CORAL Princess berthed at Station Pier on Thursday 15 September – the first international cruise ship to call at Melbourne since March 2020.
The ship was welcomed by the Victorian minister for tourism, Steve Dimopoulos, executives from Ports Victoria, Carnival Australia, and the City of Melbourne.
Ports Victoria CEO Brendan Webb said, “We are delighted to welcome cruise ships back to Station Pier. We have been working towards their return for many months – preparing the pier and liaising closely with the cruise industry and Victorian and Australian government departments.”
The Coral Princess is the first of 112 cruise ship visits scheduled to call at Station Pier this season. In addition, one ship will call at Webb Dock West in the port of Melbourne.
The next scheduled cruise ship calls at Melbourne will deliver passengers for the Melbourne Cup with two arriving on 31 October and one on 1 November.
Mr Dimopoulos said the ship’s arrival marked an important milestone for Victoria’s tourism and recovery efforts.
“It’s fantastic to see cruise ships back on our shores with passengers from all over the globe,” he said.
“Australia remains high on the list for many US travellers and new connections direct to Victoria mean that millions of visitors will start their trip down under right here – boosting tourism and supporting local jobs and businesses.”
Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald said, “We are so excited to welcome the first cruise ship to arrive in Victoria since the pandemic begun. We hope to see many more in the future.”
