Cruise line to expand capacity in the country by 20% between October 2016 and April 2017
By
Rebecca |
Princess Cruises is to homeport five ships in Australia between October 2016 and April 2017.
Homeporting in Australia for the first time, the 3,082-guest Emerald Princess will join Golden Princess, Sun Princess, Sea Princess and Dawn Princess and expand the line’s capacity in the country by 20%.
Together, the ships will offer a total of 120 itineraries and visit 113 destinations in 39 countries throughout Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific. All five Princess ships will sail cruises ranging from 11- to 14-days.
“Australia and the entire South Pacific region has always had an allure as a magical place for travellers, and cruising is one of the best ways to explore this part of the world,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “As demand for the region grows, we’re responding with more voyages, more destinations and more creative itinerary options.”
Emerald Princess will depart England on 28 September 2016 to sail a 42-day voyage to Australia, calling at destinations on four continents.
Meanwhile, Dawn Princess will sail two 42-day journeys to China and Japan, one departing from Sydney and the other from Brisbane.
Homeporting in Sydney in October 2016 and March 2017, Sun Princess will operate ‘Circle Australia’ voyages and the line’s first-ever roundtrip voyages from Brisbane and Fremantle.
Both Sun Princess and Sea Princess will sail 10- to 14-day voyages through the idyllic and remote islands of the South Pacific from Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne. Golden Princess will also be based in Melbourne
In addition, Sea Princess will depart Sydney on 11 January 2017 for Princess’ first-ever 84-day Circle South America cruise on Sea Princess, enabling guests to transit the Panama Canal and visit 28 destinations in 18 countries including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador and Uruguay. Other highlights include overnights in Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Lima, Peru.
Princess will also offer two combined land and sea packages. Guests opting for the Australian Outback package will be immersed in Aboriginal culture and visit the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland and Ayers Rock in Uluru National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Alternatively, they can opt for the Ultimate Australia package, which includes a tour of Sydney city, the Great Barrier Reef, a visit to Darwin in the Northern Territory, the outback and more.