Cruising to resume in summer but not as you may remember it

Cruise ships will be back in South Australian waters this summer but there will be one major difference.

Cruising is returning to South Australian waters this summer – but on a much smaller scale.

Two ships – each taking fewer than 100 guests – will travel to destinations within the state, including Kangaroo Island, the Eyre Peninsula and Robe, in the South-East.

Coral Expeditions, which successfully relaunched local cruises earlier this year, and APT are offering cruises from November.

Guests will not need to be vaccinated but do need to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test before boarding and will have to agree to safety precautions such as daily temperature checks.

However, with no government pathway to resume cruising, major cruise lines have been forced to bypass Australian waters this summer and P & O Cruises Australia has extended its long “pause” until at least mid-January.

Coral Expeditions' ship Coral Adventurer in SA waters. Picture: Isaac Forman

Cruise on Coral Adventurer of SA's wild islands. Picture: Quentin Chester Photography

Coral Expeditions’ ship Coral Geographer is launching a 10-night Wild Islands and Walks of SA cruise, which will visit Kangaroo Island, Coffin Bay and Flinders Island.

It departs November 22, with more dates in December and January, and is priced from $6390 a person.

APT is bringing its MS Caledonian Sky to SA for an eight-day luxury Coastal Frontier cruise departing Adelaide on December 30, with three more departures in January.

It will visit Robe, Kangaroo Island, Coffin Bay and Port Lincoln, with coach trips to Hahndorf and the Barossa Valley. Prices s start at $8195 a person twin share.

Peter Williams, chief executive of Phil Hoffmann Travel, which is selling the APT cruises, said there was an appetite for people to return to cruising.