Good morning, Brisbane
I'm back from four nights on Pacific Encounter. Did you miss me?
OK, it’s flanked by a sewage works and faces an industrial dock and former oil refinery, but there is something quite special about sailing towards the new Brisbane International Cruise Port as the sun rises.
Before I go on, I know some subscribers and casual readers don’t embrace the world of cruising as much as I do, so I promise not to gush about my first journey by sea since the pandemic has begun.
In fact, I’m even prepared to note a few negatives about the experience. As one of the crew members mentioned to me, the new port is quite a long way from the Brisbane CBC (and, for that matter, anything of particular interest to anyone who’s not a shipping-container or plane-maintenance nerd.)
It has no regular public-transport links. In fact, I did the sums and decided it more affordable for me to drive there and pay $60 for parking than to take a cab or a ride-share there and back.
Also, it’s a long way to walk from the carpark to the ship, and despite the facility being new, the check-in and security/ customs systems don’t appear to be adequate to handle large numbers of passengers efficiently.
Indeed, for my cruise, makeshift tables were used to augment check-in desks. (And, to my chagrin, it appeared that people who had not, as advised, completed the VeriFLY app to confirm their vaccination status were getting through quicker than those who had.
On the overwhelmingly positive side, it’s the gateway to a whole new world of cruising, because it allows big ships to not only dock in Brisbane but to home-port here as well. And that means a whole new experience for cruisers who don’t want to fly before they sail.
The P&O Pacific Encounter, which I sailed on from Tuesday to Saturday, is a totally different experience to the former Dawn and Aria that once served Brisbane, and we’ll be seeing even bigger ships with better facilities come our way soon.
Even if you are not a cruising fan, the port is doing something for you — or, more specifically for your city and state.
Because Encounter is based in Brisbane, it is being supplied by local companies, meaning it’s creating jobs for local people in more than just the hospitality and tourism industries.
Bottom line for me is that I’ve just had a good time for a modest amount of money (about $1000, which includes a penalty for travelling solo). I enjoyed the entertainment options, I enjoyed the food, I enjoyed the relaxing feeling of being at sea. As I said on social media, being at sea is my happy place.
I appreciate that it may not be yours. But at least consider it before you write it off.