Royal Caribbean’s Voyager of the Seas smoothly cruised into Port Kembla early on Tuesday mornings and people again lined the foreshore.

They turned up in droves to see the second and bigger Royal Caribbean vessel to grace our shores since the Radiance of the Seas docked in October.

The thousands of passengers to disembark were greeted at the Arts Precinct area by many smiling locals who willingly gave up their day of holiday to act as an ambassador, assisting passengers and ensuring they received a warm welcome.

Despite the soaring temperatures many passengers elected to hit the city centre rather than the beach.

Maybe it was the lure of air conditioning which helped make the casting vote.

Regardless many of the city’s businesses were full on a public holiday when they’d ordinarily be closed,

The vibe in Wollongong Central was noticeable.

While it wasn’t quite like Boxing Day, it wasn’t far from it.

“It certainly doesn’t hurt to have the cruise ships coming to town,’’ GPT Group regional general manager Antony Keenan told the Illawarra Mercury’s Greg Ellis.

“Obviously retailers are seeing the benefit of it. 

“I think a lot of the crew as well took advantage of all the sales. Yesterday was busy and it feels busier today.”

The public participation and enthusiasm was easily measured by the interaction on social media.

There were plenty of locals out taking images and posting them to the hashtag #cruisewollongong.

A lot of people posted images via the Illawarra Mercury’s Facebook page and you can view a full gallery of those images on our website illawarramercury.com.au.

“Best view and almost got washed in the water from the waves of the tug boats lol. So much fun,” Emma Jane posted on our Facebook page.

“I watched it from my hospital ward window. I was going to go see it but I became very sick on Christmas night and ended up in hospital. It looks beautiful,” Madeleine posted.

Take a bow people of the Illawarra you have again proven yourself to be a “cruise ready” destination.