The Australian Cruise Association has unveiled a partnership with Princess Cruises to enhance the cruising experience in Australia.

This new program is designed to provide in-depth destination information to guests as well as to increase the demand for cruising in Australia

The partnership was developed by Bruce Krumrine, VP, Shore Excursions of Holland America Group (Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, P&O Australia and Seabourn)  in collaboration with the Australia Cruise Association.

“With the rapid growth of cruising in Australia, we believe this initiative is coming at an important time for the region. It meets the desire from cruise passengers to learn more about, and engage more deeply with, the destinations they visit,” said Krumrine.  

The program includes ten important touchpoints beginning with a series of welcome videos featuring the local ports and tour operators. 

These will be shown on the cruise lines’ website and also onboard. 

These will be followed by more immersive videos which include helpful information delivered by local experts on the ports and the surrounding destinations.  

This information is then brought to life with an onboard speaker series, and exclusive experiences in port which guests could not experience on their own.  These will be supported by small group, special interest tours led by local experts.

A range of helpful materials, maps and images willl also be provided to passengers.

The program will begin to roll out in mid 2016 with pilot ports in each region.  In Australia these will include Sydney; Airlie Beach, Cairns and Port Douglas in Queensland; Melbourne, Hobart, Adelaide, Darwin and in WA – Perth, Broome, Geraldton and Albany.

Australian Cruise Association CEO, Jill Abel said “We are excited to work with Princess Cruises on this important opportunity to provide visitors to Australia with in-depth information and truly authentic experiences to make their visits memorable.”