Coral Adventurer

MS Coral Adventurer cruise ship is the 4th fleet mate and the newest expedition vessel of the Australian cruise company Coral Expeditions. The boat was built in Vietnam (VARD shipyard in Vaung Tau) and delivered in March 2019. In May 2019, the company decided to use its option for building a second (same-designed) vessel - the sistership Coral Geographer (scheduled for launch in December 2020).

History - construction and ownership

The travel company Coral Expeditions (formerly Coral Princess Cruises) was established in 1984 by Captain Tony Briggs. His first ship was an ex-World War II Fairmile-class submarine chaser. The vessel was converted to carry up to 24 passengers on short overnight trips to the Great Barrier Reef from company's base in Cairns Queensland.

All Coral Expeditions ships are Australia-flagged, Australia-based, and employ all-Australian crew. Coral Expeditions' regions of operation include New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Kimberley and Northern Australia, Tasmania and South Pacific Islands. The fleet also includes Coral Discoverer, and the two motorized catamarans (sister-ships by design) Coral Expeditions 1 (fka "Coral Princess I") and Coral Expeditions 2 (fka "Coral Princess II").

The ship Coral Adventurer was designed for ocean cruising to more isolated and shallower tropical destinations. The boat conforms to the highest maritime standards for operational redundancy, build quality, environmental compliance and safety.

One of the unique features on this shallow-drafted ship (4,5 m / 15 ft) is its tendering system, allowing passenger tendering (embarkation or disembarkation) within just 20 min. Through hydraulic lifts, tenders (aka "Xplorer" / 65-passenger aluminium boats) are lifted out of the water, making boarding/deboarding operations more efficient, without the need of gangways, ramps or stairs.

The ship also has dedicated to scientific research facilities and equipment. It has active stabilizers reducing roll in different sea conditions.

Cruise itinerary program

MS Coral Adventurer itinerary program is based on Asia-Pacific cruises to Kimberley region, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and South Pacific Islands.

Coral Expeditions itineraries feature cruises around deserted islands and pristine reefs in destinations not popular for day trippers and large liners. Company's Great Barrier Reef (Coral Sea) itineraries depart from the Queensland ports Darwin to Cairns.

Ship's "Inaugural Cruise" was scheduled for April 22, 2019. The 18-day repositioning itinerary (from Singapore to Darwin) was followed by 11-day roundtrip from Darwin to Cairns, then 26-day Cairns to Darwin (with optional disembarkation in Wewak, Papua New Guinea). The ship also offered 18-day Australia to Asia cruise itinerary (from Darwin to Singapore), visiting in Indonesia Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu), Karimunjawa Islands and Pulau Moyo Islands.

Ship's itinerary program for 2020 includes Spice Islands, Komodo and Krakatau (Indonesia), Pulau Alor. Two transition cruises leave from Darwin (17-day to Singapore, January 15) and the reverse from Singapore (18-day to Darwin, departure February 2).

Marking Coral Expeditions company's 35th anniversary in 2020, Coral Adventure offers World Cruise departing November 7 (2020). The 60-day itinerary is roundtrip from Darwin and visits 35 destinations (many of which hard to reach by land) with several overnights (including in Perth-Fremantle, Adelaide, Sydney, Cairns, also Hobart Tasmania).

• From the docked in Cairns ship on Christmas Day, passengers disembark and fly by private chartered jet to Uluru for an under the stars dinner.
• At Cape Leeuwin, passengers disembark for a private dinner at Leeuwin Estate vineyards.
• In Sydney NSW, an afternoon harbour cruise is included via private sailing ship charter - on James Craig (3-masted barque).
• Onboard enrichment program will be lead by Australian Geographic staff (guest lecturers and experts).
• The anniversary voyage was open for booking on November 6, 2018. Prices started from USD 38,860 pp (double occupancy).

Cabins

Coral Adventurer has only outside passenger staterooms (60), over 50% of which are with private balconies. Each cabin is fitted with en-suite bathroom. Staterooms as sizes range from 17 m2 (183 ft2 / on Promenade Deck 4, with large windows) to Balcony Suites of 56 m2 (600 ft2). Balcony staterooms are sized 22 m2 / 230 ft2.

Suite cabins are with outside-facing bathrooms and Horizon tubs. Both Suites (named after the Australian port cities Cairns and Darwin) are with separate lounge area (modern L-shaped sofa, armchair with footstool), sleeping area (two King-size beds), in-cabin coffee machine, minibar, private step-out balcony (sized 8 m2 / 85 ft2).

Captain’s cabin is located forward on Deck 6, adjacent to The Bridge Observation Lounge. Crew cabins provide accommodation for up to 42 people.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The full-capacity (single-seating) dining room restaurant is furnished with communal "wine table" topped with Australian stone. The restaurant serves buffet breakfast and lunch, along with multi-course table d’hote dinners. Meals are prepared with Australian produce and many locally-sourced (itinerary-based) ingredients. Dietary requirements or restrictions are catered to with 2 weeks notice. The wine list is an abbreviated selection which reflects the variety of Australian wine. Australian and New Zealand spirits are also offered, including barrels of slowly ageing Tasmanian single-malt whiskey.

The Galley (ship's kitchen) is adjacent to the restaurant and features a small viewing window.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

The cruise ship features Australian (Queensland) themed interior and more than 1000 m2 of open deck space with wrap-around promenade deck. A couple of trademarked "Xplorer" tenders are located in the back of the vessel and seat all passengers (tendering capacity 60 seats each) to facilitate comfortable transportation between the ship and land. Six Zodiacs (large-capacity motorized heavy-duty inflatable boats) are used for landings and close to shore excursions.

An onboard reference library and a lecture lounge with multimedia capabilities are used for daily port talks, tour briefings and media presentations led by Coral Expeditions experts. The Adventurer cruise ship has the traditional for smaller vessels "open bridge" policy allowing its passengers to visit the Wheelhouse (on Deck 6) and communicate with the officers on duty. The Observation Lounge (Navigator Lounge) is part of the Navigation Bridge. Indoor and outdoor bars serve wines, beers, drinks. Complimentary Wi-Fi is available in all cabins and public areas.

The ship has 1000+ m2 (~10,800 ft2) of open-deck space, which includes the wraparound Promenade Deck (deck 4). Tours of the Engine Room are also offered and complimentary. The ship has a small Gym (deck 5 midship) fitted with panoramic windows and modern fitness equipment. One lift (midship-portside located passenger elevator) connects all decks.

On December 8, 2018, the vessel was launched (floated out from drydock) at VARD's shipyard in Vaung Tau, Vietnam. It took 2 days to relocate the ship from the shipbuilding yard onto the floating dock for outfitting (machinery, stonework, wood panelling, public areas, staterooms).

Sea trials were conducted in February-March 2019. Ship's delivery was scheduled for April 2019. The official launch and christening were on April 24 (held in Singapore). The inaugural cruise (Singapore to Darwin Australia) was an 18-day itinerary themed "In the trail of Tasman" (April 24 through May 12). Vessel's godmother is Quek Peck Lim - one of the co-founders of Prime Partners Group (private equity investment firm investing in Asia-based food and distribution businesses).