The 2013-14 international
cruise season has officially
started, with a record number
of ships set to visit our shores
this summer.
AMID the war ships, tall ships and a prince
on a yacht on Sydney Harbour for the Royal
Australian Navy’s International Fleet Review,
the first international cruise ship also arrived
on the weekend, kicking off Australia’s peak –
and busiest ever – cruising period.
Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas
docked at dawn on 04 October, ready for its
seventh consecutive season down under.
The six-month period will see more than 40
ships making around 600 calls to Australian
ports – many for the first time.
Among the 15 maiden calls are Seabourn
Sojourn’s visits to Eden, Geelong, Kangaroo
Island, Burnie, Bunbury, Geraldton and
Exmouth, and APT’s MS Caledonian Sky in
Darwin, Port Essington, Wessell Islands,
Macquarie Island and Norfolk Island.
Western Australia also welcomes its only
locally based ship, Cruise & Maritime Voyages’
Astor, which is scheduled to reach Fremantle
on 11 December for a series of cruises in
Australia and Asia.
According to Cruise Lines International
Association Australasia, 2013-14 will also see
an unprecedented 202 roundtrip sailings from
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle,
offering a record number of opportunities for
people to cruise from their doorstep.
Keep up to date with the movements of
visiting ships with the Cruise Weekly Cruise
Calendar (see right).
