Princess Cruises' 2000-guest Sun Princess yesterday became the first cruise ship to return to Kangaroo Island, South Australia, one of the areas most severely impacted by the recent bushfire disaster. Over 40 British guests were onboard.

Princess Cruises' guests took advantage of a range of tours by local operators while others visited market stalls established by residents on the nearby Penneshaw Oval.

An earlier cruise to Kangaroo Island had been diverted to Port Lincoln at the height of the bushfire emergency.

Sun Princess is currently on a 13-night cruise from its current home port of Fremantle.

A number of guests have made donations to bushfire relief, with Princess Cruises itself 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 over £1m to various bushfire relief efforts in Australia.

Sun Princess' captain, Diego Perra, said: "Our guests are aware this isn't a normal visit to Kangaroo Island and that their presence helps show respect and solidarity to the local community. We have encouraged our guests to support the tourism operators who have worked so hard to ensure there is a wide 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."

South Australia premier, Steven Marshall, said: "Having the Sun Princess dock, with 2000 passengers, is going to inject a substantial economic benefit to the community and also send a strong signal that we are on the road to recovery."

ENDS

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About Princess Cruises
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is the fastest growing international premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 18 modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to 380 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Europe, South America, Australia/New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia, Canada/New England, Antarctica and World Cruises. A team of professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries, ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is continuously recognised as “Best Cruise Line for Itineraries.” 
 
In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Holidays enabled by the OceanMedallion, the holiday industry's most advanced wearable device, provided free to each guest sailing on a MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation offers the fastest way to a hassle-free, personalised holiday giving guests more time to do the things they love most. MedallionClass Holidays will be activated on five ships by the end of 2019. An activation plan will continue across the global fleet in 2020 and beyond.

Two new Royal-class ships are currently under construction - Enchanted Princess, scheduled for delivery in June 2020, followed by Discovery Princess in November 2021. Princess previously announced that two new (LNG) ships which will be the largest ships in the Princess fleet, accommodating approximately 4,300 guests are planned for delivery in 2023 and 2025. Princess now has four ships arriving over the next five years between 2020 and 2025. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).