P&O Australia’s Pacific Explorer was welcomed to Brisbane (Queensland Australia) Friday morning, June 3, marking the first cruise ship to dock at Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT).
The arrival of the ship marked the halfway point in the first passenger cruise from Sydney NSW after the restart of cruising in Australia, passing down Brisbane River at 7:00 a.m.
According to P&O Cruises Australia’s president Marguerite Fitzgerald, Queensland was once again set to be a key market for cruising in Australia after a 2-year pause in operations.
Fitzgerald added that before the COVID crisis cruising had accounted for US$1+ billion annually "in economic activity in Queensland with regional destinations from Moreton Island to Cairns benefiting.”
P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Encounter is scheduled to take up residence in Brisbane as her homeport from August 2022.
Pacific Explorer is due to spend the day docked at the BICT whilst passengers enjoy shore excursions and the sites of Brisbane prior to heading back to Sydney NSW on the return leg of their 4-day cruise.