Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas, may be homeporting in Melbourne.

According to the cruise ship schedules for Victoria in 2020/21, the Explorer of the Seas, which arrives on October 22 2020, appears to be spending a season in Melbourne.

Noticed by a Cruise Critic member on the site’s forum, it appears that the Royal Caribbean ship has 14 turnaround days.

One user, possum52 welcomed the new arrival, especially since most cruise ships sail from either Sydney or Brisbane.

“For us to sail from Sydney or even Brisbane, we have return flights plus hotel, taxis, airport parking and meals to pay for on top of cruise fare. Having Golden Princess in based in Melbourne has been fantastic for cruisers in the southern states,” said possum52.

Princess Cruises has homeported the Golden Princess in Melbourne, while Cunard will be sending the Queen Elizabeth next year.

It appears more ships are heading to other ports like Melbourne and Brisbane, due to Sydney’s lack of capacity.