Port Lincoln, a small cruise port in South Australia, rolled out a royal welcome for Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth on January 28, 2024, after the ship made an unscheduled name when unhealthy climate altered her deliberate course.
Native dignitaries have been available to obtain the ship’s visitors and crew to Port Lincoln, referred to as the seafood capital of Australia.
Storm Prompts Queen Elizabeth to Alter Course
Darkish clouds revealed a silver lining for Port Lincoln, South Australia, on January 28, 2024, when a tropical cyclone prompted Cunard to change the itinerary of Queen Elizabeth and ship her southward relatively than north to her initially deliberate port calls in Queensland.
The ship’s name to Port Lincoln was her first-ever go to to the vacation spot, and metropolis Mayor Diana Mislay and Chief Govt Officer Eric Brown boarded the ship and introduced a welcome plaque to the ship’s captain.
“To welcome such a prestigious cruise ship to our shores is a rare honour and is proof of the distinctive welcome program we provide, and the breadth of actions passengers can take pleasure in while in our area. I do know our cruise volunteers will present the excellent degree of heat and repair that they’ve develop into famend for,” mentioned Diana Misloy, mayor of Port Lincoln.
The two,081-guest ship departed on her 10-day voyage roundtrip from Sydney on January 22, 2024. Her unique itinerary included calls at Brisbane, Airlie Seashore, Cairns, Port Douglas, and Willis Island, however a tropical cyclone compelled the ship to alter course and head south towards South Australia.
Queen Elizabeth’s altered routing took her to Eden on January 23; to Melbourne for an in a single day name on January 24; to Adelaide on January 27; and Port Lincoln on January 28. She is because of conclude the voyage in Sydney on January 31.
Queen Elizabeth is working a sequence of 12- to 14-night New Zealand and South Pacific cruises from Sydney and Melbourne via March 5, 2024. Following a 21-night voyage from Melbourne to Tokyo on March 7, 2024, the ship will provide a sequence of 9- to 19-day sailings round Japan.
After that, Queen Elizabeth repositions to Vancouver, British Columbia, and in June begins a set of Alaska voyages. The 9- to 11-night cruises provide add-on excursions that includes the long-lasting Rocky Mountaineer practice. The ship is also scheduled to return to Alaska for the 2025 season.
Small Port Provides Extensive Vary of Actions for Cruisers
Port Lincoln is a modest cruise port with a brief season that runs from December to March. For the 2023-24 season, the port expects to achieve about 22,000 cruise arrivals on lower than a dozen ships.
Ships scheduled to name via the tip of the present season embody Holland America Line’s Volendam, P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Explorer, and Seabourn’s Seabourn Odyssey. Princess Cruises’ Grand Princess known as on the port on January 26, 2024.
Learn Additionally: Cunard Unveils Extraordinary 2025 Alaska Season
“This unscheduled arrival brings the variety of cruise ships to Port Lincoln this cruise season to 10. Cruise passengers make a helpful contribution to Port Lincoln on the day of their go to, however importantly, they typically end in repeat visitation for longer visits sooner or later and constructive phrase of mouth,” mentioned Naomi Blacker, supervisor of financial and tourism progress for Port Lincoln.
Town of Port Lincoln is thought for its fishing trade and seafood, and is residence to about 14,500 residents.
Cruise visitors disembarking in Port Lincoln will discover a pop-up customer heart on the port’s wharf, and a choice of excursions and actions. Town runs a city shuttle and has a hop-on hop-off bus service for guests in search of unbiased touring.
Guided excursions are supplied by native distributors and have actions such because the Behind the Scene Seafood Manufacturing facility Tour, excellent for seafood lovers, and a Swim With the Sea Lions tour, which allows guests to swim with the animals of their pure atmosphere.
