Carnival Brings 6,000 Sydney Passengers to Melbourne Cup Week
Packages include meals, onboard entertainment and Cup Day transport to Flemington, while passengers also have time for shopping, dining and sightseeing.
Carnival Cruise Line has brought nearly 6,000 passengers from Sydney to Melbourne on two dedicated Melbourne Cup cruises. Both ships will spend three days at Station Pier during Cup Week after departing Sydney over the weekend.
Carnival Adventure and Carnival Splendor are providing accommodation during one of Melbourne’s busiest tourism weeks. Hotels are heavily booked. The sailings allow thousands of interstate visitors to attend the event without requiring rooms ashore.
The cruise packages include accommodation, meals, onboard entertainment and transport to Flemington on Cup Day. Carnival is offering the sailings to couples and groups of friends, as well as first-time cruisers seeking a packaged trip to the sporting event.
“When you consider the cost of flights from Sydney and accommodation in Melbourne,” Carnival Cruise Line Assistant Vice President Anton Loeb said, “it’s a really affordable, fun way to experience one of the most exciting weeks in the sporting calendar.”
During their time in Melbourne, passengers are visiting the city for shopping, dining and sightseeing. Carnival expects that spending to benefit local businesses, although it did not provide an estimate of the economic contribution.
Bookings are open for the line’s Melbourne Cup departures from Sydney in 2027 and 2028, with advertised fares starting at approximately $250 per person per day. Carnival Adventure is also scheduled to return in March 2027 for a short Melbourne homeport season, offering departures for Victorian passengers.
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