By
Rebecca Gibson |
Melbourne in Australia welcomed its largest homeporting cruise ship to date on 30 October when Princess Cruises’ 2,600-guest Golden Princess arrived in the city.
To mark the arrival, two helicopters flew two 20,000 sqft golden curtains in front of Golden Princess as she sailed into Port Philip Bay for the first time. The curtains were then ‘drawn apart’ to reveal the ship as she neared the berth.
Golden Princess, which will be based in the Australian city from October 2015 to March 2016, is 40% larger than Melbourne’s previous biggest homeported ship, Dawn Princess. She will also carry 23% more guests during her inaugural Melbourne deployment and over the next five months, she is expected to host 40,000 guests. A key factor in her Melbourne deployment is that Victoria is one of the fastest growing cruise states in Australia, as more than 175,000 Victorians took a cruise in 2014 – a 24% rise from 2013.
During her inaugural five-month deployment in Melbourne, Golden Princess will sail 15 roundtrips to destinations in New Zealand, the South Pacific and Tasmania. This is expected to deliver around AUS$15 million to the Victorian economy in passenger and crew spending as well as supplies and port charges.
Stuart Allison, Princess Cruises’ vice president of Australia and New Zealand, said that the cruise line had sailed from Melbourne every summer since 2008-2009. “Over that time a growing number of Victorians have come to appreciate the ease of cruising from their doorstep, and recognise the great value that a cruise holiday offers,” he said. “There’s no question that a grand-class Princess ship like Golden Princess, with all its beautiful features, will entice even more Victorians to holiday at sea.”