OREANDA-NEWS. September 30, 2016. The biggest Princess Cruises' ship to sail local waters this summer – the spectacular 3082-guest Emerald Princess – is now on her way down under after departing from Southampton today.

In a voyage reminiscent of the line voyages of last century, the 113,000-tonne superliner will spend the next 48 nights sailing across four continents from Italy to India via the Suez Canal and south through Asia en route to her new home in Australia.

Making the first of seven maiden Australian port calls in Fremantle on November 8, Emerald Princess will cruise via Melbourne on November 13, arriving at her new Sydney homeport on November 15.

Stretching 290 metres, Emerald Princess is one of Princess' largest ships and is certain to turn heads as she sails from the Emerald City from November 2016 to April 2017.

Princess Cruises Vice President Australia & New Zealand Stuart Allison said the ship's arrival would take the cruise line's Australasian capacity to a record 11,800 berths across five ships during the 2016-17 cruise season.

"We've been basing ships down under for 15 years but the debut of Emerald Princess in the Emerald City will make this a summer to remember for Princess. With five of Princess' 18 ships cruising local waters this summer, Australia ranks as the cruise line's biggest market outside the United States," Mr Allison said.

Emerald Princess Captain William Kent said guests onboard the superliner were looking forward to an exciting end to their voyage in November, as Emerald Princess debuts in Australia.

"She's a beautiful ship and she's going to make a wonderful sight on the horizon as she sails into ports from Fremantle to Melbourne and Sydney for the first time. We can't wait to add a bit of Emerald sparkle to the Australian summer cruise season."

In exciting news for Australian holidaymakers, Emerald Princess will offer Award-winning Chef Curtis Stone's new restaurant, SHARE as well as Princess' new Salty Dog pub, serving up the Ernesto Burger -rated the best burger at sea -  and gourmet small dishes developed with renowned US chef Ernesto Uchimura, combined with whisky flights. The superliner's arrival will also set the stage for the debut of some great new entertainment offerings including the much-anticipated onboard musical Magic to Do from Oscar and Tony award-winning Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz.  Guests can also enjoy the spectacular new Voice of the Ocean competition, exclusive to Princess, which brings the spectacle of TV's wildly popular international singing competition to the high seas. Click here for a video of the entertainment on Emerald Princess.

Emerald Princess features more than 1500 guest rooms, including nearly 900 balcony staterooms, with every room offering the Princess Luxury Bed designed to deliver the ultimate night of sleep at sea.

Also on board are eight showrooms and lounges, two nightclubs and four swimming pools as well as signature Princess offerings such as the child-free Sanctuary, poolside Movies Under the Stars and the luxurious Lotus Spa.  Guests can enjoy fantastic shopping, with options including a stunning EFFY jewellery outlet, a first in the local market.

Emerald Princess will spend her inaugural five-month season of cruises from Sydney sailing on 13 roundtrip cruises to destinations in the South Pacific, New Zealand and around Australia.