First cruise ship in two years to dock in Brisbane in tourism coup

After more than 800 days lost at sea, Queensland’s cruise sector finally has reason to celebrate as a major milestone approaches.

Queensland is set to become the epicentre of Australian cruising in a $150 million tourism bonanza as the industry makes its long-awaited return to Brisbane.

After more than two years in limbo, the first of 50 cruise ship voyages will dock at Brisbane’s state-of-the-art cruise ship terminal next Thursday with dozens of visits already locked in over the coming months as operators and cruise fanatics rush to make up for lost time.

This year, cruise ships will dock at Queensland ports about 150 times, bringing rivers of gold to regions starved of tourists during the coronavirus pandemic.

Each visit to Brisbane is worth an estimated $1m to the state economy as vessels resupply and passengers take off on day trips across the region.

The first full season of cruising, which starts in October, will see an estimated 150 ship visits to the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, a sparkling $177m facility at the mouth of the river which was completed just months into the pandemic.

Workers at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal are gearing up for the first passengers in more than two years when the Pacific Explorer visits next week. Picture: Tara Croser.

The terminal has been used as a vaccination centre and hosted visits from the Australian and US navy, but it is yet to receive a single cruise ship.

Before the pandemic, cruising was a tourism juggernaut worth about $1 billion a year to the Queensland economy, but it was one of the hardest hit sectors and has been the slowest to rebound due to complex biosecurity and logistical challenges.

Port of Brisbane CEO Neil Stephens said next week’s visit from P&O’s Pacific Explorer would be a huge day for the cruise sector.

“The level of excitement across the whole industry is palpable,” he said.

“There’s a weight of people who want to go cruising and they want to do it from this part of the world.

“This is going to be a hub of economic activity for years into the future.”

P&O’s Pacific Explorer will be the first cruise ship to visit Queensland in more than two years.

Marguerite Fitzgerald, president of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia, said Queensland would be at the forefront of the industry’s revival.

“Queensland is going to look a lot like the epicentre of cruising in Australia as the cruise industry continues to rebuild after an absence of more than two years,” she said.

“In coming months, it will look like a near normal cruise season with the combination of ships based in Brisbane or making calls there or to other attractive Queensland destinations. “All of this activity is great news for suppliers, tour operators and other key parts of the cruising ecosystem.”

It is understood Pacific Explorer will carry about 1500 passengers on the voyage, which leaves Sydney on May 31, with a conscious decision to operate the ship at less than full capacity.

The Coral Princess will arrive in Brisbane on June 7 for a number of journeys based out of Brisbane over the coming months, while P&O’s Pacific Encounter will run a number of Queensland itineraries out of Brisbane from August 20.

Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas will also be based in Brisbane for voyages from November.

Oliver Graham from R&R Window Cleaning at Brisbane International Cruise Ship Terminal getting everything ready for the return of cruise ships for the first time in more than two years. Picture: Tara Croser.

Megaliners including the Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 will pull into Queensland ports including Brisbane, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas, next summer.

The cruise industry has introduced some of the strictest health protocols in the world to ensure the safety of passengers and crew, with all people boarding a ship required to be at least double vaccinated and return a negative Covid test before they are permitted to board.

Ships have also expanded medical facilities, including provisions for passengers to isolate, while increased measures have been installed to increase air flow.