VIRUS CRUISE SHIP LEAVES FREMANTLE

 

 

The coronavirus troubled MS Artania finally left Fremantle Port at 1pm this Saturday after an epic journey that saw 800 passengers being transported onto charter flights to Germany, while others passengers and crew were isolated in Perth hotels.

Several passengers and crew had the Covid-19 virus and had to be treated in hospital, but sadly some of them died here in WA.

The ship’s captain said the support and care they had received had been amazing.

Fremantle people came out in force to wave goodbye to the cruise ship, with the South and North moles packed with cars and Victoria Quay also full with people, and many said it was quite an emotional experience, as it was for me also.

I wish the trip back to Hamburg will be smooth sailing for the Artania crew and wish them well.

Roel Loopers

ARTANIA CREW NOT FLYING HOME

 

 

The latest from the Australian Border Force is that no plans are being made to fly the crew of the MS Artania, which is docked in Fremantle Port, back to their home countries.

Late last week we were told plans were being made for charter flights to the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, where the majority of crew members come from, but that has now changed. Why?

WA Premier Mark McGowan has been insisting for weeks that the cruise liner leaves Fremantle Port, and Australian waters, but the status quo remains.

Roel Loopers

FREO’S PRINCESS BACK IN PORT

 

The Sun Princess is back in her home port of Fremantle. It is always a great sight to see one of the majestic cruiseliners in Fremantle, so welcome to all the passengers and crew.

Roel Loopers

NO STATS ON FREO CRUISE SHIPS PASSENGERS

 

Great photo by Fremantle Ports

 

I wonder what the claims of how great increasing cruise ship tourism is for Western Australia and Fremantle, and the million dollar impact it supposedly has on the State’s economy are based on.

After a comment on social media by a Fremantle travel agent that most cruise ship passengers are locals I wanted to find out where our visitors actually come from, but no one has statistics on it.

City of Fremantle and Fremantle Port have nothing and Tourism WA sent an email they don’t have those figures, but pointed me to info on their website, which is from 2012 and that states that international passengers predominantly come from the USA(33%) and the UK(30%) and that passengers on mega cruise ships typically lived outside WA, traveled in couples and were over 60-years-old.

Good news is that Fremantle is the strongest performing on port features of all WA ports, according to the survey, but the negative is

Fremantle had less influence on the choice of a cruise and was the least researched by passengers, which suggests that passengers may be overlooking possibilities. Fremantle rated the highest in terms of passenger experience through having strong infrastructure and a range of passenger activities. A focus area for Fremantle is to reach more passengers prior to their arrival and to lift its profile as a destination with much to offer.

So unfortunately I still do not know what percentage of cruise ship passengers visiting Fremantle are from overseas, how many from the eastern states, and how many from WA. I find it extremely strange that these statistics are not being collated by Tourism WA.

Roel Loopers

FREMANTLE WELCOMES QUEEN ELIZABETH PASSENGERS

 

 

The Queen Elizabeth cruise liner arrived in Fremantle at 6am this morning bringing over 2,000 passengers to our city. Many of them however hopped on a bus to the Pinnacles or Swan Valley, so it was relatively quiet in Fremantle and at the Roundhouse which I opened up an hour and a half earlier at 9am.

The City of Frematle had 23 Visitor Centre ambassadors at the Passenger Terminal on Victoria Quay to greet the arriving passengers and also had roving teams throughout the inner city. There was also a shuttle bus every 15 minutes between Kings Square and the Passenger Terminal and that will continue till 9pm this evening.

Quite a few visitors to the Roundhouse remarked on the very good historic lecture they had received about Fremantle on board the ship by Fremantle Society President John Dowson, so good on him!

The Queen Elizabeth is due to depart at 10pm this eve on her way to Busselton, Adelaide and Melbourne. Some people told me they will return to Perth from there on the Indian Pacific train.

Roel Loopers

 

SUN PRINCESS WILL CALL FREMANTLE HOME

 

 

The announcement today that the Sun Princess cruise ship will call Fremantle her home port for the 2019-20 season is great news for Freo and Western Australia.

It is the biggest investment a cruise liner brand has ever made in WA and will mean a 100% increase in cruise ship passengers sailing through WA, which means an extra $ 32 million for our economy.

This is the result of the State Government upgrading ports in the north of the state and the Fremantle Passenger terminal.

Roel Loopers

CELEBRITY SOLSTICE IN FREMANTLE PORT

 

 

Cruiseliner Celebrity Solstice arrived in Fremantle Port this morning and is an impressive sight at Victoria Quay.

The 317 metre long ship can accommodate 2,852 passengers and cost $ 750 million to build.

The Express Lane cafe at the B Shed Rottnest Island ferry terminal did a roaring trade with lost of people heading off to the island while a strong easterly was blowing in hot air.

OVATION FOR A WELCOME FREO VISITOR

 

 

The Ovation of the Seas cruiseliner was only in Fremantle Port for one day but she made a big impression on the local economy.

It was a delight to see thousands of tourists wandering the streets of Fremantle, visiting cafes, shops, the Roundhouse, Maritime and Shipwreck museums and Fremantle Prison.

The South Mole was packed when the ship left port at 5.30pm and there were quite a few spectators on the North Mole as well.

 

Roel Loopers

TSUNAMI OF VISITORS HITS FREMANTLE

 

 

A travel warning should have been issued for Fremantle as a tsunami of cruise ship passengers from the Ovation of the Seas create a huge wave of visitors to our port city today.

City of Fremantle Visitor Guides were at hand at the Passenger Terminal and Kings Square and a free Freo City shuttle bus service took passengers from Victoria Quay to the city centre.

Fremantle welcomes you all and we hope you will enjoy your stay in our beautiful and hospitable city!

Roel Loopers

 

ARTANIA VISITS FREMANTLE

 

The beautiful cruise ship ARTANIA is in Fremantle Port and can be seen from Market Street as it is at berth at C Shed just behind the railway station.

The ship was built in Finland and has 595 passenger cabins, 8 decks, 7 bars, 3 restaurants and 2 swimming pools.

Welcome to Freo!

Roel Loopers