NEWS UPDATE: Pacific Explorer home in just days! State cruising protocols announced - let's discuss!

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.comn/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Last weekend, P&O made the announcement that we had all been waiting for - their flagship, Pacific Explorer will be sailing into Sydney Harbour on Easter Monday, April 18th. To mark the occasion, there will be three tug boats providing her with a water cannon salute as they escort the ship to the Overseas Passenger Terminal at Circular Quay. Pacific Explorer is expected to round Sydney’s heads at approximately 9:30 on Monday morning, from there she’ll make her way into the harbour over the course of the following hour and eventually dock at the terminal at 10:30am. Over the last week or so, Queensland, NSW and Victoria released more information about the protocols that will allow the cruise industry to restart within their states - the following applies to NSW but the premise is much the same for all three states: All passengers over the age of 12 and crew will need to be fully vaccinated All passengers and crew will be required to have a negative COVID test before embarkation and will require the wearing of masks at embarkation and disembarkation Covid safe plans will be developed for all shore excursions Covid safe plans are required for disembarkation of any COVID positive cases and their close contacts Cruise operators will provide for a range of enhanced on board public health measures Typical of any government announcement, it’s a bit light on detail. The biggest question being, what type of COVID test will be required before boarding? An easily accessible and affordable antigen test or a more expensive and more accurate PCR test? P&O have publicly stated that they expect to have their protocols published within the next week, until that happens, it’s really all conjecture. During ports of call, it’s expected that passengers will be able to undertake private tours or make their own plans without needing to be on a cruise excursion. This is another protocol that I expect will be confirmed in the coming days. Whilst the mainland states, for the most part, are ready for cruising to begin, the Tasmanian state government has reaffirmed that it has no intention to allow large cruise ships into their ports for the foreseeable future. How that affects any upcoming cruise itineraries remains to be seen, but personally I think a little flexibility has to be built in to all of our expectations when it comes to the cruising restart. I’m sure it won’t all be smooth sailing, but it beats no cruising at all. In the US, Princess announced the cancellation of all Sapphire Princess voyages scheduled between June 25th and September 17th. The cruise line stated that there have been delays affecting the timeframe for resuming guest operations. Unconfirmed reports have cited crew shortages as the main problem. Closer to home, CLIA’s Ready, Set, Sail initiative has made waves across the ditch in NZ. In a newsletter update, CLIA MD Joel Katz said that together with the New Zealand Cruise Association, there have been promising discussions with the NZ government and things are looking up for a cruising restart there. The NSW state government has proposed the removal of shipping restrictions from the Sapphire Coast port of Eden. These include abolishing the annual limit of 60 cruise ship visits per year, removing the 10pm-7am curfew and making enhancements to the docking facility that would allow ships over 325m in length to dock there. The aim of this proposal is to attract the world’s largest ships to the region, taking advantage of Eden’s enviable location and regional offerings. A community consultation period will be followed by authorities considering the proposal by mid 2023. Thanks for watching!