Royal Caribbean begins ‘biggest and boldest' Australia cruise season

Brilliance of the Seas made her maiden arrival in Sydney on October 22 where she will be for six months, undertaking 20 different itineraries to 40 destinations including Fiji and the Loyalty Islands, as well as local ports like Port Douglas, Melbourne and Kangaroo Island.

Quantum back to Brisbane

Quantum of the Seas returned to the Brisbane International Cruise Terminal on Saturday for her second season and will visit Vanuatu and New Caledonia, as well as local favourites including Airlie Beach and Cairns.

Around 115,000 passengers are expected to join Quantum of the Seas in Brisbane, a 15% increase from the 2022-23 season, with more than two-thirds (64%) from Queensland, 14% from New South Wales and 11% from Victoria.

250,000-passenger season

Together all three ships will carry around 250,000 passengers, chalking up what VP and MD Australasia Gavin Smith said is Royal Caribbean’s ‘biggest and boldest’ season Down Under.

‘This unprecedented response to the idea of the ultimate family holiday is why we’ll see one-third more holidaymakers join us for a summer getaway like no other,’ Smith said.