Cruise ships return to Australia: where to get the best deals

Cruising is finally coming back to Australia after a two-year ban. And the companies are gearing up for a massive return.

Cruising is finally coming back to Australia, two years after the federal government announced a blanket ban that stopped the popular vessels from docking Down Under.

Foreign-flagged vessels will be welcomed back from April 17, more than two years after the Ruby Princess debacle that saw hundreds of people with coronavirus disembarking in Sydney.

“On the basis of medical advice and with the agreement of national cabinet, lifting the cruise ban is consistent with the reopening of Australia’s international border and shows that we have successfully navigated Australia’s emergency response to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said last week.

P&O Cruises will be the first to return to Australia, testing the waters when its Pacific Explorer ship disembarks from Sydney on a four-night voyage up to Brisbane on May 31.

Following that, a flurry of ships will make their way back to Australia — and the cruise companies are gearing up for a massive return.

Royal Caribbean International is celebrating the return of cruising by offering passengers 50 per cent off deposits when they book between March 23 and April 5.

Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas will return to Sydney this year.

Royal Caribbean’s 2022-23 Australia Summer Season will kick off when Ovation of the Seas sails from Sydney with an 11-night cruise on October 29 and Brisbane will welcome Quantum of the Seas back on November 1 for an eight-night cruise of the South Pacific.

Couples can save up to $2800 on a junior suite booking, aboard a seven-night Tasmania cruise from Sydney, leaving on December 7.
The trip also comes with a $US400 ($A534) credit to spend on-board.

The company is offering plenty of other deals on its cruises this year as the industry works to rebuild trust.

Gavin Smith, the managing director of Australia and New Zealand for Royal Caribbean International, said the company had already seen “huge demand” in Aussies wanting to go cruising again.

“We are delighted cruising has been given the green light to resume in Australia,” he said.

“We know many of our loyal guests have been as excited for this moment as we are, and that’s why we want them to celebrate with us by offering 50 per cent off their bookings up until 5 April.”

“Now that Covid restrictions are easing in Australia, we are seeing huge demand from Australians who are eager to get back to sea.”

Aussie cruise fans have been waiting two years for the industry to return. Picture: iStock

Princess Cruises will also be back in Australia in a matter of months, launching its debut from Brisbane when the Coral Princess returns on June 16.

The 2000-guest ship will be homeported in Brisbane for 11 new departures this year, worth an estimated $60 million to the Queensland economy.

Princess Cruises Senior Director of Sales, Marketing and Service Nick Ferguson said the company had been desperate to get cruising back.

“After two years of rolling pauses, we are delighted to be featuring Queensland in an exciting winter program of cruises from Australia, which demonstrates our commitment to cruising Down Under and the local travel agent community,” he said.

Carnival Cruise Line will return on October 5, with a short four-day trip from Sydney up to Tangalooma Reef at Queensland’s Moreton Island.

The ban on foreign-flagged ships was imposed in March 2020 after the Ruby Princess docked in Sydney, causing the spread of Covid-19 across the country. An inquiry linked 900 Covid cases and 28 deaths to the ship.

Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan said last week the government was ready to welcome the industry back.

“The commonwealth wants to go. We’ve been ready to go now for a number of weeks,” the minister said.

“Because the states run the ports, we need their tick off. And they’re working with their health officials.

“But from what I heard yesterday from the NSW Premier, he must be very confident that his health officials are ready to give us the green light.

“If that’s the case, there‘s no reason why we can’t be up and running in a matter of months.”