Australians in love with big ships following Ovations of the Seas’ visit

It’s the biggest cruise liner to visit Australia and it’s brought a big boost for the economy with it.

The $1 billion cruise liner, Ovation of the Seas, has made her maiden voyage to Australia and injected more than $35 million in the process.

Able to carry 5,000 guests and 1,500 crew, the ship weighs in at more than 160,000 tonnes and is the fourth-largest ship in the world.

Ovation of the Seas departed from Darwin on Wednesday where it had a strong impact on the community as well as the economy.

“It was a great thrill to welcome the Ovation of the Seas to Darwin today and put on a classic Northern Territory show for her passengers,” said Department of Tourism and Culture CEO, Alastair Shields.

“Having the Ovation in Darwin is like having around 10 A380 aeroplanes here at once, which is huge for our tourism industry. Based on passenger spend alone, we’re expecting the visit to inject $650,000 into the local economy.”

The Ovation of the Seas’ captain Henrik Loy said that the enthusiasm expressed by the community around the country has been a welcomed surprise.

Read more: Record-breaking Ovation of the Seas cruises into Brisbane

“We love the enthusiasm we get from this inaugural course. Thousands of members from the community come out to greet us and we get a lot of good attention,” he said.

“Touch wood, but it’s gone very well and very much according to plan, and the community has really received Ovation of the Seas with great joy.”

The big cruise ships are going to keep coming, said Royal Caribbean Australia and New Zealand managing director, Adam Armstrong.

“Over the last decade we have committed to bringing the biggest and best cruise ships to our doorstep – and today is the climax of that story. This occasion marks the first time that a cruise line has ever based a brand new ship in this market.”

As the ships get bigger and better, so do the experiences, Armstrong adds.

“At 348m long, 18 decks high, weighing in at 168,666 tons and
with capacity for 5,000 guests and 1,500 crew, Ovation of the Seas is the fourth largest cruise ship in the world, making her the largest cruise ship to sail Australian waters, and by far the largest ship ever home-ported here.”

Have you been on the Ovation of the Seas? Let us know about your own experiences in the comments section below.