Cruising is about to become harder and more expensive for many Australians, especially for those in the southern states.
As of this cruising season, most cruise lines will be based out of Sydney or Brisbane. In one way, that makes a lot of sense, the northern cities have better weather and are closer to the Pacific island nations so popular with passengers.
But it will be a blow to the people of Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania, and even the southern NSW coast, with destinations vastly depleted on itineraries in these areas, and in some cases overlooked altogether.
And due to various industry repositioning, capacity is estimated to be down 30 per cent. This is despite cruise demand bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels and a bumper season predicted for this year.
The industry suffered some severe blows last season, with Cunard pulling the plug on its Australian base, the withdrawal of Virgin Voyages and the P&O Cruises Australia brand being folded into parent company Carnival Cruise Line.
Adding to costs
As a result of being based in Sydney and Brisbane, many cruise lines have also pulled out of southern states as ‘turnaround’ destinations, i.e. ships will still visit, but passengers will not be able to join the cruise. This will add considerably to costs as people will be forced to pay to travel to ports and is a blow to regional centres relying on the tourism income.
Rising fees are being partly blamed for the decisions, with cruise lines vocal in their criticism of the cost of doing business in Australia.
It’s estimated that Australia has some of the highest docking fees in the world.
Carnival Corporation country manager Peter Little said while demand was strong, fees were challenging the viability of cruising in the area.
“In this region you have ports that are putting their prices up in double digits or even in triple digits, and that’s not sustainable, to continue to be lifting the prices and the price of doing business in the region,” he told Cruise Passenger.
“So naturally we have to look at the economics of operating here so that companies are looking at the economics now.
“Many of the operators in this region are just saying there are headwinds that need to be addressed if we’re to continue to see growth in this region. But it’s not sustainable at the moment.”
Port visits to disappear
A good example is Pacific Explorer, which sails year-round in Australia, visiting a range of ports. Before she’s retired in March 2025 she’s set to sail out of ports such as Auckland, Melbourne, Adelaide and Fremantle. However, with the ship set to be axed by Carnival, the sailings out of those ports will disappear.
And spare a thought for potential New Zealand passengers. Most cruise lines are no longer picking up passengers from that country, so tourists will have to fly to Sydney or Brisbane to enjoy a cruise, despite ships docking on their shores many times a season.
Geraldton in WA is also facing a financial blow. Twelve port visits have been cancelled for the 2025-26 season due the P&O Australia changes and Australian Border Force pulling out resources to process passengers. It’s estimated the cancellations will cost the city and surrounding areas almost $3 million in revenue.
Will the cost of travelling to Brisbane or Sydney change your cruising plans? Why not share your thoughts in the comments section below?
Also read: Cruise etiquette: guide to good manners while cruising
I suppose that the various Southern States will be excluded as ” pick up ” points – when was the last time someone from this useless Labor Government had a look at that ancient and sad entry to Victoria – it is so old and decrepit even the first fleet would think twice about coming here. We deserve what we get.