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Royal Caribbean will cut two of its biggest ships from
Sydney, Voyager and Radiance of the Seas,
as the Overseas Passenger terminal is now full.
This move will result in the loss of around $32 million of dollars in passenger spend, Royal Caribbean Australia and New Zealand Managing director Adam Armstrong said. The changes will come into effect after the conclusion of the 2017/18 cruising season.
“We’ve been talking about one day Sydney will be full. That day has come,” he said. He added that Sydney will lose 65,000 guests a year from Voyager.
The issue of prime docking space in Sydney is not new, with many calling for new cruise terminals to be built in Newcastle or Wollongong. Other solutions include sharing Garden Island with the Navy and using Port Botany despite its location near the airport’s main runway.
Mr Armstrong said Royal Caribbean had helped fund cruise terminals in Miami, Fort Lauderdale in Barcelona, Hong Kong and Singapore — and was willing to fund a new cruise terminal in Botany Bay.
“It’s extremely frustrating. There is no berthing solution in Sydney. In the interim, Singapore, Hong Kong and China have all built world-class terminals,” he said.
“Brisbane will have a solution before Sydney does.”
Carnival Australia executive chairman Ann Sherry reiterated the frustration saying Sydney is in desperate need of berthing capacity on the eastern side of the Harbour Bridge.
“I will keep encouraging discussion at both a state and federal level. We are nearing crunch point where we need to find a way to unblock the stalemate in Sydney Harbour and find a way of sharing the Garden Island facility between Navy and cruising for the benefit of Sydney,” Ms Sherry said.
Melbourne will become the new turn-around port for Radiance, with Mr Armstrong saying it “was an easy choice for us to make. Victorians are known the world over for their love of great food so our culinary ship is the perfect fit.”
Once Voyager completes the 2017/18 cruising season from Sydney, she will then sail from Singapore and Asia year-round.
On the upside, the changes will allow for the early return of Ovation of the Seas to her summer home in Sydney, where she will operate her longest ever Australia season.
The 2018/19 season will kick off with the arrival of Radiance of the Seas to Sydney on 6 October 2018. Explorer of the Seas will return down under on 27 October 2018 and Ovation of the Seas on 2 November 2018. Together, the three ships will offer 61 sailings, ranging from three to 23-nights, sailing to nine different countries including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, French Polynesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Singapore, the USA and Vanuatu.
This move will result in the loss of around $32 million of dollars in passenger spend, Royal Caribbean Australia and New Zealand Managing director Adam Armstrong said. The changes will come into effect after the conclusion of the 2017/18 cruising season.
“We’ve been talking about one day Sydney will be full. That day has come,” he said. He added that Sydney will lose 65,000 guests a year from Voyager.
The issue of prime docking space in Sydney is not new, with many calling for new cruise terminals to be built in Newcastle or Wollongong. Other solutions include sharing Garden Island with the Navy and using Port Botany despite its location near the airport’s main runway.
Mr Armstrong said Royal Caribbean had helped fund cruise terminals in Miami, Fort Lauderdale in Barcelona, Hong Kong and Singapore — and was willing to fund a new cruise terminal in Botany Bay.
“It’s extremely frustrating. There is no berthing solution in Sydney. In the interim, Singapore, Hong Kong and China have all built world-class terminals,” he said.
“Brisbane will have a solution before Sydney does.”
Carnival Australia executive chairman Ann Sherry reiterated the frustration saying Sydney is in desperate need of berthing capacity on the eastern side of the Harbour Bridge.
“I will keep encouraging discussion at both a state and federal level. We are nearing crunch point where we need to find a way to unblock the stalemate in Sydney Harbour and find a way of sharing the Garden Island facility between Navy and cruising for the benefit of Sydney,” Ms Sherry said.
Melbourne will become the new turn-around port for Radiance, with Mr Armstrong saying it “was an easy choice for us to make. Victorians are known the world over for their love of great food so our culinary ship is the perfect fit.”
Once Voyager completes the 2017/18 cruising season from Sydney, she will then sail from Singapore and Asia year-round.
On the upside, the changes will allow for the early return of Ovation of the Seas to her summer home in Sydney, where she will operate her longest ever Australia season.
The 2018/19 season will kick off with the arrival of Radiance of the Seas to Sydney on 6 October 2018. Explorer of the Seas will return down under on 27 October 2018 and Ovation of the Seas on 2 November 2018. Together, the three ships will offer 61 sailings, ranging from three to 23-nights, sailing to nine different countries including Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, French Polynesia, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Singapore, the USA and Vanuatu.
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