Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas arrived at the port of Wollongong in New South Wales, Australia, becoming Australia's newest cruise port.

The 2,200 guests on board arrived in Port Kembla at 8am and were welcomed with a special fly-over by a vintage Catalina flying boat, as well as thousands of excited locals waving the ship in from vantage points along the South Coast.

Guests were treated to a special "Welcome to Wollongong" marketplace at Lang Park organized by Destination Wollongong, which showcased local produce and products from the region. More than 400 local volunteers were also on hand throughout the day to help guests get the most out of their day in port.

"We have been working towards our call to Wollongong for quite some time. Guests onboard Radiance of the Seas had a wonderful day exploring the city and local area, making the dedication and hard work that’s gone into this project for the past two and a half years all worthwhile," said Adam Armstrong, managing director, Royal Caribbean Australia & New Zealand. 

Destination Wollongong General Manager, Mark Sleigh said: "When Councillor Leigh Colacino first approached Royal Caribbean to discuss bringing cruise ships to Wollongong, he promised that the community would look after their guests as well as any destination in the world.  I’m delighted that Wollongong more than delivered on that promise, and made the maiden voyage of Radiance of the Seas a day that Wollongong, and indeed our visitors, will never forget!"

This is far from the only stop Royal Caribbean will make at Wollongong.  Over the next 18 months, Voyager of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas will also call here, brining more than 16,000 visitors to the area by the end of the cruise season.

Seven different shore excursions also showcased the region outside of the city, with visits to scenic Bald Hill Lookout, Jamberoo Action Park, Kiama, Shellharbour Village, Symbio Wildlife Park and the tranquil Nan Tien Temple among some of the most popular.

"We are very proud to be the first cruise line to bring a ship to Wollongong and this historic milestone marks the beginning of a long-term relationship between Royal Caribbean and the region. We will continue to explore opportunities to utilize the port as an overflow to Sydney Harbor," Armstrong concluded.

Royal Caribbean announced it will offer cruise stops at the Tongan ports of Vava'u on December 12, 2016 and Nuku’alofa on December 13, 2016 for the very first time.

Radiance of the Seas will offer these new stops in the 2016/2017 cruise season, as part of a 13-night South Pacific, Fiji and Tonga journey.  The cruise begins in Sydney on December 3 2016, and calls at the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, Lifou in the Loyalty Islands, Suva and Lautoka in Fiji, as well as Tonga, before arriving in Auckland. 

The two new destinations offer a host of experiences unique to Tonga for guests to enjoy, such as the islands of Vava’u are renowned for their coral gardens and sparkling lagoons, while Nuku’alofa, capital of Tonga and home to the only royal family in the Pacific Islands, is a thriving hub of island charm and regal tradition. Guests will have the opportunity to explore the islands further with a range of optional excursions, including whale-watching and snorkeling in Vava’u and a cultural tour in Nuku’alofa.

"We’ve had our eye on Tonga as a destination for our guests for some time, with its vibrant culture, diverse marine life and stunning natural beauty," says Adam Armstrong, managing director for Royal Caribbean International in Australia and New Zealand.

"Radiance of the Seas is the perfect size for us to explore new ports in our region, paving the way for a number of new, exciting destinations for our guests."

Earlier this month, Royal Caribbean completed a 12-day refurbishment of Radiance of the Seas at Vigor Industrial, in Portland, Oregon.

Photo by Portland Business Journal

Royal Caribbean spent millions on both technical repairs and exterior upgrades to the ship, focusing on three key areas:

• Updated Staterooms
• Redesigned Vitality at Sea Spa
• Refreshed pool deck

There was also work done on steel replacement and general maintenance propeller work.

The work was completed prior to Radiance of the Seas' next deployment to Alaska, where she will offer cruises to the Alaskan wilderness.

The 2,110-passenger capacity cruise ship weighs 90,000 tons and is 961-feet long.

Royal Caribbean has cancelled a scheduled stop in Bali for Radiance of the Seas on Thursday, March 17, 2016, due to travel advisories that warn of a potential terrorist attack.

Instead of making the stop in Bali, Radiance of the Seas will remain at sea for an additional sea day.

Royal Caribbean issued a statement to guests that apologized for the change in itinerary.

"Our guests’ vacation time is precious and we did not take these decisions lightly. The safety of our guests and crew is always our foremost concern."

"We will continue to monitor the security situation in Indonesia and will notify guests or their travel agents if there are changes to future sailings that visit Indonesia."

Royal Caribbean has added two more of its vessels to its schedule of ships to receive refurbishments in 2016.

Radiance of the Seas and Rhapsody of the Seas are now appearing on the 2016 refurbishment schedule.

There is no word yet on what changes are coming to either ship.  

Royal Caribbean just wrapped up its Liberty of the Seas refurbishment and has a busy year ahead with changes coming to the ships.

Royal Caribbean is testing out a new homeport in Australia at Wollogong's Port Kembla Harbour that could replace Sydney.

Photo by Sap

Radiance of the Seas will make a port stop here in October 2016 as part of a 7-night East Australian Coast and Tasmania cruise.

Royal Caribbean Regional Vice President Gavin Smith says Radiance of the Seas' stop here is the first step in a possible new partnership between the cruise line and the port, "I’m thrilled to announce we will be bringing one of the largest and most feature-packed mega liners in Australian waters to the South Coast of NSW, when Port Kembla becomes the newest destination for Radiance of the Seas."

"Including Port Kembla on our itineraries will provide our guests the opportunity to sample all that Wollongong and the South Coast has to offer. At the same time, it will give us the chance to investigate Port Kembla as an alternative home port, as an overflow to congestion in Sydney Harbour."

Royal Caribbean is particularly interested in Wollongong as an alternative home port because of the congestion problem in Sydney harbor.

Royal Caribbean is testing coverting Mexican specialty restaurant Rita's Cantina into a new seafood restaurant called Rita's Crabshack on Radiance of the Seas during her Alaska cruise season.

Photo by robbalvey

The newly converted Rita's Crabshack is located in the Windjammer area where Rita's Cantina used to be and offers guests fresh seafood such as Alaskan King crab, chowder, fish & chips and crab cakes.  

There's also Alaskan craft beer from Alaskan Brewery Company.

Photo by robbalvey

RIta's Crabshack is open for dinner and priced a la carte.

Photo sent by Kenneth Kinzig 

Photo sent by Kenneth Kinzig

Royal Caribbean is doing its part to make another record cruise season for Sydney, Australia.  The city expects 265 visits before the cruise season ends in April 2013.

Many of the passengers that will help set that record will be traveling aboard Radiance of the Seas, including the 2100 people it brought to the city yesterday after a 17-night trip from Hawaii.

Royal Caribbean managing director of Royal Caribbean Cruise Australia expects up to 750,000 Australians to take a cruise in 2012.  That is a 34% increase from 2010 when just 620,000 Australians went on a cruise.  

''The stronger economy is providing a better return, and the better return is attracting a better quality of ship."

That's great news for Royal Caribbean and the cruise industry, considering there just a 4% increase in American cruises and 5% among British cruisers over the same period of time.

Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas arrives in Sydney on November 22 and will bring even more passengers than Radiance.