The Coral Princess arrived at Melbourne’s Station Pier Cruise Ship Terminal early Thursday morning (Sep 15) for her maiden visit, emblazoned with a “We Love Melbourne” banner proudly displayed across its bow.  It is the first cruise ship to visit Melbourne in more than two years.

Stuart Allison, senior vice president Asia Pacific for Princess Cruises said it was exciting for Coral Princess to be the first ship to return to Melbourne following the cruise industry’s restart as well as being the first ‘smart ship’ MedallionClass vessel to visit the city.

“Princess Cruises is committed to the Australian cruise market for the long term and we value our loyal guests for whom cruising from Melbourne is their holiday choice and they will have opportunities for this during Grand Princess’s dedicated Melbourne cruise season,”  Allison said.

The ship was on a six-day sail from Sydney along the coast of southeastern Australia. After departing Melbourne, it sailed to Adelaide which will also be marking the return of cruising to South Australia.

Thirteen cruise ships will be visiting or home porting in Melbourne during the upcoming summer cruise season. Between them, they will make 70 calls — including nine overnight stays — and 11 calls to Phillip Island.

The Coral Princess is the vanguard for multiple Carnival Australia cruise lines basing ships in Melbourne or having ships call during the remainder of this year and in 2023. Beginning in November, three brands — P&O Cruises Australia, Princess Cruises and Cunard — will homeport ships in Melbourne for cruise seasons.