Work will begin on Brisbane's new $100 million cruise ship port at Luggage Point early in 2018 allowing it to be finished by late 2019.
It will take two years to build the terminal, once it is given the green light by Queensland Treasury and then State Cabinet.
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Mega ship docks in Brisbane
The biggest cruise ship to ever dock in Brisbane, Ovation of the Seas, is having a one day stopover for more than 4,000 passengers. Nine News
More than 320 cruise ships visited Queensland in 2016, Minister for Innovation, Science and Technology Leanne Enoch said as she toured the $1.3 billion, 347-metre long Ovation of the Seas, which visited Brisbane for the first time on Wednesday.
"We are seeing double-digit growth in the number of cruise liners that are coming into Queensland in the last eight years," Ms Enoch said.
![One of many pools on the pool deck of Royal Caribbean's 374-metre long Ovation of the Seas, which is the largest cruise ...](/web/20170225005347im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/j/2/8/5/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guj1yr.png/1487758475094.jpg)
"And to see more than 320 arrive in Queensland just last year, I've been told is the largest number of cruise ships in any state in the country," she said.
A proposal for a new cruise ship terminal at Luggage Point from the Port of Brisbane Authority and Royal Caribbean International cruises is now being investigated by Queensland Treasury.
Port of Brisbane chief executive Roy Cummins said the Port of Brisbane was confident Brisbane's port can cope with the world's largest cruise ships.
"The issue for us is that we would like to offer a better, dedicated customer experience," Mr Cummins said.
![On the pool deck of the Ovation of the Seas, which docked in Brisbane on Wednesday on its maidan voyage for Royal ...](/web/20170225005347im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/j/2/6/0/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guj1yr.png/1487758475094.jpg)
 "At this stage, we are certainly hopeful and optimistic that we can deliver the cruise terminal by the end of 2019," he said.
The proposed site is on the north side of the Brisbane River at Luggage Point, almost directly across from the Port of Brisbane's bulk terminal.
![Royal Caribean managing director Adam Armstrong in front of the Flowrider aboard the Ovation of the Seas cruise ship.](/web/20170225005347im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/j/2/4/y/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guj1yr.png/1487758475094.jpg)
Mr Cummins said Brisbane City Council "had been excellent".
"We have reached an agreement with Brisbane City Council with the connecting road network and I am very confident that will be delivered on time and to the correct standard."
![Inside a room on the Ovation of the Seas.](/web/20170225005347im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/j/2/5/h/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.guj1yr.png/1487758475094.jpg)
Detailed planning of the terminal will begin later this year and Brisbane City Council will start upgrading the road network, lights and facilities early in 2018 to let the passenger port complex begin in detail.
The final stage of the new terminal – stage three - is a signed contract between the Queensland Government and the Port of Brisbane Authority – to allow construction to begin.
![There is $6 million in artworks on Ovation of the Seas. Sculpture is 'White Birds Alighting' by British artists Jenni Dutton.](/web/20170225005347im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/j/2/e/o/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.guj1yr.png/1487758475094.jpg)
Mr Cummins and Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there was "a couple of months" of negotiations before a contract could be signed.
Ms Palaszczuk said planning for Brisbane's new cruise ship terminal at Luggage Point was progressing well.
![Floor tiles which tell you the date in every lift on the Ovation of the Seas are changed every day.](/web/20170225005347im_/http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/u/j/2/e/r/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.guj1yr.png/1487758475094.jpg)
"The $100 million cruise ship proposal is in its final stages and we hope to have an answer within the next few months," she said.
"We are a matter of months away and we are going to see a brand new cruise ship terminal, not just for Brisbane but for the state."
Ms Enoch and Tourism Minister Kate Jones - welcomed the Ocean of the Seas to Brisbane on her maiden journey, presenting gifts of a book of aboriginal artworks for indigenous artist, Sally Gabori.
Ms Enoch said the arrival of the mega-cruise liners like the Ovation of the Seas demonstrated the trend of the cruise ship industry for bigger, larger cruise ships.
 "This pretty much allows us to see the future of the industry," she said.
"This will open a whole new set of doors for us."
Royal Caribbean International managing director Adam Armstrong said the Ovation of the Seas, commissioned in May 2016, had 18 decks and 18 restaurants.
"She is the biggest cruise ship to come to Australia and she is by far the largest ship to be based in Australia."
Try surfing on the Ovation of the Seas without leaving the ship. pic.twitter.com/CxTLSirW7w
— Tony Moore (@eastTMoore) February 22, 2017
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Funny facts
1 - There is more than $6 million in artworks aboard the Ovation of the Seas.
2 - On the floor of the front of each lift is a tile which tells passengers the day of the week. Those tiles - in every lift - are changed every day.
3 - In one of the 18 bars, two robotic arms will make you a drink. They made me a Captain Morgan and Lime. Thanks.
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