P&O christens Brisbane

P&O Cruises Australia’s flagship Pacific Explorer (pictured) made history yesterday morning when she became the first vessel to dock at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal (BICT) - the halfway point in the line’s first guest sailing since the pandemic (CW 31 May).

Explorer passed down the Brisbane River toward BICT and arrived at the facility, which was underwritten by P&O parent company Carnival Corporation, to be greeted by President Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald, who will board the ship for her trip back to Sydney, said Queensland is once again set to be a key market for cruising in Australia after a two-year pause in operations.

“I’m thrilled that P&O Cruises’

Pacific Explorer is making history here today as it becomes the first cruise ship to dock at the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal,” she said yesterday.

“[The] arrival in Brisbane heralds the resurgence of the cruise industry in Queensland with its multitude of cruise destinations now set to benefit from the revitalisation of cruise tourism”.

“Prior to the pandemic, cruising accounted for more than $1 billion annually in economic activity in Qld with regional destinations from Moreton Island to Cairns benefiting.”

Also at BICT to welcome guests as they arrived was singer-songwriter and proud Queenslander Ricki-Lee Coulter, who roused passengers with a rendition of the ‘Love You Queensland’ jingle made famous in the 1990s by the state’s rural television station STQ.

Explorer spent the day docked at BICT while guests enjoyed shore tours and the sites of Brisbane before returning to the ship for the comeback leg of the four-day cruise.

The ship’s fleetmate Pacific Encounter will take up residence in Brisbane as her home port from Aug.