P&O passengers have praised
Sydney’s new cruise terminal,
which processed its first ship
yesterday.
After two years of concerns and criticism,
Australia’s newest cruise facility has gained
overwhelming support from the first people to
trial the new White Bay terminal.
A spokesperson from Sydney Ports
Corporation told Cruise Weekly that “very
positive feedback” had been unanimous
among the passengers disembarking Pacific
Pearl yesterday.
But the most convincing responses were
the posts on P&O Australia’s Facebook page,
generally a reliable yardstick for consumers’
true feelings.
“Got off the ship this morning. All was great
including the new drop-off point. The city was
at its finest,” said Suzanne R, of Young NSW.
“Nice facility, easy exit,” said Louise C.
The kind words continued all day, but
were mixed with negative comments from
observers who slammed the inconvenience,
public transport options, parking facilities and
taxis costs from the airport or train stations.
Carnival Australia, which operates the two
cruise lines to most regularly use White Bay
(P&O and Princess Cruises), also reassured
travellers that it would work hard to ensure
the transition from Barangaroo, Darling
Harbour, was “as smooth as possible”.
In a statement, the company made sure to
call the facility “Sydney Ports Corporation’s
new White Bay Cruise Terminal”.
When the NSW Government approved the
terminal in 2011, Carnival Australia expressed
concern about its “sub-optimal” location, lack
of facilities and local traffic congestion.
But this week P&O’s senior vice president
Tammy Marshall reconfirmed the company’s
promise to play nice.
“Once the decision was made to relocate
cruise ship operations to White Bay, we
pledged to work cooperatively with Sydney
Ports Corporation to make the new terminal a
success,” Marshall said.
The new terminal will officially open on
Friday (19 April), with yesterday’s event
described as a “trial” by Sydney Ports.
While other cruise ships have docked at
White Bay in the past, when Sydney’s other
berths were occupied, Monday was the first
time that passengers were “processed” at the
end of a cruise, he said.
P&O’s Pacific Jewel is the next ship
scheduled to arrive at White Bay to coincide
with the VIP opening celebrations on Friday.
