The first passenger cruise ship has arrived in Melbourne in almost three years, marking a new milestone in the city’s return to normality after the outset of the pandemic.

Princess Cruises’ Coral Princess berthed at Station Pier in Port Melbourne just after 7.30am on Thursday morning, with more than 2500 passengers on board.

The Coral Princess berths at Station Pier on Thursday morning.Credit:Darrian Traynor

After sitting dormant in the Caribbean for much of the past two years as the cruise industry was shut down, the 90,000-tonne cruise-liner arrived to much fanfare at the pier on a drizzly Melbourne morning.

Politicians and tourism chiefs were entertained by samba dancers and champagne while a helicopter hovered overhead.

Minister for Tourism Steve Dimopoulos said that arrival was “an iconic moment” for the state.

“There’s no bigger way to arrive and disembark thousands of people in one shot than a cruise ship. Two thousand people coming to the streets in Melbourne this morning,” he said.

Deputy Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece also described the ship’s arrival as a “momentous” moment for the city.

“This is a day when we can say we are turning the page and seeing our city and our lives get back to something like what we knew before COVID came along,” he said.

Reece spoke of the history of Station Pier, where people arrived for the goldrush, soldiers left for world wars and waves of post-war immigrants disembarked.

“Standing here today I feel like we are at a historic moment as well. When Melbourne turns the page, Victoria turns the page. The borders are open again. The port is open again and Melbourne is back in business,” he said.

The cruise ship industry became notorious for major COVID-19 outbreaks during the first year of the pandemic. The Coral Princess’ sister ship, the Ruby Princess, hosted a major COVID-19 outbreak in Australia in 2020 which led to more than 650 infections across the country and 28 passenger deaths.

The Victorian government earlier this year announced it planned to ease restrictions on cruise ships arriving in the city. Passengers are required to be double vaccinated and tested pre-embarkation. Crews are also tested every 14 days.

More than 2000 visitors were onboard the Coral Princess’ maiden voyage into Melbourne.Credit:Darrian Traynor

The Coral Princess was caught up in a COVID outbreak in early 2020, and was docked in Miami, Florida, and as recently as July there were active COVID outbreaks on the Coral Princess as she docked in Brisbane and then Sydney.

President of Carnival and P&O Cruises Australia, Marguerite Fitzgerald said isolation protocols for any passengers who tested positive while on board were “the same as what would happen on land around isolation”.

“Onboard it feels almost the same as it would have previously,” she said.

The arrival of Melbourne’s first cruise liner post-pandemic came as United Airlines announced it was increasing direct services to Melbourne, with daily flights from both San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Daily flights will resume between Melbourne and San Francisco in late October, while Melbourne flights to and from Los Angeles will resume in December.

Thirteen cruise ships will be visiting or home porting in Melbourne during the upcoming summer cruise season.

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