For the first time in history, two modern cruise ships will share the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) at the Quay for the day in Sydney, an event made possible by the size of the vessels, Ponant’s 200-guest Le Soleal and the 686-guest Azamara Quest.

Cruise Lines International Association Commercial Director Brett Jardine said the visit by four luxury ships on the one day was a first for Sydney and reflected Australia’s growing popularity as a cruise destination.

“Between them these four beautiful ships will bring thousands of high-end visitors to our city – visitors who will be busy exploring Sydney and enjoying plenty of shopping and touring as they take in the sights, which is great news for the local economy,” Jardine said.

The visits come during Sydney’s busiest ever cruise month, with 27 different ships making an extraordinary 45 calls to Sydney during February. The wave of activity will continue into March, when 17 ships will make 33 calls to the harbour city in just 30 days.

Sydney-siders will be able to watch Le Soleal slip in beside Azamara Quest on Saturday morning (Feb 13), with the ship scheduled to arrive into the Harbour about 9.30am, docking at the OPT by 10am.