Ports Victoria and Princess Cruises have joined forces to celebrate Princess Cruises’ 50 years of cruising down under in style, with the Crown Princess arriving at Station Pier today officially launching Victoria’s 2026-27 Cruise Season.
The teams from Ports Victoria and Princess Cruises met today to celebrate collaborating to deliver the vision to seasonally homeport a Princess ship in Melbourne for the 2028-29 season.
Ports Victoria CEO Craig Walker said it is wonderful to be working with Princess Cruises and other cruise lines to connect them with the best of what Victoria has to offer visitors.
“Station Pier has a strong history of welcoming and farewelling people to our state and Australia and today marks the start of a busy six-month stretch that will bring thousands of visitors to Victoria,” he said.
“Ports Victoria is proud to work with cruise lines to ensure our ports meets their needs, so this important tourism gateway continues to play a key role in growing our economy.”
“It has been a pleasure to work with Matthew Rutherford and his global team at Princess Cruises in understanding each other’s interests and where we can, match these now and into the future.”
The 2028-29 season current bookings reflect a healthy 24.6% increase in total ship visits to Station Pier across all cruise lines, compared to the prior season, which is great news for local businesses and for those cruise fans travelling into Melbourne to join their chosen cruise. Moreover, the 2028-29 season indicates a 32.4% increase in all ship visits to Victoria, including to regional ports, which will extend economic benefits more broadly across the state.
Cruise ship passengers, crews and shipping lines generate a total economic output of over $400 million in Victoria per season, supporting over 1,200 full time equivalent, direct and indirect jobs.
Today’s 3,000 visitors and 1,200 crew are the first of 120,000 expected to arrive and depart from Station Pier on 63 cruise ships this season.
Princess Cruises’ Vice President Asia Pacific Matthew Rutherford said that today’s arrival of the Crown Princess marks the start of what promises to be an exciting summer cruise season for Victoria.
“Cruising plays an important role in supporting local tourism, businesses and communities,” he said.
“For 50 years, Australians have trusted Princess to create memorable holiday experiences, and Melbourne has long been an important part of that story – the enthusiasm we continue to see from Victorian cruisers reinforces our confidence in the market and our commitment to offering more opportunities for guests to sail with Princess in the years ahead.”
Melbourne is currently the third most visited cruise destination in Australia by domestic and international passengers. Located in Port Melbourne, Station Pier is the state’s premier cruise ship terminal, and a key turnaround port for southern Australian and New Zealand cruise itineraries. Ports Victoria manages, operates and maintains Station Pier to host cruise ships and other visiting vessels.
Victoria’s regional cruise destinations like Geelong, Phillip Island, and Portland have strong offerings in First People-led experiences, wellness, arts and culture, food and drinks, and nature-based experiences, with the potential for significant growth in cruise tourism, to the benefit of regional visitor economies.
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