The Celebrity Solstice was given a civic reception when it docked in Newcastle in 2014. The lord mayor wore his robes and chains and personally welcomed passengers to the city; such was the pageantry required for a destination to impress the cruise industry in the hope of sharing in some of its spoils.
Thousands lined the waterfront in Darwin, Brisbane and Sydney to glimpse the Ovation of the Seas – the largest cruise liner to operate in Australia – when it first docked in those cities.
This month those same ships, along with about a dozen more, were ordered to leave Australian waters without ceremony.
