But even the experienced seaman – who has 40 years of shipping under his belt – was struck by a sense of history as his vessel sailed into Port Kembla.

“This doesn’t happen that often,” he told dignitaries on board on Sunday morning.

“Now and then, we have an inaugural call for a ship but many cruise ships have, of course, been on those ports before. So this is something that makes us very excited.”

The Swedish captain said the maiden visit had generated “such an energy” among passengers and the 900-strong crew during the east coast cruise.

He said the buzz had culminated as they watched spectators lining Flagstaff Hill and other vantage points as the ship sailed in. 

Likewise, Royal Caribbean managing director Adam Armstrong labelled the mega liner’s maiden voyage into Port Kembla as “something for the history books”.

“This maiden call is an integral part – indeed a highlight – of our operation this year, our biggest season ever,” he said.

“This is significant for Wollongong because it’s the first-ever cruise ship to come here, but it’s significant for Royal Caribbean because it’s the first time that we have ever bought a ship to a new port for the first time in Australia.”

“It marks the beginning of, I hope, a beautiful relationship between us and Wollongong, because as the appetite for cruising grows we are always looking for new ports.”

He said Wollongong held appeal for international and domestic tourists, and was shaping up as “a real alternative for our home port operations – basing the ship here as we get increasingly congested further north in Sydney”.

“We’re here once, and we’re going to come back again,” Mr Armstrong said.

The company will next return to Port Kembla in two months –on December 27, when it will bring 4200 passengers – 2000 more than Sunday’s arrival – on the larger Voyager of the Seas.

Wollongong tourism boss Mark Sleigh applauded Illawarra residents for supporting the ship’s arrival, and said the warm reception would give Destination Wollongong leverage when talking to other cruise companies.

“One of the really important messages we were given from the start was to ‘Get in with the crew, work the crew and make sure they have the most amazing time’ because they will go away and talk to their colleagues and friends from all over the world,” he said.

“After today I’ve got no doubt that when [Captain Peterson] goes and talks to captains of other ships, they’re going to be asking the question ‘How do we get into Wollongong as well?’”

With more than 2000 passengers and 900 crew, the first arrival of Radiance of the Seas was always going to making a big impact in Wollongong.

Destination Wollongong general manager Mark Sleigh said Sunday’s visit would bring in about $897,000 to the Illawarra economy.

“You can imagine if you had that turning around every day, it becomes a major industry for Wollongong,” he said.

“But I think what’s really significant is the way we can sell Wollongong to the world through these cruise ship passengers.”

Notably, the ship’s arrival – accompanied by scenic images of Wollongong’s coast and escarpment – was beamed out to almost 4 million people following Royal Caribbean’s Facebook page.

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