff

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Hurricanes' Jordie Barrett included in Baby Blacks squad for ... - Stuff.co.nz

Press Release OrbitRemit

OrbitRemit reaches out to Africa Digital money transfer service launches key money transfer channel between Oceania and AfricaOrbitRemit reaches out to Africa Digital money transfer service launches key money transfer channel between Oceania and Africa

Sydney, Australia March 28, 2017: OrbitRemit, one of Australia and New Zealands fastest growing money transfer businesses[1], has announced that it will commence remittance to South Africa for payout in rand (ZAR) starting from this month with market-beating rates. Fund transfer volumes are rising quickly as South African migrants remit a portion of their income back to their home country. In 2015, $175 million USD from Australia and $55 million USD from New Zealand was remitted to South Africa per the World Bank.

This development signifies OrbitRemits African expansion and the establishment of the first-of-many Oceania/Africa channels expected to come online in the near future.

OrbitRemit has become a heavyweight in the funds remittance business in Australia and New Zealand and has taken a solid bite out the funds remittance market share with its recent Android and IOS application releases (available on Google Play and the App Store), competitive rates and almost-perfect online reviews.

Robbie Sampson, founder and CEO of OrbitRemit, comments: With the recently introduced channels, it is expected lower company costs will be passed on to our customers, cementing our place as Australia and New Zealands go-to online funds remittance company. As our profile continues to rise along with demand, we continue to investigate further direct remittance channels. Immigrants and investors, watch this space.

OrbitRemit has once again been recognised in Deloittes Technology Fast500 listing for 2016 as a leading technology company in the Oceania region; the only money transfer company on the respected roll. For a detailed list of OrbitRemits remittance destinations, please follow this link: https://www.orbitremit.com/

About Orbit Remit

Established in 2008, OrbitRemit is a fully regulated online international money transfer solution, offering a fast, safe and secure way to send money overseas. OrbitRemit beats banks on fees, exchange rates and convenience and the companys highly competitive exchange rates and low fees means that more money will arrive at a customers destination.

[1] Deloitte Fast 500 2016

Content Sourced from scoop.co.nz Original url

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Scoop Business Key money transfer channel between Oceania ... - Scoop.co.nz

Details March 23, 2017

Oceania Cruises has announced ten new Journeys to Cuba in 2018.

Sailing round-trip from PortMiami, itineraries range in length from 7 to 10 days; all include calls in Havana, Cienfuegos and Santiago de Cuba.

I recently had the pleasure of sailing on Marinas first voyage to Cuba, and the best way to get an insiders view of Cuba is to be immersed in the culture and everyday lives of the people meaningful cultural insights that invite you to experience the real Cuba, stated Bob Binder, President & CEO of Oceania Cruises. You can enjoy exactly that on these new voyages, all of which offer calls in Havana, Santiago de Cuba, and Cienfuegos.

The 10 new sailings are aboard the Sirena, and combine to make 20 Cuba sailings open for sale in total.

Oceania also added six sailings to Cuba aboard Insignia in the autumn of 2017 and added calls to Havana on four Regatta sailings in the spring and autumn of 2018.

Original post:

Oceania Adds 10 Cuba Sailings for 2018 - Cruise Industry News

2 Oct 2016, 12:15 a.m.

The newest addition to the six-strong fleet, Oceania Sirena, is sailing a 34-day round-trip from Sydney in March and it's already wait-list only.

Oceania Cruises is part of the NCLH family Norwegian Cruise Lines and Regent Seven Seas Cruises are sister lines and although its ships have been visiting our shores for some years, they haven't exactly grabbed the headlines.

However, those in the know are keen fans. The newest addition to the six-strong fleet, Oceania Sirena, is sailing a 34-day round-trip from Sydney in March and it's already wait-list only. Oceania Cruises christened the beautifully refurbished, 684-passenger ship in April this year; it is similar in size and design to its fleetmates Regatta, Insignia and Nautica, which are all former Renaissance R-class vessels. (As are Azamara Club Cruises' Azamara Journey and Quest.) Oceania's other two ships are the elegant, custom-built 1258-passenger Marina and Riviera, which were launched in 2011 and 2012.

Oceania Cruises has a reputation for fine dining and was the first cruise line to introduce a hands-on cookery school, the Bon Appetit Culinary Centre. Obviously they were on to something today cooking classes at sea are incredibly popular and are even popping up on river cruise ships. Oceania also started the trend for culinary-inspired, shopping-with-the-chef-type shore excursions.

French masterchef, TV star and author Jacques Pepin has been the line's executive culinary director since the start. He is still responsible for inspiring a team of chefs to produce a range of cuisines served across the fleet, in world-class restaurants that are all complimentary. Sirena has two new dining venues, Tuscan Steak, which pairs Italian fine dining with fresh seafood, and Red Ginger, which serves spicy Asian cuisine.

Oceania Insignia is also visiting Australia this season, as part of its 180 World Voyage, and will return in 2018 offering a series of Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific cruises.

What else is new for the line? Steve Odell, senior vice president andmanaging director Asia Pacific for NCLH, says, "With the launch of Oceania Sirena we introduced a range of new entertainment which we will be rolling out across the fleet. These new stage shows have been incredibly well received and include Cabaret Cinema, immersive acoustic musical performances and dance shows."

Will we be seeing more of Oceania Cruises' ships Down Under in the future, seeing as they have been so popular for the upcoming season? Odell says, "We are always looking for opportunities to develop new itineraries, and as we develop our 2017-18 plans for Oceania Cruises, which we will be announcing in the coming months, Australia is certainly high on the agenda."

NAME Monica Cimmino, from Naples, Italy

POSITION Cruise Director, NCL's Norwegian Epic

MY JOB I'm in charge of all the entertainment on board, including kids' and teens' programs, daily acts, the technical aspect of our shows and I'm also the "face and voice" of the ship for our guests.

A TYPICAL DAY It varies according to the itinerary. I make public announcements, and have meetings and briefings with the hotel director and captain all the departments are connected. I host "Deal or No Deal", sometimes conduct Italian and Spanish lessons, open shows in the evening and greet guests at the end of the shows. I studied languages at university and travelling is my dream job I'm very lucky to do what I love.

FAVOURITE CRUISE MOMENT Looking at sunset and sunrise over the ocean gives me energy and a bit of me time.

FAVOURITE CRUISE PORTS In 16 years I've seen many ports; highlights are Alaska and the Seychelles, and everywhere in Europe.

INSIDER TIPS Make the most of NCL'sFreestyle experience; there's so much choice for dining and entertainment on board Norwegian Epic.

Save baggage space and plastic wastage by investing in a collapsible, re-usable water bottle. The Platypus SoftBottle has no plastic taste as it's made with zero BPA. About $16, plus postage. See http://www.gogogear.com.au

North Star Cruises' 30th anniversary

Aussie adventure line North Star Cruises is celebrating 30 years of continuous operations next year, with end-of-year cocktail parties onboard the renowned True North and a gala event in Broome where it all began in May 2017. The 36-passenger ship, which launched in 2004 and has its own helicopter and six expedition boats, sails exciting itineraries in the Kimberley, Papua New Guinea, Western Australia and Indonesia. It also cruises into Sydney Harbour every Christmas, in time to take up pole position for the start of the Sydney-Hobart race and New Year's Eve fireworks before heading north for a leisurely cruise around Pittwater and the Hawkesbury River. However, the ship fills quickly; you might have to book now for Christmas 2017. See http://www.northstarcruises.com.au

Win a Roman Cruise Holiday

Celebrity Cruises is setting sail on an exciting new partnership as gold sponsor of the 2016 Lavazza Italian Film Festival, presented by Palace Cinemas. The festival runs until October 9 in Sydney and Melbourne (dates vary in other cities) and a highlight is the closing-night screening of the 1953 classic Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Guests who enter the Lavazza Italian Film Festival's People's Choice Award will have the chance to take a Roman Cruise Holidayof their own. To go in the draw to win a European cruise for two on Celebrity Reflection, festival patrons simply need to choose their favourite film from the Lavazza Italian Film Festival offering. Seewww.italianfilmfestival.com.au

Plan a Cruise Month

National Cruise Week has been extended to the whole of October check with your local CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association) Australasia travel agent for special deals and promotions. You can find an accredited agent near you at cruising.org.au. For the first week, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Club Cruises are offering $US100 on-board credits along with savings of up to 30 per cent on a range of 2017 cruises. The local cruise season officially starts this week, when Celebrity Solstice arrives in Sydney Harbour on October 8; Royal Caribbean's Explorer, Voyager, Radiance and Legend of the Seas will be here in November, while the hotly anticipated Ovation of the Seas makes its Australian debut in December. Azamara Journey follows in February; between them the three lines offer more itineraries and ships Down Under than ever before.

Cruise on all three Cunard queens with ecruising.travel's new 33-night fly/cruise/stay package, which starts with a seven-night cruise on Queen Victoria from Rome to Barcelona on October 28. Fly to London, embark Queen Elizabeth for a 10-night Iberian cruise round-trip from Southampton, then take the seven-night transatlantic crossing on Queen Mary 2 to New York. Return flights, accommodation in Rome, Barcelona, London and New York, private transfers and sightseeing passes in London and New York included; from $9439. Phone 1300 369 848.Seewww.ecruising.travel

ARANUI CRUISES has released early-bird deals for Aranui 5's first sailings in 2018. The cargo-passenger ship operates 14-day itineraries in French Polynesia's Marquesas, Tuamotus and Society Islands. Fares from $5750 when booked by December 31, 2016. Phone 03 9449 3778.See aranuicruises.com.au

UNIWORLD Fly free when you book a 2017 Uniworld Europe cruise of 13 days or more. For example, fares for the 13-day Amsterdam to Basel cruise, operating between April and November 2017, start from $7399. All on-board drinks, transfers on arrival and departure days and gratuities are included. Offer valid until October 31, 2016; phone 1300 780 231.See http://www.uniworld.com

AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES Book an inside cabin before November 30, 2016, and you'll be upgraded to a Club Verandah stateroom on most of Azamara's 2017 European cruises. For example, fares for Azamara Journey's seven-night Tapas and Wine cruise from Barcelona to Lisbon, departing on June 7, 2017, start from $2999.Phone 1800 754 500, see http://www.azamaraclubcruises.com

If you're looking for an escorted cruise to the Galapagos islands, with a maximum of 16 like-minded travellers (including experienced hosts Ian Connellan and Gail MacCallum), check out The Curious Traveller's March 2017 itinerary. March is the "green season" in the islands when sea turtles are hatching, newborn sea lion pups are exploring, frigate birds are nesting and blue-footed boobies are performing their mesmerising mating rituals. The 11-night trip incudes eight days' cruising on the 16-passenger catamaran Seaman Journey, daily hikes, snorkelling, small-boat trips, visits to the Galapagos tortoises' breeding centres on San Cristobal island and at the Charles Darwin research station, plus two days in the 16th-century town of Quito.See http://www.curioustraveller.com.au

The story Things to know about Oceania Cruises: Oceania Sirena and Oceania Insignia are coming to Australia first appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Things to know about Oceania Cruises: Oceania Sirena and ... - The Border Mail

The Cuban voyages will be on Oceania Cruises Sirena.

FLORIDA, United States, Friday March 24, 2017 Oceania Cruises, the cruise line that sailed into history earlier this month as the first major North American brand to travel to Cuba has announced 10 new cruises to the Spanish-speaking island for next year.

Sailing round-trip from Port Miami, itineraries range in length from 7 to 10 days, all including calls in Havana and the storied destinations of Cienfuegos, and Santiago de Cuba.

Cruises will begin May 4 and continue until October 26.

Added to the six journeys to Cuba aboard Insignia in the autumn of 2017, and added calls to Havana on four Regatta sailings in the spring and autumn of 2018, the 10 sailings on Sirena bring the number of Oceania cruises to Cuba through autumn 2018 to 20.

Sirena has 342 staterooms and suites and caters to 684 guests. It features four open-seating gourmet restaurants and Oceania Cruises said each of the voyages to Cuba will feature a wide array of authentic Cuban dishes, and experts will deliver lectures on Cuban history, art, and music.

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Oceania Cruises Adds 10 More Journeys to Cuba | Caribbean360 - Caribbean360.com (subscription)