The cruise scene drastically changed overnight in Queensland’s capital when the city received approval for a new terminal AND was selected to homeport another ship.
One thing at a time, let’s start with the cruise terminal.
Port of Brisbane and Carnival Australia came to an agreement this week that Brisbane was in need of another international terminal. As a result, they decided to build Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT) at Luggage Point within the next two years.
That’s right, by 2020 the northern city will have another terminal where Carnival Australia and other non-Carnival Australia cruise brands can berth their ships.
President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia, Sture Myrmell, described the new terminal as a ‘win-win’ for cruising as well as the Queensland economy, which is expected to generate some $5 billion within 15 years.
“It means Brisbane can take its place on the world cruising map for some of the globe’s most iconic cruise lines with ships too large to use existing facilities at Portside.”
Sture Myrmell, Carnival Australia & P&O Cruises Australia President
Shortly after the announcement, Carnival Cruise Line jumped in to confirm it will take advantage of the new terminal making it Carnival Spirit‘s new home in 2020.
That’s awesome news for Brisbane as it’s the first Carnival Cruise Line ship to be home ported in the city.
Carnival Spirit will sail year-round from Brisbane to the stunning tropical archipelagos of Vanuatu and New Caledonia, as well as offer shorter cruises to well-loved destinations in North Queensland.
The cruise line’s Vice-President Australia, Jennifer Vandekreeke, said she’s delighted to send the ship to Queensland’s capital and offer “Queenslanders the opportunity to sail on Carnival right from their doorstep”.
Itineraries for Carnival Spirit’s 2020 Brisbane sailings will be announced mid-June 2018 with bookings opening in early July 2018.
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