Stopovers frame city’s cruise credentials
THOUSANDS of cruise ship passengers are packing the streets of Cairns this week in a four-ship bonanza for the city.
The arrival of the Azamara Journey yesterday marked the start of a mammoth week for the Cairns Cruise Liner Ter- minal. Four ships are bringing in more than 5500 passengers on a tight schedule.
Azamara Journey pulled into port with 1184 passengers and crew at 6.30am and set off again at 9pm last night for Thursday Island.
French cruise line company Compagnie du Ponant’s megayacht L’Austral is due to draw alongside Cairns at 7am on Thursday with a more modest 400 people on board.
The boutique ship will pull in from Lizard Island, spending the day in port before heading out at 6pm bound for Cape York Peninsula.
The US-owned Seven Seas Voyager is expected at 8am on Friday, carrying 1053 passengers and crew. The luxury vessel, on which every room has a balcony, will stay until about 10pm before sailing for Cooktown.
The biggest, and one of the largest cruise ships to enter the port, is due from Airlie Beach at 9am on Sunday. The Sea Princess will be at full capacity with 2900 passengers and crew stopping in Cairns before setting sail for Port Douglas at 4pm. The whopping ship, with 15 decks, three pools, six whirlpool spas, theatre and nightclub is 260m in length, but still 40m short of the biggest vessels that will be able to come to Cairns once the State Government has completed its $120 million dredging project.