By SALLY MACMILLAN
Queensland calls: Sydney still rules, but Brisbane and Cairns are increasingly popular for cruise ships.Credit: Ben Rushton
Is Sydney in danger of losing its celebrated status as Australia's most important cruise port? Both Royal Caribbean and P&O Cruises are planning to home-port ships in Brisbane next year, while Cairns is also attracting more seaborne visitors.
Royal Caribbean's 2074-passenger Legend of the Seas will call Brisbane home for five months from November next year and P&O Cruises' new 1500-passenger Pacific Aria will join the 1800-passenger Pacific Dawn at Portside in November.
Pacific Eden will home-port in Cairns for two months from September 2016 and international lines such as Azamara Club Cruises and Paul Gauguin have the tropical destination on their itineraries.
The Love Boat cast.
Brisbane and Cairns are well placed for destinations such as Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands as well as offering good bases for short break cruises to the Sunshine Coast, Great Barrier Reef and Port Douglas.
However, it's not all plain sailing. Carnival Australia corporate affairs vice-president Peter Taylor has said that while there is a lot of interest in Brisbane within the Carnival Group, lack of infrastructure is a problem. "The Brisbane River is too narrow to get the really big ships through, and Fisherman Island is unsuitable because it's predominantly a grain terminal," he said.
Back in Sydney, the Overseas Passenger Terminal is undergoing a $22 million makeover to improve passenger flow. Ports Minister Duncan Gay said the wharf would also be extended so it could handle ships as big as Queen Mary 2 - but until the Navy's Garden Island base could be shared, Sydney would run out of space to accommodate the increasing number of ships unable to fit underneath the Harbour Bridge.
Sean O'Brien.
Meet the crew
NAME Sean O'Brien
The eight-tonne, bright magenta polar bear and Royal Caribbean?s newest megaship, Quantum of the Seas newest mascot.
POSITION Food and beverage director, Pacific Pearl, P&O Cruises
MY ROLE ensure our bars, restaurants and galleys have all of the best food and drinks they need for the cruise.
TYPICAL DAY AT SEA As our operation is 24 hours a day, my primary role is to help and support my fantastic team of managers night and day.
FAVOURITE CRUISE MOMENT Our Island Night deck party. Our guests love partying in the open air and it's great to see everyone dancing and having a good time till the early hours.
FAVOURITE PORTS Isle of Pines, New Caledonia and Port Vila, Vanuatu.
INSIDER TIP Get involved in the classes we offer such as "Martini Masters" and wine-tasting.
Love is in the (sea) air
The Love Boat stars Gopher, Captain Stubing, Doc, Isaac, Vicki and Julie are reuniting in real life to christen Regal Princess in Fort Lauderdale on November 5. The pilot episode of the show was shot aboard the original Sun Princess in 1977, and several other Princess Cruises ships featured in the much-loved kitschy series over the following 10 years. The christening ceremony will also launch the start of the line's golden anniversary.
Grin and bear it
Royal Caribbean's newest megaship, Quantum of the Seas, was floated out of the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany with an unusual occupant on the top deck - an eight-tonne, bright magenta polar bear. Australian artist Lawrence Argent created the 10-metre bear as part of the ship's multimillion-dollar art collection.
"It is quite exciting to be collaborating with Royal Caribbean on a very visible and significant piece of art that will allow my work to be exposed to thousands of people each week," said Argent, who studied at RMIT in Melbourne.
Deals
OFFER OF THE WEEK
Join cricketing legend Kerry O'Keeffe on Travelrite's 13-day Baltic cruise on Celebrity Eclipse. The 20-day trip, starting on June 10, takes in London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn, St Petersburg and Berlin. Return flights are included in the fare, which starts from $9705. Phone 1800 033 436, see travelrite.com.au.
MORE BARGAINS
DISCOVER THE WORLD is offering free flights to Singapore to cruise to Newcastle (17 days) or Geelong (20 days) on MV Funchal. Departing February 1. From $3610, valid to September 30. Phone 1800 221 625, see portuscalecruises.com.au.
TEMPO HOLIDAYS' six-night Christmas Rhine river cruise onboard MS Amadeus Princess departs Cologne on December 22 and visits Koblenz, Speyer, Mainz and Strasbourg. From $1667. Phone 1300 558 987, see tempoholidays.com.au.
Ports
Oh MONA
Tasmania is one of Australia's best-kept travel secrets but now the word is out and Carnival Cruise Lines has scheduled three cruises to the southern isle early next year. Carnival Spirit will spend a full day and evening in Hobart, so there's time to explore the historic harbour area, head up the river to the fabulous Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) and have a locally brewed beer in one of the waterfront pubs. Port Arthur is also on the itinerary.
Tip
InsureandGo has launched a cruise-specific insurance policy that covers events such as cruise delays that may mean your international flight to and from the cruise is affected, and emergency medical transport. See insureandgo.com.au.
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