There is a couple of key things that remain on the “to do” list for Wollongong before the Illawarra’s first cruise ship docks in Port Kembla on October 30.

An Illawarra Women in Business function was held at the Lagoon Restaurant on Friday to mark the 100-day countdown until the Royal Caribbean’s massive cruise liner Radiance of the Seas sails into town on what will hopefully be a sunny Sunday morning.

For the team at Destination Wollongong – the team guiding this project - their “to do” list is probably a mile long and and will probably not be helped by 99 sleepless nights between now and the arrival.

Yet there remains a couple of key things this city can do to help out. The first of which is to simply turn up.

Get out and watch this moment in history as the first ever of what will hopefully then be many cruise ships docks at Port Kembla.

This city turned out in droves to watch the Boeing fly into Albion Park and the stack come down. This moment is a little bit different, but holds the same significance.

The Radiance of the Seas is a 90,000 ton vessel. It is almost 300 m in length and it carries 2500 passengers and up to about 900 crew.

In the journey, she will sail up from Hobart, go a little further north of the city and then sail along the coastline, before turning right to dock at Port Kembla.

People will get a wonderful view of the ship from the city’s beaches and especially around the port. Let’s make this an entrance into the port that all those passengers will never forget.

Already many locals have seized on this moment in history and booked to be onboard the ship. 

The other thing people can do to be a part of this journey is become a part of the city’s volunteer program.

Destination Wollongong and IRT have launched an ambassador program where citizens will be able to meet and greet the passengers and make sure their visit to the city is as enjoyable as possible.

The third thing we must do as a city - and responsibility here lies with the Wollongong City Council in whatever form it is in on October 30 - is make sure we are looking our best.

There was a lot of work being done on the foreshore on Friday 100 days out from the visit and wherever possible that needs to be completed.

This city needs to be looking ship-shape.