Cruise ship passengers tie up top deal for festival experience

IS this the best accommodation on offer for this year’s Dark Mofo festival?

From Thursday, P&O Cruises’ Pacific Explorer ship will arrive in Hobart bringing more than 2000 passengers and crew for the winter festival.

The shipload of visitors will add to the thousands of other interstate visitors descending on Hobart for the two-week event. Last year 22,000 interstate visitors attended Dark Mofo, making up 53 per cent of the total tickets sold.

The cruise ship visit is expected to deliver about $750,000 to the state’s economy over its six-night trip.

Passengers receive a priority pass to the Winter Feast, return ferry rides to Mona and $50 spending money.

Tickets for the cruise next year start at $654 per person. A return flight from Sydney this week would cost you about $230 on a budget airline, while six nights stay in a budget Hobart hotel starts from just over $1000.

“The themed cruise provides guests from around the country with an easy and convenient way of accessing Tasmania’s most popular annual event,” P&O president Sture Myrmell said. “The cruise is the second year P&O has offered a cruise to the festival with the six-night voyage.”

Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael said cruising offered avenues for expansion with ships able to carry thousands more people to the event.

“We’re all about trying different things and this cruise will certainly be a unique way for travellers to take in Dark Mofo,” he said.

“We’re delighted to partner with an Australian company, which, like us, is trying to revolutionise the way Australians can have enriching and immersive experiences.”