Princess Cruises’ arrival cruise return for Kangaroo Island

Kangaroo Island has welcomed its first cruise ship in more than two and a half years, with the arrival of Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess.

The arrival of the Coral Princess is one of the scheduled visits for South Australia in 2022/23 – including 32 visits to Penneshaw – and the beginning of a restart of a once $145 million sector of the state’s visitor economy.

With almost 2,000 passengers and 895 crew, the Coral Princess will return to Penneshaw on another itinerary in April 2023, while other Princess ships are also scheduled for Penneshaw this season through as far ahead as April 2024.

This includes one of the biggest ships to visit Kangaroo Island, the Majestic Princess, which carries up to 3,560 passengers and 1,346 crew.

Other cruise ships scheduled for Kangaroo Island this season (September 2022 to April 2023) include P&O’s Pacific Explorer with up to 1,998 passengers and 924 crew, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth with up to 2,081 passengers and 980 crew; and Holland America’s Westerdam carrying up to 1,964 passengers and 800 crew.

The South Australian Tourism Commission has been working with industry, SA Health, and regional stakeholders in preparation for the restart of cruising in South Australia.

SA minister for tourism Zoe Bettison said it was terrific news for Kangaroo Island to see the return of international cruise which means a lot to so many small businesses and to community morale.

“After a difficult two and a half years, cruising is back in Kangaroo Island and this season will bring tens of thousands of visitors to the region, who will spend with local vendors at the Penneshaw Markets and take onshore tours from Flinders Chase National Park and Seal Bay to Kingscote and Cape Willoughby,” Bettison said.

Princess Cruises senior vice president Asia Pacific, UK + Europe, Stuart Allison said today’s call was the first of 13 calls Princess ships will make to Kangaroo Island between September 2022 through to April 2024.

“It is an honour for Coral Princess to be the first cruise ship to return to Kangaroo Island following the pause in operations,” Allison said.

“We’re proud of our special and personal bond with Kangaroo Island which was solidified when we brought the first ship to the island following the devastating bushfires in 2020. The local community welcomed us with open arms then, as they have done again today.

“Today we’ll see almost 2,000 guests explore the island with a number participating in pre-purchased shore excursions supporting local tour operators in addition to visiting cafes and hospitality businesses across the island.

“We are pleased that with today’s visit Coral Princess has sent a message that Kangaroo Island is open for cruise tourism once again.”

Featured Image: Princess Cruises Associate Hotel Manager Renier Van Rooyen (left) and Staff Captain Mauro Usai (right) with South Australian Tourism Commission’s Mark Gill (middle) – Supplied

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Coral Princess majestic princess Pacific Explorer princess cruises South Australian Tourism Commission stuart allison Zoe Bettison