Queensland’s Sunshine Coast will add Azamara Quest and MS Amsterdam to its fleet of cruise visitors over the next year, with ten cruise vessels and over 17,000 passengers scheduled to call into Mooloolaba from December 2015 to September 2016.
The addition of MS Amsterdam, a ship owned by Carnival and operated as part of the Holland America line, and Azamara builds on the successful visits by P&O vessels over the past year.
The high end Azamara will arrive in January, and will be followed by MS Amsterdam in February.
P&O’s Pacific Eden, Pacific Aria, Pacific Jewel and Pacific Pearl are all scheduled to call into Mooloolaba over the next 12 months.
Mooloolaba was added to cruise itineraries by P&O in 2014, and with the destination able to offer a wide variety of easily accessible activities both along the coast and in the Hinterland, the destination has become an “instant favourite” as a stopover port for cruise vessels.
Sunshine Coast Destination CEO, Simon Ambrose, welcomed the addition of the new vessels and the expansion of P&O’s arrivals.
“The Sunshine Coast business and general community has shown that they welcome cruise passengers very warmly and while many of the visitors have been to the Sunshine Coast in the past, our range of stop-over activities provides a great opportunity to see something different, whether it be Australia Zoo, markets, or our beautiful Hinterland,” said Mr Ambrose.
“We look forward to welcoming even more vessels in the future and establishing the Sunshine Coast as a favourite port for Australian cruise passengers.”
The Sunshine Coast’s cruise schedule now comprises:
Pacific Eden – 18th December 2015
Azamara Club Cruises – 10th January 2016
Amsterdam – 13th February 2016
Pacific Jewel – 19th March 2016
Pacific Jewel – 11th May 2016
Pacific Aria – 15th June 2016
Pacific Jewel – 27th June 2016
Pacific Jewel – 10th August 2016
Carnival Spirit – 16th August 2016
Pacific Pearl – 4th September 2016
SOURCE: Sunshine Coast Destination