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.
The ship is currently on a six-day sail from Sydney along the coast of southeastern Australia. After departing Melbourne, it will sail 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. The Coral Princess will stay in Melbourne for two days before heading to Adelaide.
The arrival of Melbourne’s first cruise-liner post-pandemic came as United Airlines announced it was increasing direct services to Melbourne, with daily flights from both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Daily flights will resume between Melbourne and San Francisco in late October, while Melbourne flights to and from Los Angeles will resume in December.