Princess Cruises’ Royal Princess sailed into Sydney’s harbor for its inaugural season of cruising from Australia on Monday, October 23.

This marked the end of the ship’s inaugural 27-night transpacific crossing from Vancouver, Canada. The Royal Princess will be based in Sydney until April 2024, operating 14 roundtrip cruises from Sydney during its six-month deployment in the area.

Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Asia Pacific, UK and Europe Stuart Allison said: “Royal Princess set new standards for premium cruising when it was launched and continues to turn heads wherever she sails around the globe.

“Not only is she a fantastic looking ship, she’s packed with wonderful features for guests, from superb cuisine to world-class entertainment and facilities. We know guests will especially love the Sanctuary and Retreat areas over the summer season.”

With four ships now sailing Australian waters, Royal Princess is set to have its biggest Australian season. This includes the Coral Princess, which returned from its World Cruise to Sydney on September 20; the Grand Princess, the Majestic Princess, arriving in Sydney on November 4; and the Island Princess arriving on Valentine’s Day on February 14, 2024.

‘We’ll have 44 percent more guest capacity than last season and 85 percent more guests passing through Sydney, making this the biggest summer season in Australia Princess has ever had.”

“The vast majority of guests disembarking today are international so today is sure to be a multi-million dollar day in economic contribution to the state of NSW and setting the industry on the way to exceed the $5.6b of economic contribution last year. “

The Royal Princess embarks on its first voyage from Sydney to Queensland on October 23, making maiden calls to Brisbane, Cairns, the Whitsundays and Port Douglas.

“We’re excited to have such an impressive regal visitor in our waters this summer and look forward to welcoming our New Zealand guests on board,” added Allison.

“We’ll be revealing some new features and exciting product enhancements to the program highlighting authentic cuisine and local entertainment. These fantastic guest experiences bring the best of New Zealand onboard further showcasing our leadership in this magnificent and much-loved destination.”