Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess arrived in Melbourne for her maiden visit today as the first cruise ship back in the city in more than two years, sailing into Port Melbourne with 2,000 passengers on board to shore up the major events capital again.
From November 2022, three Carnival Australia brands – P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises and Cunard – will homeport ships in Melbourne for cruise seasons.
It follows the arrival of Coral Princess into Brisbane in June to kick off cruising in Queensland and the more recent return of Pacific Adventure into Sydney.
P&O Cruises Australia and Carnival Cruise Line ships will play a big role in driving interstate visitation to Melbourne’s major annual events, such as the Melbourne Cup and Australian Open Tennis.
Three ships – P&O’s Pacific Adventure (sailing from Sydney) and Pacific Encounter (sailing from Brisbane), and Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Splendor (sailing from Sydney) – will bring more than 7,000 visitors to the Melbourne Cup. Pacific Adventure will also bring guests to the Australian Open Tennis in January 2023.
Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Asia Pacific Stuart Allison said it was exciting for Coral Princess to be the first ship to return to Melbourne.
“Coral Princess is the first ‘smart ship’ Medallion Class vessel to visit the city and our loyal guests will be able to cruise from Melbourne during the dedicated cruise season.”
President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald said: “Melbourne is a natural starting-off point for cruises to destinations in South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand.”
“It is great to see cruising return to Melbourne after such a long absence with the city ready to participate in the growth of cruise tourism and the rebuilding of Australia’s $5 billion annual cruise industry.”
To find out more, visit princess.com
