The summer cruise season is in full swing Down Under as Royal Caribbean’s Quantum of the Seas arrived in Brisbane, Australia, to kick off its third consecutive season in Queensland.
The 4,180-passenger, 168,666-gross-ton ship has 22 cruises scheduled from Brisbane, with itineraries ranging from short 2-night voyages to 14-night journeys.
“More Queensland families are choosing Quantum of the Seas for their next holiday, seamlessly combining spectacular destinations with the ease of an all-encompassing adventure,” said Gavin Smith, vice president and managing director, Australia and New Zealand, Royal Caribbean.
Like her previous seasons, the ship will frequently call in Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Australian ports. Her first sailing of the Australian season, which departed on December 1, 2024, is a 5-night roundtrip cruise to Airlie Beach, Australia.
This season’s lineup includes 11 cruises to the South Pacific, with destinations such as Mystery Island and Port Vila in Vanuatu, as well as Noumea in New Caledonia. These voyages will be 7 to 8 nights in length.
Closer to home, five Queensland-focused itineraries range from 4 to 6 nights, featuring stops at popular destinations like Airlie Beach and Cairns, Australia. A highlight includes snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef.
For an extended vacation, a 14-night cruise to New Zealand will feature scenic explorations of destinations like the Bay of Islands, Tauranga, Napier, and Wellington.
“On Quantum, families can make their getaway truly their own with options to delight everyone,“ Smith continued.
Anchoring Brisbane’s Cruise Season
Quantum of the Seas first began sailing in Australia in November 2022, homeporting in Brisbane on itineraries that included ports across Australia, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.
The vessel arrived once again in Brisbane on December 1, 2024, repositioning from Singapore, and will remain at its homeport until April 6, 2025.
Brisbane, which launched its 2024-2025 season on October 1, 2024, hopes to continue its record-breaking growth. Besides Quantum of the Seas, the port is the 2024-25 summer home of P&O Cruises’ 2,600-passenger Pacific Encounter, Carnival Cruise Line’s 2,826-guest Carnival Luminosa, and Princess Cruises’ 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess.
The Brisbane International Cruise Terminal will also see arrivals from Silversea’s Silver Nova, Holland America Line’s Westerdam, Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Sun, Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge, and Oceania Cruises’ Regatta, to name a few.
Last season, the port welcomed 125 cruise ships between October 2023 and March 2024, seeing more than 650,000 passengers for the first time in its history.
At the conclusion of that season, Neil Stephens, Port of Brisbane CEO, spoke of the impact cruising had to the region.
“Cruising from Brisbane this summer has also been a big economic boost, with every cruise ship call contributing to almost $1 million to the Queensland economy,” he stated.
Of Royal Caribbean’s fleet of 28 ships, Quantum of the Seas is not the only vessel positioned in Australia during the Southern Hemisphere’s summer months. Her sister ship, Ovation of the Seas, is currently homeporting in Sydney.
That 168,666-gross-ton vessel’s season launched on November 21, 2024, with a 7-night roundtrip sailing to Adelaide, Australia, and Hobart, Tasmania.
Ovation of the Seas will visit New Zealand ports, as well as New Caledonia and Vanuatu through April 3, 2025. Following Quantum of the Sea’s Australian season, the ship will reposition to Seattle to enjoy a Northern Hemisphere summer in Alaska.
