WITH Jill Abel, CEO, Australian Cruise Association: Cruise season has kicked off with
some great news on homeporting
and maiden calls coming from
cruise lines.
Princess Cruises has announced
plans for its biggest deployment
out of Sydney, with Regal
Princess set to call the city home for
four months from December 2020
during her Australian maiden
season, joining sister ship Majestic
Princess – together they will
increase the cruise line’s capacity
by 40% in Sydney.
Relative newcomer to our waters,
Cruise and Maritime Voyages
(CMV), has announced its new
ship Vasco da Gama will make the
world’s first cruise line visit to the
SA port of Wallaroo in the 2019/20
season. She will also make maiden
calls to Kuri Bay (WA) and to
Portland and Philip Island (Vic).
CMV’s premium ship Astor will
cruise in Australia again this season,
mostly out of Fremantle and
Adelaide, before heading back to
the UK in March 2019.
The newest ship in the Dream
Cruises fleet , Explorer Dream, will
offer seven-day cruises out of
Sydney from Oct 2019 during the
brand’s first season in Australia. She
will offer two itineraries
stopping in numerous secondary
ports such as Newcastle, Gladstone
and the Sunshine Coast, Eden,
Philip Island and Burnie.
This news confirms that Australia
continues to be a highly attractive
destination for the cruise lines,
with both major and regional ports
benefiting from these visits.
This of course brings valuable
income to these destinations,
allowing them to invest back into
development for the future.
