Newcastle was going to be developed as a major cruise port until the NSW government diverted the funding to Eden. Time to re-think this area as another major cruise hub and take the pressure off Sydney during peak cruise season.

Keep cruising alive in Australia.

Gold Coast should be a stop. So much there to offer, theme parks etc.

How about Cook Islands, Samoa etc?

Other coastal towns really need to study Eden as an excellent example of how a small town that was slowly dying managed to transform itself into a destination hub for cruise ships. They developed infrastructure to entice the cruise lines to come to the region They work closely with the local businesses and residents to ensure that cruise ship tourism dollars and experiences benefit the local community without overly changing the local lifestyle. I’d love to see more cruise destinations open up around Australia… I don’t need to visit each one on every cruise, but having different itineraries that feature different ports would make me more interested in exploring those regions. ps: I’d also love to see a Cruise Island somewhere just off the Australian coast, so we can have a similar experience to the Caribbean cruises down under. What’s that old saying… build it and they will come! I believe that applies to developing cruise port infrastructure

We need permanent circumnavigating cruises of Australia going in BOTH directions. Imagine the tourist income from it all.

Newcastle needs permanent facilities. NSW government was very close to funding but nothing happened...

Definitely definitely back you on this

Norfolk Island? Lord Howe island?( Yes a limit on tourists there). Rottnest Island?

You can keep 'em the hell out of Jervis Bay, that's for sure. I cannot, in my wildest dreams, imagine anything worse than that stunning bay being disfigured by some humungous polluting floating resort. Fortunately there's a strong community pushback against these horrendous boats. Batemans Bay is welcome to 'em.

Bring it on!

Agreed Adrian. There is such opportunity for more destinations around our coastline. We seem to lack the will power/vision of other countries when it comes to tourism fullstop.

I just back from Miami and the Caribbean cruise…… Sad，we‘re left behind and Princess started send the old and small ships to Australia too… And not much itineraries able to choose in Australia too…

P and O Pantry food is atrocious

Do the big lap by boat 👍 I think we should have the cruise come ferry style boats they have in Europe with the ability to embark and disembark at all ports of call. It would make travelling around Australia accessible to more Aussies and overseas tourists.

To be honest this made me MAD. We are so shafted by govt and cruise lines. Aussie us last becoming the forgotten relative!! Time people made noise

I wish you could save Auckland.. but we've lost the Pacific Explorer and doesnt look like were getting anymore Auckland to Auckland cruises 😢

How many cruise destinations have they managed to fit around the Caribbean Sea?

Don't forget poor old Melbourne it would bring the CBD alive again instead less and less ship are here 😢coming .

Great point and that is a yes. We have such a vast and expansive coast line that offers so much diversity and is an excellent way to travel and visit. Cruising can open up the opportunity to many to actually visit different states as let’s face the old road trip is quite arduous and long with very long periods in between towns ect so to be able to do this in comfort and luxury will certainly open up our own country to those whom live here 🎉

Most people assume ships bring spending. Very few. Ship tours are price so the locals get half. Nobody eats as its free on the ship. Even Newcastle and hunter valley wineries are too far. A port with tenders is worst of the lot as it takes hours off the stay to tender in and out. Eg airley beach.

I recently cruised around New Zealand & half the ports of call were in commercial shipping ports. I saw lots of timber being exported. Passengers got buses to go see the good stuff. We don't need more Circular Quays like Sydney we just need places for ships to dock & get passengers off the ship. I'm about to cruise around Australia & that is 28 days up to the hotter parts of Australia. I'd prefer a 14 days South Coast & Tasmania cruise if we just had more ports available.

And if they keep jacking prices and removing perks onboard the net effect will be the same. Carnivals $12 for a beer that’s purchased and sold duty free is a joke and $5 for a coke hell no. For the first time ever I’ll be taking my own supply of coke on the next cruise. BTW the amount of free cruises given away to Americans to cruise here is ridiculous. Can’t be doing too bad.

Batemans Bay is only two hours by road from Canberra, Day couch trips to Canberra would no doubt be attractive, Cheers

When I was on Radiance in 2020 doing the circumnavigation, the Locals in Esperance were whinging about us lol. We weren't spending enough money and we were overtaking the town. And Port Hedland couldn't cope with a Radiance Class ship as they only had 2 buses for the day for the shuttle. Geraldton was warm to us and the locals welcomed us with open arms. We do have many places to visit in this massive country of ours and love doing circumnavigation cruises to explore our own backyard.

The Gold Coast proposed a cruise ship terminal but the QLD state government had just built the international cruise terminal at Pinkenba, where the road to it is pot holed , the roads flood , you also get a spectacular view of the oil refineries and the swamp in which the terminal has been built. There is no public transport to it so everyone has to drive or pay for off site parking and shuttle in .- so the QLD government said no. I also want to know why the cruise ships only go to the same South Pacific islands and don’t try new and exciting island that would benefit from tourism that a cruise ship would bring in. Places like the Cook Islands , Tonga , Samoa they are just as far away as Fiji and we all know they stop in at New Caledonia ( which quite frankly you stop the once you pretty much see it all and hardly anyone gets off unless they are a first timer to cruising) for a restock of supplies which is really the only reason to stop there. Last time I cruised it was the 3rd time I stopped there and didn’t even bother getting off and there was nothing I wanted to do in port as I felt I had explored it all and all the available activities offered. It’s actually starting to get a bit same- same now with some of the ports of call and I think they need to think about other ports of call so people are willing to get off the ship and explore . We all know Sydney is so busy that they literally can’t get another ship in so why not use other ports , they at least have public transport to them but if they want cruise tourism bringing in the bucks they need to utilise other available ports and upgrading them .

The cruise industry relies on externalizing as many costs as possible onto the environment and the communities where they visit. When you consider foreign ownership, foreign-flagged vessels, and foreign crew, essentially the cruise industry is extracting money from the domestic Australian tourism economy and transferring it overseas. Policies that discourage cruise vacations in Australia make environmental and economic sense for Australia.

Dampier and Port Hedland should be crossed off that list! Unless of course you want to look at Red Dust! We pulled into Dampier once whilst I was in the Navy and the entire crew agreed with the skipper when he call Canberra and asked if we had to stay. But, what I would like to see is a lot more in the Whitsundays and Barrier Reef Islands. They would rival a lot of the Caribbean islands and would be a damn sight safer!

We were on the Radiance of the Seas back in 2016 on its first foray into Port Kembla Harbour. As a Gong gal myself it was lovely to visit our home town and see all the people coming off the ship and doing excursions up to Bald Hill and other areas. Yes it is a working port, but that could be said for most of the ports in NZ for example, and they still get lots of ships coming in. We also like visiting Newcastle port if it is on the ship's itinerary for a cruise, heading off to Nelson's Bay for the dolphin tour each time.

It’s just plain and simple greed +++++ by Australian port authorities. Looks like our cruising is coming to an end. The ships will just go elsewhere where the fees are more reasonable. 😡😡😡😡😡😢😢

Australia is becoming more like communist China every day.

Gladstone is heavy industry port so nope from me. Bundaberg is a major area for hatching turtles so nope. Ports not only need to have the infrastructure for sure but so do the cities/towns. Any new port would require serious, long term financial investment and there doesn't seem to be any (professional) lobbyists in the ears of those in charge of the relevant funding and political decision making.

AND THEN THERE IS NEWCASTLE👍

This is great information. I’m glad you did a video on it. The state governments and even cruise lines seem to be very close minded and with the exodus we are seeing right now it is great to show off some of Australia’s untapped potential.

It’s untapped it’s just getting the cruise company’s to come and that will only happen if gov taxes go down for ports

Hi Adrian. Are there the same cruise ships rules, regarding port visits, and traveling to a foreign port, on an itinerary, or is the Jones Act, only applicable in the U.S.? Is there data on what Australians think about cruising within the country's coastlines, does it seem people would enjoy that, or do they much prefer going off Australia farther afield? I think another poll and figuring out the numbers is a good next step, after doing all that research, then you could formulate a plan to get the ball rolling at the government levels across Australia, yes ??

I wish Geelong would take there heads out of there butts and allow cruise ships to visit. We already have 2 deep water ports which are not utilised. And the money it would bring in to the town would be great. It also gives access to the great Ocean road only 1.5 too 2 hours away (12 apostles) great for the international guests.🍻🍻

I would like to see a permanent terminal in Newcastle. You have access to a growing airport at Williamtown which is going International, a harbour already suitable for mid to large ships and hotel infrastructure in place. If Sydney does not want the ships, I’m sure Newcastle would.😊

As a boatie who has boated around Batemans Bay for decades using the area on a regular basis for tenders would be challenging. The waters are very shallow and even recent small ship visits have struggled to get their tenders in under most tidal conditions. The investment for a tender suitable facility in the Hanging Rock area and the ongoing maintenance costs to dredge the ever shifting sands would be enormous. Unfortunately, the council is dreaming.

I agree with all you said. But I had to laugh when you compared the docking fees of a Quantum class ship in Sydney to Melbourne. Melbourne is so useless that we have never had a visit by a Quantum class because our main shipping channel is deemed too narrow for one to sail safely in, if strong winds; so that's a loss of 5,000 passengers each missed visit. Plus our main cruise terminal, Station Pier, is now 94 years old and although 10s of millions have been spent on it, trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It is well past it's "Use by Date".

The Victorian government is in astounding financial trouble over 211 billion dollars debt so they are trying to recoup that loss anyway it can. Considering the fact that the debt penalty is 1 billion every 40 days it never will. I dont blame the cruise lines i blame the mind melting incompetence of our Oz government.

This was wonderful. Nicely done. Makes me want to sail these ships. Sailed in Ruby Princess and really liked her. Want to do the ships with the original style Skywalkers. You guys and Caribbean Princess are the only ones left.

So far the Encounter looks “less Refurbed” than Adventure.

Here are links to both petitions: 
www.change.org/LowerPortFees www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6353

Here are links to both petitions! 
www.change.org/LowerPortFees www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6353

Australian gvt (both federal and NSW) levies enormous taxes, levies and fees on everything - cruise, entertainment and other industries! That's why everything disappears from Sydney: Sega World, Wonderland, Old Sydney Town, Music Festivals, and now the Cruise Industry! Ridiculous bureaucratic red tape and greed for taxes are killing everything! Disgrace! Where's the petition? I will sign it!

I live in Melb. Only a few cruise companies will set sail from Port Melb. Many times, I need to go to Sydney. With the stupid increase of Melb docking fees and new regulations, it will only worsen the cruising industry esp in Melb. Sad.

I signed your petitions and even chipped in $20. Well done Adrian. We're Princess cruisers and the tier levels have become to mean very little if anything. At Elite level it's free laundry and that's about it. Priority boarding, not really, priority disembarkation, not really. The best perk on Princess was Reserve Collection with evening canapes, anytime dining and a dedicated dining area a benefit, but these days anytime dining is available to all and sundry.

Princess appears to have altered their Better than Best Price Guarantee only days after its launch. The guarantee now seems to only offer an onboard credit to the equivalent of 120% of the price difference, and no longer provides for a fare match. Read more here: www.princess.com/en-au/plan/best-price-guarantee The offer is for guests of Australia and New Zealand.

I think double points definitely devalues the loyalty program but I think it’s a pretty pathetic loyalty program anyway for non US/Canadian cruisers in particular. With the way cruising is going in Australia/NZ I’m becoming very sceptical about any cruise line committing to cruising “down under” & whether they want to make any attractive offers or innovate in the foreseeable future 😢