Princess Cruises celebrates half century down under
Princess Cruises has marked its 50th anniversary in Australia with a Sydney Harbour celebration on board its newly-arrived ship, Discovery Princess.
Australia’s longest running cruise line Princess Cruises Australia has celebrated its 50th anniversary with a star-studded Sydney Harbour bash that included Sydney Swans players, dancers and Love Boat actor Ted Lange.
To mark the half century, the newest cruise ship ever to homeport in Sydney, Discovery Princess, has also made her inaugural arrival down under.
Lange, who played beloved bartender Isaac Washington on the Pacific Princess cruise ship in the popular TV show, made cocktails for AFL stars including Brodie Grundy and Tom McCartin on board the Discovery Princess while it was docked at Circular Quay on Saturday.
Built in 2022, on Sunday the 3660-passenger ship will depart Sydney and travel on a 14-day round-trip via New Zealand before arriving back in Sydney on December 20.
“For 50 years, we’ve proudly shared the wonder of cruising with Australians who love to explore their own background and beyond,” Princess Cruises vice-president Asia Pacific Matthew Rutherford said.
Mr Rutherford described the Sydney-homeported Discovery Princess as “state-of-the-art”.
“She, along with our entire fleet, showcases our unwavering commitment to the region and our guests, crew, partners and suppliers who have made every voyage memorable.”
At more than 330 metres long, the cruise liner is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and weighs more than 145,000 tonnes.
Cruise ships are a familiar sight in Sydney Harbour, giving the regional economy a welcome boost and catering to the large number of Australians choosing to cruise locally.
In the 2024 to 2025 season, cruising benefited the New South Wales economy by $3.94 billion and supported more than 12,000 full time jobs.
More than 1.3 million Aussies cruised last year, with over one million choosing to cruise locally.
Princess Cruises Global President Gus Antorcha flew into Sydney for the anniversary and outlined growth plans for Australia and New Zealand.
“We look forward to continuing our strong partnerships with state and federal governments, supporting the cruise industry’s growth and delivering economic benefits to local communities across Australia.”
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Originally published as Princess Cruises celebrates half century down under
