Great points Adrian. One more aspect: we are largely unwilling to pay for the services the cruise lines provide. In a FB group for a popular ship I see people complaining about costs of what is an objectively very good value offering. We need regulatory change as well as a shift in mindset from passengers.
We are ANGRY as well!!!!! The port of Melbourne has NOTHING NOW due to our Govt. Pricing with RCCL for a GS category for Xmas now is 5 (FIVE) times the price we paid pre covid. We too, can see that Australia is being shunned by the cruise industry. Very UPSETTING. Thanks for all your UPDATES...much appreciated.
My wife and I have had 5 cruises from Fremantle, 3 before Covid,. The best was on Pacific Eden up to Kuri Bay. We were the first cruise liner to visit there. Have the Commemoration Plaque given to us by P&O. Will miss P&O.
We will 100% be standing behind you Adrian and rounding up support. Again our government are letting us down. Thank you for being the voice for reason! I’ll be sharing this video too.
Thank you for standing up for those of us who love cruising and are so disappointed with what is happening here in Australia!😢. Happy to sign a petition!
After having our 37 night cruise on Grand Princess next year cancelled we are turning our backs on cruising. We feel that cruising post COVID has changed and will not return to what we once enjoyed. The Australian market is not what it once was, so agree with your sentiments…
My wife and I bailed out if cruising after being stuck with cruise credits during Covid and being unable to get a refund or book a cruise due to massive demand. No longer will a greedy US entity get any of our hard earned.
So gutted with the recent changes. For us NZers we have to add an extra $1200+ per couple just to get on a cruise. We really have to look at where we cruise to now.
We get all the old ships and they are gaudy at best. Carnival have very limited routes and it is becoming stale. Sydney has poor infrastructure, Melbourne jacked up port prices so ships now sail out of Geelong which is a pain and during the summer months when the other lines come to Australia they are so much more expensive and everything is in USD which means you actually price on board is times 1.5.
@@alansutherland9686 and if you read my comment properly the USD referred to ‘other lines’. This would include Princess, Holland America, Celebrity etc.
How sad for years ago when I was a Cruise Director on the TSS Fairstar we stayed overnight in Sydney which was a relief for many personal reasons. In addition, even though the Fairstar did t have the most modern of facilities people truly loved it for many reasons which included an egalitarian culture and feel to it which is why around 1.2 million cruised on it and still miss her. Having been on a couple of these newer monsters there is no comparison and as for today’s berthing fees, they are a total disgrace.
Our cruise group totally support your attitude. We have also contacted the Federal Minister for Tourism love this matter. I have also arranged for an ePetition. Just waiting now on response.
Yup, I’ll be signing! Hubby and I have just started cruising (second one happening in December) and it’s expensive enough just having to flying in port the day before, pay for accomodation etc for the night before without having the Lines jack up prices because of annoying government laziness.
Congratulations on your proactive project. We agree and didn't realise our port fees and lack of facilities were so prohibitive for cruise ships. It's refreshing to see an Australian addressing our issues. We live in Brisbane with a relative new port that is hardly used. Our last three cruises were from Sydney adding both time and money onto out trips. Liked and subscribed ❤
Cruising in Australia has become a complete joke. Obviously the government doesn't give a sh*t. Is this petition public? If so, post it here so we can all sign it.
Albo gave himself a big pay rise he needs to earn it and One Nation need a email. Many of our ports are foreign owned sold seems like double dipping. Brisbane just built a new passenger terminable and it wont get much use soon.
In Australia we are pricing ourselves out of the market, Ships used to bypass Adelaide & dock in Melbourne, road freight the goods to Adelaide as it was cheaper. The cost to the cruise company is driving them away & who can blame them. Very short sighted from the powers to be.
I’m with you Adrian. Our pollies talk incessantly about the importance of tourism and yet regularly kick the cruising industry in the teeth. Their ignorance about the industry and their inability to understand the wishes of a large section of their constituents is appalling. They should be forced to justify the port charges. Catherine King should be sacked for incompetence. The NZ government needs to justify its absurdly pernickety stance on hull cleaning. Good luck with the petition.
Can we sign your petition Adrian? Please provide the weblink (I'm not on Facebook). Also - do you know what the port fees are in Brisbane? Or Cairns and Darwin? Thanks.
Definitely! I’m waiting for approval and if it comes through, I’ll post a link/video to the petition for signatures. I don’t know those port fees unfortunately but they didn’t make the list, so I suspect they have nothing on Sydney 😅
I will gladly sign your petition. Cruises are the best experience for a holiday that offers everything in one package. Thank you for bringing this information to our attention.
Melbourne is an ok port but needs a lot of work/improvements/upgrades to the passenger facilities. The biggest issue for Melbourne is the channel to station pier, VOS only just squeezed through it and it couldn’t travers it with moderately high winds due to the lack of clearance, RL was a perfect size for the channel but that is only one ship that cannot cater for everyone meaning a limited market. Geelong would make a perfect port but like Newcastle what can cruising offer out of Melbourne/Geelong (other than quicker trips to Tassie) offer to a cruise as there isn’t any quicker sail times to anywhere else sadly.
I just back from Miami and the Caribbean cruise…… Sad，we‘re left behind and Princess started send the old and small ships to Australia too… And not much itineraries able to choose in Australia too…
Not only cruise lines but all industries like what Victoria tries to do for airbnb. They have to find money to cover up their incompetence where they waste money at. Turn around you can see that 25 million aboriginal flag on the Harbour bridge then it all makes sense.
Exchange rates are definitely having a negative effect for cruise lines as well. It’s shrinking their profit margins even further. It’s worth noting all costs I mentioned in the video re port fees are in AUD.
Happy to support the petition Adrian. One thing I'm noticing affecting solo cruisers is that fares are pretty much the price for two on most sailings. I guess on P&O that is double minus the extra food cost of $9 !!
Sydney Airport Aeronautical Charges for international flights (anyone flying international out or in to SYD) was 48.40AUD (1st JAN 2024). The domestic fees (there are 5 of them) adds up to 17.40AUD per person..Regional fees (for regional flights) is even less ..so basically even for domestic cruises the industry is charged similar fees like that of international flights..
Australia is now wide open for a Cruiseline like Ambassador or the old CMV. Concentrating on departs from Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. Picking from the most in demand list of cancelled cruise slots leaving Sydney and Brisbane - filling those slots.
We need something done to sort these things out so we passionate cruisers can go freely without hindrances holding down our cruise industry in Australia we need something done and quickly too
Hi Adrian .. There is a yt vid right there about the port fees. Where exactly do the fees go ?? Do they pay for the tug boats to guide the ships , the harbour pilot etc Do container/cargo ship get charged the same rates ? It’s like everything here in Australia, over charged on everything Cheers Rod 👍
Any chance you can create template for us to sign that can get MSC's attention, as now is a really good time and opportunity for them to break into our market. Norwegian would be another good one, if only they'd bring one of their newer ships (even seasonally 😩. Surely there are other port itinerary they can source over to Norfolk Island, Lord Howe, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, etc. Just point me in the direction where to add my name or signature to back you on the letter as would many of the other people who follow your info etc 😊
I'll sign. I've done 97 cruises with many more booked and no intention of stopping, however I have long said the cruise lines are killing the golden goose and now the Govt is assisting. The ships are getting too big so there are less ports that can handle these behemoths and more and more towns don't want 4000+ descending upon them. IMO about 2000 pax should be max. And I'm not at all interested in stopping at private islands that have nothing but swimming and snorkeling. To be fair P & O have never been more than a budget experience and are not my first choice but I did the first aussie cruise after covid, which was SYD-BNE on Pacific Explorer and I'm booked on the very last aussie P & O on Pacific Adventure next March. I will say the Blue Room does a good 007 Martini. It will be the end of an era.
We are giving Cruises a miss for a while. The standards and quality have dropped significantly in many area, particularly P&O who were starting from a pretty low benchmark to start with.
Its not just the price. We've done many cruises on other lines but we got a decent price on our first...and last...Princess cruise just before Christmas 2023. The food in the dining room was dreadful. You were better off going to the buffet. The only reason we didn't want to do that was we were trying to do our utmost not to catch covid. We wasted our effort as I tested positive on the last day and my husband on disembarkation. The sort of "food" we got served up were peach melba with three miniscule pieces of peach, smaller than mandarin segments floating in sugar water with a teaspoon full of the worst quality water ice (it couldn't be called icecream), beef tenderloin was a tiny knob of beef, two thirds of it being gristle and inedible, the so called gala night lobster was replaced with "prawn balls" which turned out to be two tiny, tasteless fish balls, fish that was like leather...the list goes on. It didn't matter what cut of meat was on the menu, it was the same tasteless, steamed trash that was mostly fat and gristle with one string bean, one baby carrot and two tiny pieces of potato. In the end our waiter told us we could order a jacket potato with each meal, so at least we got something edible and filling from then on. The people on the next table had done many Princess cruises and they had another two booked, which they cancelled after the first week of our cruise because of the poor quality of food on this cruise. They said they wouldn't be cruising with Princess again, but I've heard people saying the same thing about all the cruise lines sailing out of Australia. It seems that they've cut right back in order to maintain standards on other routes, because other people cruising out of the USA are saying they aren't served up this kind of trash. We aren't prepared to risk it though and after nearly 20 cruises, this experience has put us right off cruising.
We had the exact experience on Princess in late Jan ex Mel. First & last Princess Cruise, terrible food & my husband and I caught Covid on the 3rd last day of the cruise! Never again!
every thing in australia is broken, the goverment has failed and the only way out is to keep increasing tax and charges. we cant afford rent let alone a cruise.
@@jameso669 the Liberals pick up the pieces from the Labour government and get us bickering In the black and Labour gets back In and puts us back in the red
I live in Melb. Only a few cruise companies will set sail from Port Melb. Many times, I need to go to Sydney. With the stupid increase of Melb docking fees and new regulations, it will only worsen the cruising industry esp in Melb. Sad.
It’s all about $. The co are biz. They go where they make the most money. Supply demand. Whats there to be disappointed. We get most of the old ships anyway. Home ported here. Pay more. Get quality.
The AU cruise industry is not 'profitable' for the cruise companies : we DON'T have those SHORT 'DRINK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE' cruises such as the 1 week US ones ! Remember it's about the $$$$ and getting as much as possible per passenger. Australians are a more older crowd - and the cruises are longer - and don't start on the weekends (Miami). Comparing the AU ports to others - is just 'cheap' - many Asian cities have crap ports - eg Bangkok is KMs away - Ho Chi Min is 1 hour away (industrial port) - HK is the old airport !! I'm now looking at Mediterranean cruises - which are cheaper (given the flights / accommodation / cruise).
I agree with all you said. But I had to laugh when you compared the docking fees of a Quantum class ship in Sydney to Melbourne. Melbourne is so useless that we have never had a visit by a Quantum class because our main shipping channel is deemed too narrow for one to sail safely in, if strong winds; so that's a loss of 5,000 passengers each missed visit. Plus our main cruise terminal, Station Pier, is now 94 years old and although 10s of millions have been spent on it, trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It is well past it's "Use by Date".
The cost of a Q Class ship docking in MEL is just a statistic that Cruise Passenger used to compare costs between major world ports, but I understand the humour. Especially with reference to the completely unacceptable state of Station Pier.
It's probably part of the reason Princess has cut back on the ships in this region. They will have Discovery Princess here though, their newest (apart from Sun and Star) ship in the fleet.
I’m devo. I’d booked a New Years Eve cruise for 2025 and it’s cancelled. Now we don’t know if Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth will get cruises departing from those locations. As someone with severe anxiety I don’t do well with complicated travel arrangements which has made Sydney a port that is unimaginable to get to (I hate flying, I don’t drive, and trains and buses need to be well known before I feel safe enough to use them). Plus P&O we’re affordable for a solo traveller (paying a further 100% of the fare was just about doable) but the other cruise lines are much more expensive. It’s doubtful I’ll ever be able to enjoy the one form of vacation my anxiety could deal with ever again. Heartbroken barely begins to describe my feelings.
I’m sorry to hear that 😔 hopefully Carnival Corp expands to other Australian home ports when they release the next program (it’ll cover cruises from July 2026)
I work in the cruise industry, well, at least I will for another two months anyway. And no, I am not employed by P & O but another brand. I am losing my job because a centralised call centre is more profitable than having multiple around the world. I understand this from a business perspective and can confirm that the decision was not made due to a lack in our performance. While I am heartbroken as are my colleagues, moving jobs overseas due to profitability is nothing new in this country. Personally , I blame the rise in operating costs and the difficulties cruise companied face operating in this region. I don't know whether it is because governments and local businesses want a share of the profits as they are missing out on the tourist dollars being kept locally or if it because they want to get rid of cruising all together. I just know that Australian's are losing yet again. I really hope your petition will be successful but unfortunately it is already too late for some of us.
I’m so sorry to hear of your job loss. You’re an example of the effects of over regulation and red tape, and government roadblocks to successful, profitable business that ultimately benefits local economies and citizens. Wish you all the best for your next chapter.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuySorry, but how does ANY Government and it's citizen's benefit long term by deliberately putting up roadblocks and therefore stifle business with the end result the country ends up "on it's knees"? Sorry, it's not rocket science and therefore I don't believe your comment can be taken seriously. There are, after all, two sides to every story. Thanks.
Unfortunately I don't think it will change.. much like airports, the passenger fees are essentially a pass through. Our high minimum wages means higher costs to operate these facilities.
The old 'self-fulfilling prophecy' in marketing. Times are tough, we're not making enough money or seeing enough customers so lets put the prices up. Then there's the Government. They love cash cows and overcharging for docking is an easy cash grab. With Sydney Harbour bridge in the way there's only half the harbour to work with so finding more/ cheaper berths is a big issue. I've been saying for some years that Australia is just not a great market for cruise ships to use. Distant, expensive, overpriced docking, lack of facilities, limited ports of call that are also expensive and distant and possibly a shrinking market who can no longer afford a cruise. PNG and Indonesia are not really alternatives destinations so there's not many places to go. I suspect more and more cruise lines will follow Virgin and give up on Australia as not being worth the effort.
Cruising is no longer a cheap holiday. The advertised cost is immediately increased if you want a cabin with a window or a balcony. Before you even get on the boat you’ve got at least $100 in taxi or parking, unless you can get someone to drop you off and pick you up. Then there’s the alcohol package, coffee & soda package, specialty dining, shore excursions and tipping. To top it off the slots are set to pay considerably less than anywhere else and the spa treatment prices are inflated. I think I’ve had my last cruise, I’d rather just go to the Gold Coast.
Spot on Adrian. I know we pay decent wages in Australia, but it has become more than obvious that the cruise industry no longer wants to pay the ridiculous docking fees asked by our ports, let’s not forget about the domino effect of no ships, that means transport, hotels, food and beverage refills, immigration authority, baggage handlers the list goes on. Distinct lack of foresight on all governments in Australia. We cancelled our 28day circumnavigation of Australia (which we should now be on) last year, because we worked out we could get more bang for our buck and have 57 cruise days for the same money instead. It will be flight and cruise packages for most Aussies from now on, whether we like it not, we had better get used to it.
@peterlanders3900 Possible, but I doubt it, as the economic effect of cruising stopping in Australia would be seen as detrimental to any Government's reputation. But, then, they did let both GMH and FORD stop producing the Holden and Falcon in Australia. 🤔
The news that P&O is being absorbed into Carnival, as well as Cunard, Princess and Virgin pulling out of the Australian market makes me worried that Royal will be the next to go...
they don't want the cruises here , they wouldn't allow them to run supposedly due to covid but they allowed plane flights . And even before flights were allowed they still allowed the cruises to run on the Murray river .
We are only seeing more and more interest from Americans wanting to cruise in Australia 🇦🇺. Here’s hoping your petition is not only seen/approved, but also listened to! 🙌🏽 Thanks for using your platform to amplify this important info! 👏🏽
Signature forthcoming when you require it Adrian. Australian Government definitely needs to do better with regards to the cruise industry (and many other things).
This makes me wonder if any of these reasons are behind RCCI continuing to delay releasing their April 2026 transpacific sailings when all other lines have had theirs out for months.
Notwithstanding that a 30% reduction is significant and that Australian port fees do seem very high by world standards, I feel like there’s more going on than perhaps the cruise lines are talking about. I’m no expert on cruise economics but I find it hard to believe that a $45 per pax charge, in the context of a fare of several thousand dollars, is the reason the lines are reducing their operations here. What am I missing?
Check this out: sherwood.news/business/the-economics-of-a-carnival-corp-cruise/ If it’s to be believed, cruise ship profit margins are slim. So that $45 or so per passenger makes a difference, especially when combined with a weak AUD/USD conversion and other regulatory issues in our region.
I cruised ex Melbourne to Tasmania on Princess Cruises, in March 2024 -it must have been one of the last ships to depart Melbourne, I live in. Melbourne and it is soooo disappointing to have to fly to Sydney or Brisbane to board a cruise - the cruise was FULL and lots of PAX were from Victoria (country and Melbourne) they (cruise trerminals) are cutting off revenue by excessive port charges ... looks like no-one will depart from Melbourne. in future ...so I am very very disappointed ..wonder if they will see the error of their ways (PS the Mel port terminal looked like something from the 50's when then 10 pound poms arrived - no disrespect - we love them - but surely it could be updated to reflect their horrendous port charges
This morning, 5 July 2024, husband and I disembarked P&O Pacific Adventure. What a cheap and revolting holiday that was. The food was appalling. Someone said well it’s just pub food. NO it wasn’t. It was way worse than that. Bed was hard on one side, lumpy on the other, Foreign staff with difficult accents at times, many were so difficult to understand. We will never ever go P&O again. Many many people we chatted to said the same.
Cruise ships regularly arrived here in Cairns giving visitors from Syd/Bne/Mel a nice average 10 day cruise to tropical FNQ,especially with P+O.The local economy here also benefitted.Shame that Carnival have made this decision ( acquiring P+O) in favour of profits to be gleaned from the US and European markets.
Cairns looks like a growing cruise market, and I saw recently that the government and local bodies are interested in building up Cairns as a cruise port and destination.
Hi Adrian. I wrote a long an detailed email to ACA asking them to pick the story. My email was ignored. Could you please email them as well, perhaps even send them the link to this video. Kindest and warmest regards Lisa from Melbourne ❤
You do not mention the greedy cruise lines, Adrian. Start to think cruise lines get all their supplies both tax-free and duty-free and that includes alcohol. For instance on Ovation of the Seas a couple of years ago I paid $94 Australian for a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. Yet on shore, it is sold for between $15 and $17 Australian and the sellers have paid tax and duty. That is a rip-off. If you take a closer look at videos posted here you will see that many ships are far from full despite what the cruise lines tell you. Virgin gave a very lame excuse for their ship not coming back here next year saying bringing the ship from Europe meant it going through that area of the Red Sea where there have been problems. What rubbish most cruise ships come down the West Coast of Africa and across to Australia. No, they were simply not getting the number of passengers that they wanted. I agree with your comments about the Government, I have out a proposal to the Government for our own Australian-registered and operated ship. Nothing back except an acknowledgement and yet the Minister concerned states that is exactly what they want and I have the e-mail to prove what I say. If you want to see this let me know where you want me to send a copy.
I can only fight one thing at a time - I’m just one person over here, doing my own thing 😁 While I agree Virgin’s decision not to return to Australia had little to nothing to do with the Red Sea, it’s not true that most ships sail down under via the West Coast of Africa. They do take the Suez Canal from Europe and very rarely do they ever sail via the west coast of Africa. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.
I knew about the extravagant high port charges because I was against the move from Melbourne to Geelong ferry crossing then Covid had to destroy everything , I got my money back , but it was not what I wanted, a cruise , love cruising. Need some people to share a 4 birth cabin as we all have some cruising to do why it is here, if any takers. Bless you for breaking the reason , our greedy government wants all now a pay rise higher than many of us earn.
Wouldn't you think, with the cruising industry as important as it is in this country not only for local but international passengers, that it should be there should be a collective approach to the government from the cruise lines themselves? Surely if Sydney has the most expensive port fees other home ports should be negotiated including Melbourne, Perth, Darwin or perhaps a New Zealand port? It seems a very short-sighted view by both the government and the cruise lines on appraisal of the last couple of weeks has given the Australian/New Zealand market. A great idea to put forward a petition, and also happy to sign.
I’m with you and the cruise companies on this. Governments are so bloody greedy. They are overlooking the benefits the cruise industry provides to all the suppliers which in turn provides more tax revenue
Unfortunately the NZ cruise industry is really designed to flow off the back of Australia’s, and NZ has its own issues at the moment too, particularly around bio security and hull cleaning, that have prevented cruise lines from really bedding down there.
I don’t really know, I feel like government is happy to squeeze the cash cow while it’s paying, until the cow finally walks away all together… and then they’ll wonder what happened. Shortsighted basically.
You have summed it up perfectly. Our greedy, short sighted Government is risking billions of dollars of spending and thousands of jobs. I have shared your video on my Facebook page as we need to be creating a groundswell of support for our wonderful cruise industry before it is too late.
Here are links to both petitions!
www.change.org/LowerPortFees
www.aph.gov.au/e-petitions/petition/EN6353
$219,000 is crazy. No wonder ships don't wait for people that are late.
I absolutely feel your frustration and anger, cruising in Australia is going downhill and it’s very upsetting 😔
Great points Adrian. One more aspect: we are largely unwilling to pay for the services the cruise lines provide. In a FB group for a popular ship I see people complaining about costs of what is an objectively very good value offering. We need regulatory change as well as a shift in mindset from passengers.
Good point - thanks for sharing.
Very Sad situation that the Government are not taking this seriously. Happy to sign.
We are ANGRY as well!!!!! The port of Melbourne has NOTHING NOW due to our Govt. Pricing with RCCL for a GS category for Xmas now is 5 (FIVE) times the price we paid pre covid. We too, can see that Australia is being shunned by the cruise industry. Very UPSETTING. Thanks for all your UPDATES...much appreciated.
Greedy, short-sighted government. This also affects our food producers supplying the ships.
As if the cruise liners buy local. They import and use foreign slave labor.
P&O was one of the few companies that had consistent cruises available out of Fremantle. It’s bad news for WA as well
My wife and I have had 5 cruises from Fremantle, 3 before Covid,. The best was on Pacific Eden up to Kuri Bay. We were the first cruise liner to visit there. Have the Commemoration Plaque given to us by P&O. Will miss P&O.
You go get em Adrian, so happy that you are putting up the fight for all us Aussies that love cruising.
We will 100% be standing behind you Adrian and rounding up support. Again our government are letting us down.
Thank you for being the voice for reason!
I’ll be sharing this video too.
Thanks guys ❤️
Happy to sign Adrian, also disappointed in Australia and the greedy Govts.
Thank you for standing up for those of us who love cruising and are so disappointed with what is happening here in Australia!😢. Happy to sign a petition!
After having our 37 night cruise on Grand Princess next year cancelled we are turning our backs on cruising. We feel that cruising post COVID has changed and will not return to what we once enjoyed. The Australian market is not what it once was, so agree with your sentiments…
😔
My wife and I bailed out if cruising after being stuck with cruise credits during Covid and being unable to get a refund or book a cruise due to massive demand. No longer will a greedy US entity get any of our hard earned.
I would definitely sign. Thanks for keeping us updated.
So gutted with the recent changes. For us NZers we have to add an extra $1200+ per couple just to get on a cruise. We really have to look at where we cruise to now.
We get all the old ships and they are gaudy at best. Carnival have very limited routes and it is becoming stale. Sydney has poor infrastructure, Melbourne jacked up port prices so ships now sail out of Geelong which is a pain and during the summer months when the other lines come to Australia they are so much more expensive and everything is in USD which means you actually price on board is times 1.5.
Royal Carribean is in U$D, not Carnival and P&O.
@@alansutherland9686 and if you read my comment properly the USD referred to ‘other lines’. This would include Princess, Holland America, Celebrity etc.
How sad for years ago when I was a Cruise Director on the TSS Fairstar we stayed overnight in Sydney which was a relief for many personal reasons. In addition, even though the Fairstar did t have the most modern of facilities people truly loved it for many reasons which included an egalitarian culture and feel to it which is why around 1.2 million cruised on it and still miss her. Having been on a couple of these newer monsters there is no comparison and as for today’s berthing fees, they are a total disgrace.
I live in New Zealand,I love cruising and am very sorry for Australia and New Zealand 😢
Yes ... would love to do more cruises to NZ
me too..live in NZ ..on cruise to Fiji in September and probably my last...done 8 cruises and not want to pay for those expensive ones....
Our cruise group totally support your attitude. We have also contacted the Federal Minister for Tourism love this matter. I have also arranged for an ePetition. Just waiting now on response.
Thank you! And good work too.
Yup, I’ll be signing! Hubby and I have just started cruising (second one happening in December) and it’s expensive enough just having to flying in port the day before, pay for accomodation etc for the night before without having the Lines jack up prices because of annoying government laziness.
Congratulations on your proactive project. We agree and didn't realise our port fees and lack of facilities were so prohibitive for cruise ships. It's refreshing to see an Australian addressing our issues. We live in Brisbane with a relative new port that is hardly used. Our last three cruises were from Sydney adding both time and money onto out trips.
Liked and subscribed ❤
Thanks so much for watching and for sharing your point of view - much appreciated.
We are prepared to sign this petition…thank you for opening our eyes on this. Great work Adrian.
Cruising in Australia has become a complete joke. Obviously the government doesn't give a sh*t. Is this petition public? If so, post it here so we can all sign it.
Thanks ❤️ the petition is with the approvals Committee - if it’s approved, I’ll post a link for signatures.
Albo gave himself a big pay rise he needs to earn it and One Nation need a email.
Many of our ports are foreign owned sold seems like double dipping.
Brisbane just built a new passenger terminable and it wont get much use soon.
@@truthandlife4101 Brisbane is planning a 2nd terminal. My Mrs works there.
In Australia we are pricing ourselves out of the market, Ships used to bypass Adelaide & dock in Melbourne, road freight the goods to Adelaide as it was cheaper. The cost to the cruise company is driving them away & who can blame them. Very short sighted from the powers to be.
I’m with you Adrian. Our pollies talk incessantly about the importance of tourism and yet regularly kick the cruising industry in the teeth. Their ignorance about the industry and their inability to understand the wishes of a large section of their constituents is appalling. They should be forced to justify the port charges. Catherine King should be sacked for incompetence. The NZ government needs to justify its absurdly pernickety stance on hull cleaning.
Good luck with the petition.
So glad we managed to do our Australia circumnavigation in March this year ! 🙏
We had 2 cruises canceled next year and had to find another one which hopefully we’ll be able to get
I’m disappointed that QE won’t be homeported in Australia after this summer!
Well said Mate.
Thanks for standing up.
I will definitely sign...
Can we sign your petition Adrian? Please provide the weblink (I'm not on Facebook).
Also - do you know what the port fees are in Brisbane? Or Cairns and Darwin? Thanks.
Definitely! I’m waiting for approval and if it comes through, I’ll post a link/video to the petition for signatures.
I don’t know those port fees unfortunately but they didn’t make the list, so I suspect they have nothing on Sydney 😅
We are all behind you on this Adrian.
Very much appreciate the support guys! ❤️
I will gladly sign your petition. Cruises are the best experience for a holiday that offers everything in one package. Thank you for bringing this information to our attention.
Looks like the port Melbourne port will be closed for us ..darn shame Who the heck wants to go to SYD or BNE - we have a good port here in MEL
Melbourne is an ok port but needs a lot of work/improvements/upgrades to the passenger facilities. The biggest issue for Melbourne is the channel to station pier, VOS only just squeezed through it and it couldn’t travers it with moderately high winds due to the lack of clearance, RL was a perfect size for the channel but that is only one ship that cannot cater for everyone meaning a limited market. Geelong would make a perfect port but like Newcastle what can cruising offer out of Melbourne/Geelong (other than quicker trips to Tassie) offer to a cruise as there isn’t any quicker sail times to anywhere else sadly.
But it can't take the larger ships anyway, due to the narrowness and depth of the channel.
This is typical Australia, costs are continuing to spiral out of control, and the Australian government doesn't care; not at all......
😂😂
I would like to see the break-up of the cost and why it should be so high.
I just back from Miami and the Caribbean cruise…… Sad，we‘re left behind and Princess started send the old and small ships to Australia too… And not much itineraries able to choose in Australia too…
Not only cruise lines but all industries like what Victoria tries to do for airbnb. They have to find money to cover up their incompetence where they waste money at. Turn around you can see that 25 million aboriginal flag on the Harbour bridge then it all makes sense.
If you are going to compare costs between Aus and USA you will need to talk about the exchange rates. Our $ is worth nothing relatively
Exchange rates are definitely having a negative effect for cruise lines as well. It’s shrinking their profit margins even further.
It’s worth noting all costs I mentioned in the video re port fees are in AUD.
Hi Adrian,
Trish and I are definitely happy to sign..Thanks for bringing these issues to the forefront 👍
Thanks so much you two!
We all should have seen this coming when Sea, Dawn, and Sun Princess were removed after the shut-down.
" not sustainable " is the most worrying comment. I think a reduction of 30% is understating the future. Thanks Adrian .
Happy to support the petition Adrian.
One thing I'm noticing affecting solo cruisers is that fares are pretty much the price for two on most sailings. I guess on P&O that is double minus the extra food cost of $9 !!
Solo fares are a whole topic on their own aren’t they 😣
lol the $9 eggs benny
Sydney Airport Aeronautical Charges for international flights (anyone flying international out or in to SYD) was 48.40AUD (1st JAN 2024). The domestic fees (there are 5 of them) adds up to 17.40AUD per person..Regional fees (for regional flights) is even less ..so basically even for domestic cruises the industry is charged similar fees like that of international flights..
And then on international cruises, I believe passengers still pay passenger movement fees (I stand to be corrected)
Australia is now wide open for a Cruiseline like Ambassador or the old CMV.
Concentrating on departs from Adelaide, Melbourne and Perth. Picking from the most in demand list of cancelled cruise slots leaving Sydney and Brisbane - filling those slots.
Love to see MSC smaller ships come too ❤
I feel people only want the big new ships like what Royal and Celebrity has. They don't want to pay big money for 20 year old ships that are dated.
We need something done to sort these things out so we passionate cruisers can go freely without hindrances holding down our cruise industry in Australia we need something done and quickly too
Hi Adrian .. There is a yt vid right there about the port fees. Where exactly do the fees go ?? Do they pay for the tug boats to guide the ships , the harbour pilot etc
Do container/cargo ship get charged the same rates ?
It’s like everything here in Australia, over charged on everything
Cheers Rod 👍
Good questions!
Well done Adrian. Here! Here!
Any chance you can create template for us to sign that can get MSC's attention, as now is a really good time and opportunity for them to break into our market. Norwegian would be another good one, if only they'd bring one of their newer ships (even seasonally 😩. Surely there are other port itinerary they can source over to Norfolk Island, Lord Howe, Tonga, Samoa, Fiji, etc. Just point me in the direction where to add my name or signature to back you on the letter as would many of the other people who follow your info etc 😊
I'll sign. I've done 97 cruises with many more booked and no intention of stopping, however I have long said the cruise lines are killing the golden goose and now the Govt is assisting. The ships are getting too big so there are less ports that can handle these behemoths and more and more towns don't want 4000+ descending upon them. IMO about 2000 pax should be max. And I'm not at all interested in stopping at private islands that have nothing but swimming and snorkeling. To be fair P & O have never been more than a budget experience and are not my first choice but I did the first aussie cruise after covid, which was SYD-BNE on Pacific Explorer and I'm booked on the very last aussie P & O on Pacific Adventure next March. I will say the Blue Room does a good 007 Martini. It will be the end of an era.
We are giving Cruises a miss for a while.
The standards and quality have dropped significantly in many area, particularly P&O who were starting from a pretty low benchmark to start with.
Its not just the price. We've done many cruises on other lines but we got a decent price on our first...and last...Princess cruise just before Christmas 2023. The food in the dining room was dreadful. You were better off going to the buffet. The only reason we didn't want to do that was we were trying to do our utmost not to catch covid. We wasted our effort as I tested positive on the last day and my husband on disembarkation. The sort of "food" we got served up were peach melba with three miniscule pieces of peach, smaller than mandarin segments floating in sugar water with a teaspoon full of the worst quality water ice (it couldn't be called icecream), beef tenderloin was a tiny knob of beef, two thirds of it being gristle and inedible, the so called gala night lobster was replaced with "prawn balls" which turned out to be two tiny, tasteless fish balls, fish that was like leather...the list goes on. It didn't matter what cut of meat was on the menu, it was the same tasteless, steamed trash that was mostly fat and gristle with one string bean, one baby carrot and two tiny pieces of potato. In the end our waiter told us we could order a jacket potato with each meal, so at least we got something edible and filling from then on. The people on the next table had done many Princess cruises and they had another two booked, which they cancelled after the first week of our cruise because of the poor quality of food on this cruise. They said they wouldn't be cruising with Princess again, but I've heard people saying the same thing about all the cruise lines sailing out of Australia. It seems that they've cut right back in order to maintain standards on other routes, because other people cruising out of the USA are saying they aren't served up this kind of trash. We aren't prepared to risk it though and after nearly 20 cruises, this experience has put us right off cruising.
We did a cruise with Princess in Nov 23 and thought the food was great???
@@jamesT-fn8wl did it leave from an Australian port though?
@@warpedweft9004 yes Sydney
We had the exact experience on Princess in late Jan ex Mel. First & last Princess Cruise, terrible food & my husband and I caught Covid on the 3rd last day of the cruise! Never again!
every thing in australia is broken, the goverment has failed and the only way out is to keep increasing tax and charges. we cant afford rent let alone a cruise.
The "Dutton" Government is not a particular good option.
@@747fa Vertainly better than what we currently have
@@jameso669 the Liberals pick up the pieces from the Labour government and get us bickering In the black and Labour gets back In and puts us back in the red
I live in Melb. Only a few cruise companies will set sail from Port Melb. Many times, I need to go to Sydney. With the stupid increase of Melb docking fees and new regulations, it will only worsen the cruising industry esp in Melb. Sad.
It’s all about $. The co are biz. They go where they make the most money. Supply demand. Whats there to be disappointed. We get most of the old ships anyway. Home ported here. Pay more. Get quality.
Would happily sign the petition. Where can we go to sign it???
Thanks Sharon. Once and if the petition is approved by the government Committee, I’ll share a link for signatures.
The AU cruise industry is not 'profitable' for the cruise companies : we DON'T have those SHORT 'DRINK AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE' cruises such as the 1 week US ones ! Remember it's about the $$$$ and getting as much as possible per passenger. Australians are a more older crowd - and the cruises are longer - and don't start on the weekends (Miami). Comparing the AU ports to others - is just 'cheap' - many Asian cities have crap ports - eg Bangkok is KMs away - Ho Chi Min is 1 hour away (industrial port) - HK is the old airport !! I'm now looking at Mediterranean cruises - which are cheaper (given the flights / accommodation / cruise).
I agree with all you said. But I had to laugh when you compared the docking fees of a Quantum class ship in Sydney to Melbourne. Melbourne is so useless that we have never had a visit by a Quantum class because our main shipping channel is deemed too narrow for one to sail safely in, if strong winds; so that's a loss of 5,000 passengers each missed visit. Plus our main cruise terminal, Station Pier, is now 94 years old and although 10s of millions have been spent on it, trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. It is well past it's "Use by Date".
The cost of a Q Class ship docking in MEL is just a statistic that Cruise Passenger used to compare costs between major world ports, but I understand the humour. Especially with reference to the completely unacceptable state of Station Pier.
Are these the reasons why the larger princess ships won’t be back next year? Or didn’t they get the passengers they could get elsewhere (mainly US)?
It's probably part of the reason Princess has cut back on the ships in this region. They will have Discovery Princess here though, their newest (apart from Sun and Star) ship in the fleet.
we are behind you Adrian
I’m devo. I’d booked a New Years Eve cruise for 2025 and it’s cancelled. Now we don’t know if Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth will get cruises departing from those locations. As someone with severe anxiety I don’t do well with complicated travel arrangements which has made Sydney a port that is unimaginable to get to (I hate flying, I don’t drive, and trains and buses need to be well known before I feel safe enough to use them).
Plus P&O we’re affordable for a solo traveller (paying a further 100% of the fare was just about doable) but the other cruise lines are much more expensive. It’s doubtful I’ll ever be able to enjoy the one form of vacation my anxiety could deal with ever again. Heartbroken barely begins to describe my feelings.
I’m sorry to hear that 😔 hopefully Carnival Corp expands to other Australian home ports when they release the next program (it’ll cover cruises from July 2026)
I work in the cruise industry, well, at least I will for another two months anyway. And no, I am not employed by P & O but another brand. I am losing my job because a centralised call centre is more profitable than having multiple around the world. I understand this from a business perspective and can confirm that the decision was not made due to a lack in our performance. While I am heartbroken as are my colleagues, moving jobs overseas due to profitability is nothing new in this country. Personally , I blame the rise in operating costs and the difficulties cruise companied face operating in this region. I don't know whether it is because governments and local businesses want a share of the profits as they are missing out on the tourist dollars being kept locally or if it because they want to get rid of cruising all together. I just know that Australian's are losing yet again. I really hope your petition will be successful but unfortunately it is already too late for some of us.
I’m so sorry to hear of your job loss. You’re an example of the effects of over regulation and red tape, and government roadblocks to successful, profitable business that ultimately benefits local economies and citizens.
Wish you all the best for your next chapter.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuySorry, but how does ANY Government and it's citizen's benefit long term by deliberately putting up roadblocks and therefore stifle business with the end result the country ends up "on it's knees"? Sorry, it's not rocket science and therefore I don't believe your comment can be taken seriously. There are, after all, two sides to every story. Thanks.
Unfortunately I don't think it will change.. much like airports, the passenger fees are essentially a pass through.
Our high minimum wages means higher costs to operate these facilities.
Happy to sign, so sad to see cruising go this way.
Where do we sign to ban cruising?
Oh I’m sure you can figure out how to lodge a petition, buddy. Come on, off you go.
The old 'self-fulfilling prophecy' in marketing. Times are tough, we're not making enough money or seeing enough customers so lets put the prices up. Then there's the Government. They love cash cows and overcharging for docking is an easy cash grab. With Sydney Harbour bridge in the way there's only half the harbour to work with so finding more/ cheaper berths is a big issue. I've been saying for some years that Australia is just not a great market for cruise ships to use. Distant, expensive, overpriced docking, lack of facilities, limited ports of call that are also expensive and distant and possibly a shrinking market who can no longer afford a cruise. PNG and Indonesia are not really alternatives destinations so there's not many places to go.
I suspect more and more cruise lines will follow Virgin and give up on Australia as not being worth the effort.
Cruising is no longer a cheap holiday. The advertised cost is immediately increased if you want a cabin with a window or a balcony. Before you even get on the boat you’ve got at least $100 in taxi or parking, unless you can get someone to drop you off and pick you up. Then there’s the alcohol package, coffee & soda package, specialty dining, shore excursions and tipping. To top it off the slots are set to pay considerably less than anywhere else and the spa treatment prices are inflated. I think I’ve had my last cruise, I’d rather just go to the Gold Coast.
Spot on Adrian. I know we pay decent wages in Australia, but it has become more than obvious that the cruise industry no longer wants to pay the ridiculous docking fees asked by our ports, let’s not forget about the domino effect of no ships, that means transport, hotels, food and beverage refills, immigration authority, baggage handlers the list goes on. Distinct lack of foresight on all governments in Australia.
We cancelled our 28day circumnavigation of Australia (which we should now be on) last year, because we worked out we could get more bang for our buck and have 57 cruise days for the same money instead.
It will be flight and cruise packages for most Aussies from now on, whether we like it not, we had better get used to it.
Great insight - thanks for sharing.
Could it be the are wanting to get rid of cruising by stealth on environmental grounds??
@@peterlanders3900 could be? That may be one argument 🤔 you make a valid point.
@peterlanders3900 Possible, but I doubt it, as the economic effect of cruising stopping in Australia would be seen as detrimental to any Government's reputation. But, then, they did let both GMH and FORD stop producing the Holden and Falcon in Australia. 🤔
The news that P&O is being absorbed into Carnival, as well as Cunard, Princess and Virgin pulling out of the Australian market makes me worried that Royal will be the next to go...
I hope not - I think RCI will always have a local presence, even if it shrinks…
they don't want the cruises here , they wouldn't allow them to run supposedly due to covid but they allowed plane flights . And even before flights were allowed they still allowed the cruises to run on the Murray river .
I'm more than happy to sign, Adrian
We are only seeing more and more interest from Americans wanting to cruise in Australia 🇦🇺.
Here’s hoping your petition is not only seen/approved, but also listened to! 🙌🏽
Thanks for using your platform to amplify this important info! 👏🏽
It’s a great holiday. Support it Govt. 😢. Aussie Bob
I’m cranky too Adrian!
Signature forthcoming when you require it Adrian. Australian Government definitely needs to do better with regards to the cruise industry (and many other things).
So that means ive now had 5 P&O cruises cancelled back to back...have a FCC still but its going to cost me an extra $1200 for flights and hotel
I'm sorry to hear that!
This makes me wonder if any of these reasons are behind RCCI continuing to delay releasing their April 2026 transpacific sailings when all other lines have had theirs out for months.
Notwithstanding that a 30% reduction is significant and that Australian port fees do seem very high by world standards, I feel like there’s more going on than perhaps the cruise lines are talking about. I’m no expert on cruise economics but I find it hard to believe that a $45 per pax charge, in the context of a fare of several thousand dollars, is the reason the lines are reducing their operations here. What am I missing?
Check this out: sherwood.news/business/the-economics-of-a-carnival-corp-cruise/
If it’s to be believed, cruise ship profit margins are slim. So that $45 or so per passenger makes a difference, especially when combined with a weak AUD/USD conversion and other regulatory issues in our region.
I cruised ex Melbourne to Tasmania on Princess Cruises, in March 2024 -it must have been one of the last ships to depart Melbourne, I live in. Melbourne and it is
soooo disappointing to have to fly to Sydney or Brisbane to board a cruise - the cruise was FULL and lots of PAX were from Victoria (country and Melbourne) they (cruise trerminals) are cutting off revenue by excessive port charges ... looks like no-one will depart from Melbourne. in future ...so I am very very disappointed ..wonder if they will see the error of their ways (PS the Mel port terminal looked like something from the 50's when then 10 pound poms arrived - no disrespect - we love them - but surely it could be updated to reflect their horrendous port charges
This morning, 5 July 2024, husband and I disembarked P&O Pacific Adventure. What a cheap and revolting holiday that was. The food was appalling. Someone said well it’s just pub food. NO it wasn’t. It was way worse than that. Bed was hard on one side, lumpy on the other, Foreign staff with difficult accents at times, many were so difficult to understand.
We will never ever go P&O again. Many many people we chatted to said the same.
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Sorry Adrian, I couldn't find the petititon?
The petition is with the approvals Committee - if it’s approved, I’ll share a video/link so that people can sign. ❤️
Happy to sign
Cruise ships regularly arrived here in Cairns giving visitors from Syd/Bne/Mel a nice average 10 day cruise to tropical FNQ,especially with P+O.The local economy here also benefitted.Shame that Carnival have made this decision ( acquiring P+O) in favour of profits to be gleaned from the US and European markets.
Cairns looks like a growing cruise market, and I saw recently that the government and local bodies are interested in building up Cairns as a cruise port and destination.
Happy to sign the petition.
Hi Adrian. I wrote a long an detailed email to ACA asking them to pick the story. My email was ignored. Could you please email them as well, perhaps even send them the link to this video. Kindest and warmest regards Lisa from Melbourne ❤
0:20 that's a bad open hen talking about cruising lol
lol 😂
You do not mention the greedy cruise lines, Adrian. Start to think cruise lines get all their supplies both tax-free and duty-free and that includes alcohol. For instance on Ovation of the Seas a couple of years ago I paid $94 Australian for a bottle of Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc. Yet on shore, it is sold for between $15 and $17 Australian and the sellers have paid tax and duty. That is a rip-off. If you take a closer look at videos posted here you will see that many ships are far from full despite what the cruise lines tell you. Virgin gave a very lame excuse for their ship not coming back here next year saying bringing the ship from Europe meant it going through that area of the Red Sea where there have been problems. What rubbish most cruise ships come down the West Coast of Africa and across to Australia. No, they were simply not getting the number of passengers that they wanted. I agree with your comments about the Government, I have out a proposal to the Government for our own Australian-registered and operated ship. Nothing back except an acknowledgement and yet the Minister concerned states that is exactly what they want and I have the e-mail to prove what I say. If you want to see this let me know where you want me to send a copy.
I can only fight one thing at a time - I’m just one person over here, doing my own thing 😁
While I agree Virgin’s decision not to return to Australia had little to nothing to do with the Red Sea, it’s not true that most ships sail down under via the West Coast of Africa. They do take the Suez Canal from Europe and very rarely do they ever sail via the west coast of Africa.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts.
I knew about the extravagant high port charges because I was against the move from Melbourne to Geelong ferry crossing then Covid had to destroy everything , I got my money
back , but it was not what I wanted, a cruise , love cruising. Need some people to share a
4 birth cabin as we all have some cruising to do why it is here, if any takers.
Bless you for breaking the reason , our greedy government wants all now a pay rise higher
than many of us earn.
Wow I didn’t know how much the price was
Pretty eye opening!
Wouldn't you think, with the cruising industry as important as it is in this country not only for local but international passengers, that it should be there should be a collective approach to the government from the cruise lines themselves? Surely if Sydney has the most expensive port fees other home ports should be negotiated including Melbourne, Perth, Darwin or perhaps a New Zealand port? It seems a very short-sighted view by both the government and the cruise lines on appraisal of the last couple of weeks has given the Australian/New Zealand market. A great idea to put forward a petition, and also happy to sign.
Thanks Sonya.
CLIA represents cruise lines and is reportedly getting set to lobby government for changes. So hopefully that has a positive effect!
I’m with you and the cruise companies on this. Governments are so bloody greedy. They are overlooking the benefits the cruise industry provides to all the suppliers which in turn provides more tax revenue
Perhaps we should fly to and from NZ. where I believe these costs are lower.
Unfortunately the NZ cruise industry is really designed to flow off the back of Australia’s, and NZ has its own issues at the moment too, particularly around bio security and hull cleaning, that have prevented cruise lines from really bedding down there.
@@TheCruiseandTravelGuy Thank you for replying Mike my comment was more of guess than accuracy.
Omg I had no idea Australia pull ya finger out and rectify this terrible situation you have a lot to answer too 😢
Spot on and well said.
Ah its all making sense now 😢
is it on purpose do the ports or the city not want cruise ships docking? then they wouldn't mind losing business
I don’t really know, I feel like government is happy to squeeze the cash cow while it’s paying, until the cow finally walks away all together… and then they’ll wonder what happened. Shortsighted basically.
It’s a big market in Aust. WTF. AUSSIE Bob ☹️
Yep Prices are through the roof for Celebrity Edge and Ovation .. Just can’t afford them
oh well....
Good on you for taking action Adrian. This is the same minister who made the Qatar Airways decision.
Ohh I didn’t realise that! Thanks for mentioning it.
You have summed it up perfectly. Our greedy, short sighted Government is risking billions of dollars of spending and thousands of jobs. I have shared your video on my Facebook page as we need to be creating a groundswell of support for our wonderful cruise industry before it is too late.