Princess Cruises’ 2000-guest Sun Princess today became the first cruise ship to return to Kangaroo Island as a show of support for the local community as it begins the recovery from the impact of the recent bushfire disaster.South Australian Premier Steven Marshall and Kangaroo Island’s community leaders and firefighters along with Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Asia Pacific Stuart Allison were on hand as Sun Princess anchored off Penneshaw.
Princess Cruises’ guests came ashore on tender vessels and fanned out on a range of tours by local operators while many others visited market stalls established by the local community on the nearby Penneshaw Oval. Most of these cruise ships departed from the nearby port of Adelaide whilst others were cruises from Melbourne. The Sapphire Princess will call in to Kangaroo Island when it cruises here in November 2020.
“Princess Cruises’ visit to Kangaroo Island today is an expression of solidarity with the local community and is symbolic of its resilience and courage,” Mr Allison said.
“It is both an honour and a privilege for Sun Princess to be the first cruise ship to return to Kangaroo Island following the fires that resulted in the tragic loss of lives, property and wildlife.
“We are pleased that with today’s visit Sun Princess can play a part in sending a message to Australia and the world that Kangaroo Island is on the path to recovery.
“It is our hope that this visit by Sun Princess and her guests will serve to boost morale and send a message to the community that their lives are getting back to normal.”
Mr Allison thanked Kangaroo Island’s tourism sector for the warmth of the welcome for Sun Princess’s guests and their efforts to make the first cruise ship call a resounding success.
Sun Princess is currently on a 13-night cruise from its current home port of Fremantle with the majority of guests on board residents of Western Australia.
An earlier cruise to Kangaroo Island had been diverted to Port Lincoln at the height of the bushfire emergency.
Sun Princess’s Captain Diego Perra said guests and crew were very mindful of the significance of being the first cruise ship to call at Kangaroo Island following the fire emergency.
Many guests had made donations to bushfire relief with to be directed to the South Australian Government Bushfire Appeal. Princess Cruises is also directing revenue it would normally receive from the day’s shore excursions to the appeal.
Princess Cruises is part of Carnival Australia which has pledged $1.9 million in total to various bushfire relief efforts in Australia. This includes $1.5 million from the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, much of which is funding a UNICEF Australia initiative to support the back-to-school needs of children whose families lost everything in the fires in Australia this summer.
Carnival Australia had previously announced a $350,000 commitment to Red Cross Australia to support its bushfire relief efforts.
“Our guests are aware that in some ways this isn’t a normal visit to Kangaroo Island and that their presence is to show respect and solidarity to the local community,” Captain Perra said.
“Understandably, some local tours won’t be available as a result of the impact of the fires.
“We have encouraged our guests to support the local tourism operators who have worked so hard to ensure there is a good selection of experiences from which to choose.
“All of us on Sun Princess are so proud to know that we are helping send a message that Kangaroo Island’s recovery has begun.”
Sun Princess is due to depart Penneshaw later today at 6pm.
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