SANTA CLARITA, Calif.,
Feb. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Having
flown the coop for a cruise adventure of her own, Harri the
stowaway galah, a rose-breasted female cockatoo native to
Australia, has been returned to
her family by Princess Cruises for a joy-filled reunion at the
Portside Cruise Terminal in Brisbane.
The adventure all started as Michelle
and Brett Cozzi along with four-year-old daughter Georgia
were packing for a cruise vacation. The Cozzi's beloved bird,
Harri, was accidentally set free from her cage and flew away from
the suburban town of Nundah, Queensland,
Australia and presumed never to be seen again. The family
was devastated, but little did they know, Harri was about to take a
cruise vacation of her own.
Sea Princess, one of Princess Cruises 17 ships, was sailing the
Tasman Sea when crew members came across the beautiful bird.
Officers had Harri scanned for a microchip, and discovered the bird
was the family pet. The officers made her an honorary crew
member with her own laminated crew identification card. Harri
enjoyed the remainder of her cruise vacation on Sea Princess
complete with her own stateroom, daily meals and world-class
service.
Meanwhile, as the Cozzi family was enjoying their cruise on
sister line P&O's Pacific Aria off Queensland, word was received from Australian
Agriculture Department officials that Harri had been found, and to
the entire family's shock, was on her own cruise adventure to
New Zealand.
Once back on land and awaiting her return, the Cozzi family
learned of Harri's fantastic journey. During her 14-day
New Zealand cruise odyssey, Sea
Princess Environmental Officer Tibor
Filipovic was Harri's friendly onboard guardian under the
watchful eye of the ship's Master, Princess Cruises Commodore
Giuseppe Romano, as they followed the strict biosecurity guidelines
that enabled fully fledged Australian bird citizen Harri to return
home.
Commodore Romano and Environmental Officer Filipovic said they
were pleased to be able to care for Harri during her stay on Sea
Princess, and looked forward to returning her to her Brisbane family, despite the crew who has
grown fond of their Aussie shipmate.
"The entire ship's company has come to love Harri and she has
been a very good shipmate and no trouble at all," Commodore Romano
said. "But we could also see that Harri was missing her human
family, so it was a great pleasure to be able to reunite them."
As the journey came to an end, the Cozzi family delivered
Harri's birdcage to the terminal where Sea Princess docked, and
then waited patiently while Harri received a pre-disembarkation
veterinary check, which, as expected, she passed with flying
colors.
"We are very excited to have Harri home because she is a much
loved member and indispensable part of our family," Michelle Cozzi said. "We'd hoped for her safe
return but after Harri had been gone for a few days, it wasn't
looking good. It was amazing to discover she had been found on
another cruise ship. It was just the best news possible."
Harri's return is the result of a joint effort by Princess
Cruises, the Sea Princess crew, and government authorities on both
sides of the Tasman Sea. The groups worked together to ensure
biosecurity requirements were strictly followed so that Harri could
come home.
"We are pleased to contribute to such a positive outcome in a
story that has captured the imagination of so many people here and
around the world," said Stuart
Allison, Princess Cruises senior vice president. "The
Sea Princess team set the scene for today's family reunion with the
professional way in which they responded to Harri's discovery on
their ship."
"It has also been a great pleasure to work cooperatively with
the New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries and the Australian
Department of Agriculture to happily resolve Harri's stowaway
adventure."
This story goes to show that not only people 'flock' to Princess
Cruises.
About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a
global cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 17 modern
cruise ships renowned for their innovative design and wide array of
choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, all provided with
the experience of exceptional customer service. A recognized leader
in worldwide cruising, Princess carries two million guests each
year to more than 360 destinations around the globe on more than
150 itineraries ranging in length from three to 111 days. The
company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;
NYSE:CUK).
Newsroom:
Additional media information is available at princess.com/news.
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SOURCE Princess Cruises