Holland America plans another ambitious cruise along Australia's Great Barrier Reef

[mercedes]

Always wanted to see Australia's Great Barrier Reef? You might want to take a look at the latest itinerary rolled out by Holland America -- an 18-night voyage that includes two full days of daylight cruising along the world-famous coral complex.

The Great Barrier Reef Explorer cruise, as it's being called, will take place in early 2011 on the line's 1,432-passenger Volendam. The voyage departs out of Sydney on March 13, 2011 and also includes an overnight anchorage along the Great Barrier Reef near Sherrard Island and calls within the Whitsunday Island group.

The trip ends in Singapore after additional stops in Indonesia that include Komodo Island, Bali and Java.

A company spokesman notes Holland America is the only major line to offer cruises that sail through the entire Great Barrier Reef during daylight hours (something it began doing just this year).

The new itinerary is one of several in the region the line unveiled this week for the Volendam, which is returning to Australia late next year. The ship also will sail a new 14-night "New Zealand Discovery" cruise roundtrip out of Sydney that will include stops at both the North and South islands of New Zealand. Departures are set for Jan. 2 and 30, 2011.

Also new is a 14-night "Pacific Treasures" voyage planned for Jan. 16, 2011, roundtrip out of Sydney, that will visit the islands of the South Pacific including Vanuatu and Fiji.

The Volendam also will sail a new 18-night "Asia Explorer" itinerary from Singapore to Kobe (Osaka), Japan, that includes stops in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and China. It begins April 14, 2011.

Cruise fares start at $1,599 per person for the New Zealand Discovery and Pacific Treasures voyages. The Great Barrier Reef Explorer and Asia Explorer voyages start at $2,099 per person.