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New Arrivals & Favourites Return, Australia Gears Up For Its Busiest Cruise Season

Australia's ports will be crazy busy all wave season long, as the country prepares for what's set to be one of the busiest summers ever experienced on the southern seas.

Australia’s ports will be crazy busy all wave season long, as the country prepares for what’s set to be one of the busiest summers ever experienced on the southern seas.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) Australasia did the math and found that throughout the four-month period some 60 ships will visit our shores.

SIXTY! Can you even name 60 ships?

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In addition to old favourites (Azamara Journey, Celebrity Solstice, etc.), over the 2019/20 period, Australia will welcome a number of newbies including Dream Cruises, which will make its debut Down Under with Explorer Dream. There’s also Carnival Splendor that’ll become the largest Carnival ship to homeport in Australia, along with Wind Spirit and more.

“This summer will undoubtedly be one of the busiest and most diverse cruise seasons we’ve ever experienced in Australia.”

Joel Katz, CLIA Australasia Managing Director

“The choice in cruise lines and ships is broader than ever and the range of itineraries offered this year will ensure the economic benefits of cruise tourism are spread far around the country and throughout our region.”

Read on for a full rundown on the large wave season to be:

 

AZAMARA CLUB CRUISES

Azamara Journey Sydney Arrival Feb 2018

Azamara will mark its fifth local season with Azamara Journey offering a series of sailings around New Zealand, Australia and Asia.

The line will introduce several new South Pacific ports of call on route to Australia, including New Plymouth and Doubtful Sound in New Zealand.

 

CARNIVAL CRUISE LINE

Carnival Splendor

Carnival Cruise Line welcomes a newcomer, with Carnival Splendor arriving later this year to become the newest and largest ship homeported year-round in Australia.

Sailing from Sydney, Carnival Splendor will join sister ship Carnival Spirit before Spirit relocates to Brisbane in October next year.

 

CELEBRITY CRUISES

Celebrity Solstice

Celebrity Cruises returns this year with Celebrity Solstice to offer her eighth season in local waters.

The ship will visit several new destinations including Eden on NSW South Coast, Port Vila in Vanuatu and Mare in New Caledonia – a maiden call for the line.

 

CORAL EXPEDITIONS

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Coral Expeditions will offer its flagship Coral Adventurer alongside Coral Discoverer and Coral Expeditions II, operating a program of itineraries to destinations including the Great Barrier Reef, The Kimberley, Tasmania, Cape York, Arnhem Land, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.

 

CRYSTAL CRUISES

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Image: Crystal Cruising

Crystal Cruises will welcome its 980-passenger Crystal Serenity to Australia as part of a world tour of 105 nights.

The luxury vessel will arrive in Sydney after a visit to New Zealand and will then sail up the East Coast via destinations including Mooloolaba, Hardy Reef, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Darwin.

 

CUNARD CRUISE LINE

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Cunard returns once more this season with Queen Elizabeth based in Australia for a record 101 days from December to March.

Sister ship Queen Mary 2 will spend 18 days in local waters visiting eight ports from Darwin to Sydney and across to Fremantle as part of her 99-night world itinerary.

 

DREAM CRUISES

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New to Australia this year is Dream Cruises which will operate its Explorer Dream in local waters for the first time.

Sailing from Sydney, the ship will offer a series of Queensland coastal itineraries before crossing the Tasman for a season of New Zealand itineraries from Auckland. It will then return to Sydney for a series of Tasmania trips before returning to Asia via Cairns and Darwin.

 

HOLLAND AMERICA

Noordam

Holland America Line will have three ships in local waters: Noordam, Maasdam, and Amsterdam – the latter on her world voyage. Between them, the trio will make 75 calls to ports around Australia.

 

MSC CRUISES

Venice Grand Canal cruise ship

MSC Cruises will welcome its MSC Magnifica in March as part of a world trip, visiting ports including Hobart and an overnight stay in Sydney before heading north for maiden calls to Cairns and Darwin.

 

NORWEGIAN CRUISE LINE

Norwegian Jewel feature

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Jewel and Oceania Cruises’ Regatta, will sail a variety of itineraries to ports in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

 

P&O CRUISES

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The Australia-based P&O Cruises fleet – Pacific Explorer, Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria – will offer an extensive season in the region, sailing from Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide as part of the line’s year-round presence.

Together the ships will make a total of 202 calls to Australian ports.

 

PONANT

Ponant-LeLaperouse

Small-ship luxury operator Ponant will offer an extensive program aboard its 184-passenger Le Laperouse, visiting Darwin, Cairns, Sydney and Hobart.

It will also sail an expedition cruise from Hobart to Dunedin in New Zealand via the Sub Antarctic Islands before heading north for a series of Kimberley voyages between Darwin and Broome.

 

PRINCESS CRUISES

Ruby Princess

Princess Cruises will have its largest-ever season in Australia with the maiden visit of Ruby Princess, joining Majestic Princess which has returned for her second season.

Princess will also offer its Golden Princess, Sun Princess and Sea Princess. During her first local season, Ruby Princess will make 18 maiden visits to Australian and New Zealand ports.

 

REGENT SEVEN SEAS

karryon-regent-seven-seas-cruises

Regent Seven Seas will have three vessels in Australian waters this summer: Seven Seas Voyager, Seven Seas Navigator and Seven Seas Mariner.

The trio will offer itineraries to local Australian ports, New Zealand, Asia and the South Pacific, with Seven Seas Mariner visiting as part of her 2020 world itinerary.

 

ROYAL CARIBBEAN

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Royal Caribbean International will bring three ships to the region this summer, including the recently modernised Voyager of the Seas and the largest ship to operate in Australia this season, Ovation of the Seas.

They will be joined by Radiance of the Seas and together will operate 61 sailings to destinations in Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Asia.

 

SEABOURN

seabourn encore aft pool

Luxury line Seabourn also returns with several sailings aboard Seabourn Encore, which will make maiden calls to destinations including Portland in Victoria, Hobart, Adelaide and Kangaroo Island.

Sister ship Seabourn Sojourn will visit as part of a world cruise, visiting six local ports including Brisbane and Airlie beach for the first time.

 

SILVERSEA CRUISES

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Silversea Cruises will offer its newest ship Silver Muse, sailing between Sydney and Auckland for a number of itineraries that include the north-east coast of Australia, New Zealand and several maiden calls in the South Pacific.

It will be joined by Silver Whisper next year as part of its world itinerary, which continues to Singapore via ports in Australia and Asia.

 

WINDSTAR CRUISES

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Windstar Cruises will bring its four-masted sailing ship Wind Spirit to Australia for the first time next year, arriving in Cairns after a crossing from New Caledonia.

The ship will then sail onwards through the Torres Strait and across the Top End to Darwin before heading to Indonesia.

 

OTHERS

Other visitors to Australian waters this year include AIDA Cruises’ AIDAaura and AIDAvita, Costa Cruises’ Costa Deliziosa, Hapag Lloyd’s Bremen and Europa, and Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Boudicca.