The world’s leading premium cruise line, Princess Cruises, has revealed plans to operate a massive 20 cruises to and from Adelaide over the 2020-21 summer season, in a move that represents the biggest ever cruise industry commitment to South Australia.

The record South Australian season will see Princess Cruises inject an estimated $20 million into the state economy in crew and passenger spending, ship supplies and port charges.

Unveiling the cruise line’s latest 2020-21 program today, Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Asia Pacific Stuart Allison said it featured an unprecedented six roundtrip cruises from Adelaide on its popular 2000-guest Sea Princess and 2670-guest Sapphire Princess, as well as a further 14 one-way itineraries on Sea Princess, Sapphire Princess and the 3560-guest Majestic Princess.

“This program represents the largest ever financial commitment to South Australia by a cruise line and will make Adelaide the fastest growing homeport for Princess Cruises in Australia, putting it firmly on the national cruise map,” Mr Allison said.

He said the cruise line’s focus on Adelaide reflected the surging demand for cruise holidays among South Australians, as well as the growing popularity of ports along the southern Australian coastline including Adelaide and Kangaroo Island.

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, David Ridgway, welcomed Princess Cruises’ increased presence in South Australia, which will have significant flow-on economic benefits for the state.

“Princess Cruises’ significant investment follows a record cruise season for South Australia, which saw 82 ships bringing up to 170,000 passengers and crew into our ports and injecting more than $118 million into the local economy,” said Minister Ridgway.

“The cruise industry is a critical part of our $6.9 billion tourism industry, providing the perfect opportunity for South Australians to sail the world from their doorstep, whilst bringing interstate and international tourists to our state to explore the many wonders on offer here.”

Phil Hoffman, Managing Director of Phil Hoffman Travel said, “Never before have South Australians had more itinerary choice when selecting a cruise holiday. With a record three Princess ships sailing on itineraries to and from Adelaide, destinations such as New Zealand, New Caledonia, Singapore and Hong Kong are all accessible direct from your doorstep.”

In a nod to South Australian wine, Princess Cruises also announced that d’Arenberg wines would feature across the cruise line’s recently reimagined wine menus. D’Arenberg’s Chief Winemaker, Chester Osborn said “The opportunity to showcase our wine to a local and global audience is incredibly exciting for our business and allows us to promote the best of South Australia.”

The program announced today is double the cruise line’s 2019-20 Adelaide season, released in March last year. “Bookings for our inaugural 2019-20 South Australian season have exceeded expectations, and we anticipate our newest program will be just as popular given it offers Australians more ways to cruise from Adelaide,” Mr Allison added.

The record Adelaide season is a highlight of Princess Cruises’ new Australian program, which offers holidaymakers their choice of almost 100 cruises across five stunning Princess ships sailing from five homeports around the country between October 2020 and May 2021.

Adelaide itineraries on offer include:

• Two 7-night roundtrip voyages to Tasmania on Sea Princess visiting Burnie, Hobart and Port Arthur, with departures available on November 9 and 30, 2020. Fares start from $1,299 per person twin share.
• A 14-night roundtrip voyage on Sea Princess exploring the Australian coastline and featuring the ship’s maiden call to Eden as well as visits to Burnie, Hobart, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne. Fares start from $2199 per person for the cruise which departs Adelaide on November 16, 2020.
• Two 17-night round trip cruises to New Zealand on Sapphire Princess, visiting Melbourne, Dunedin, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, Auckland, and scenic cruising through Fiordland National Park. Departing October 26 and December 18, 2020. Fares start from $2,599 per person twin share.
• A 15-night cruise from Adelaide to Hong Kong on Majestic Princess, departing March 11, 2021 and visiting Fremantle, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang is priced from $1,999 per person twin share.

SOURCE: Princess Cruises