| Big ships prepare for biggest season

Next weekend marks the start
of Australia’s wave season,
involving a record number of
passengers, ships and ports of call.
CARNIVAL Australia will have 19 ships,
carrying 325,000 passengers and making 310
calls to Australian ports, and Royal Caribbean
Cruises Ltd will host more than 200,000 passengers on four ships.
A record 14 Carnival Australia ships will be
based in Australian waters for all or some of
the 2012-13 season, with a further five ships
visiting as part of their world cruising itineraries.
The program features the Australian debut of
Carnival Spirit, maiden visits from Holland
America’s Oosterdam and Seabourn Quest, and
the return of Queen Mary 2, which will
undertake its inaugural circumnavigation of NZ.
With more ships cruising down under for longer
periods, Carnival Australia CEO Ann Sherry said
the greater number of international and local
passengers was a 5% rise on the last cruise season.
“In all, this cruise season we’ll carry more
than triple the number of passengers who
cruised with us eight years ago when Carnival
Australia was first formed,” Sherry said.
“We’ll be visiting more Australian ports than
ever before, with 27 different towns and cities
set to welcome our ships over the coming
months.”
RCCL’s two newcomers – Voyager of the Seas and
Celebrity Solstice – will become the two largest
and most modern cruise ships ever based in
Australia.
Radiance of the Seas officially kicks off
proceedings on Friday 12 Oct, as the first
international cruise ship to arrive in Australia
this season; closely followed by the revamped
Rhapsody of the Seas on 14 Oct and Celebrity
Millennium in Nov.
RCCL’s Australia and New Zealand Commercial
Director, Adam Armstrong, said Voyager and
Solstice would “revolutionise the cruising
landscape as we introduce a size and calibre of
superliners previously only experienced overseas”.
Armstrong said the passenger numbers were
“remarkable” compared to the 35,000 guests
who sailed with RCCL two seasons ago.