Coral Princess arrived at the cruise terminal at Melbourne Pier early this morning with the words ‘We ❤ Melbourne’ proudly emblazoned on her bow.
The Victorian Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Steve Dimopoulos, said, “Today marks an important milestone for the state’s tourism and recovery efforts. It is fantastic to see cruise ships returning to our shores with passengers from all over the world.”
Greeting the ship this morning was a welcoming committee and a boatload of fresh, Victorian produce.
“It’s great to see the return of cruises to Melbourne after such a long absence with the city poised to participate in the growth of cruise tourism and the renewal of Australia’s $5 billion a year cruise industry,” said Marguerite Fitzgerald, president of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia.
The ship is currently on a six-day voyage from Sydney along the coast of South East Australia.
After leaving Melbourne this evening, she sails for Adelaide. The first cruise, Coral Princess will also mark the cruise’s return to South Australia.
Multiple cruise lines from the Carnival family, to which Princess belongs, will call at Melbourne through the end of 2022 and into 2023, including Queen Elizabeth, who will call Melbourne home from mid-November.
Also part of the family are P&O Cruises, Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn and, of course, Carnival Cruises.
A total of 66 calls will be made in the Victorian capital.