Coral Princess arrived at the Station Pier Cruise Ship Terminal in Melbourne (Victoria Australia) early Thursday morning, September 15, for her maiden call, emblazoned with the “We Love Melbourne” banner displayed across her bow.
It is the first liner to visit Melbourne in 2+ years.
The Princess Cruises ship was on a 6-day itinerary along southeastern Australia's coast from Sydney NSW. After departing Port Melbourne, the boat sailed to Adelaide which will be marking the return of cruising to South Australia.
13 cruise ships will be visiting/homeporting in Melbourne during the upcoming summer season. They will make 70 calls (including 9 overnights) and 11 calls to Phillip Island.
Beginning in November 2022, 3 cruise brands - Princess, Cunard, and P&O Australia, will homeport ships in Melbourne.
Stuart Allison (Senior VP Asia Pacific for Princess) said it was exciting for Coral Princess to be the first cruise ship to return to Melbourne following the industry’s restart and being the first MedallionClass ‘smart ship’ to visit the port city.
“Princess Cruises is committed to the Australian cruise market for the long term and we value our loyal guests for whom cruising from Melbourne is their holiday choice and they will have opportunities for this during Grand Princess’s dedicated Melbourne cruise season.”