Carnival Corporation has revealed a major change to its operations in Australia and the South Pacific, announcing that the P&O Cruises Australia brand will be merged into Carnival Cruise Line in March 2025.
Under the new structure, the Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure ships will sail under the Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) brand, while the Pacific Explorer will leave the fleet.
Current itineraries will continue as planned, and guests will be informed of any changes to future bookings soon.
Carnival Corporation CEO Josh Weinstein stated that Carnival remains dedicated to the region. CCL will operate four ships in the area, including three year-round vessels: Carnival Splendor and Carnival Adventure from Sydney, and Carnival Encounter from Brisbane. Additionally, Carnival Luminosa will sail seasonally from Brisbane.
By 2025, Carnival Corporation will operate seven cruise lines with 19 ships, visiting 78 destinations and representing nearly 60 per cent of the market, making it the largest cruise operator in the region.
“Same guest experience”
In an interview with Karryon, Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said CCL “recognise that this is a significant change and difficult for many people who love P&O Cruises Australia”.
“But I want to assure everyone that while there is going to be a change for the brand name, we are going to continue operating the P&O Cruises Australia ships post the conversion in March the way that we do today,” she explained.
“So the same crew, the same guest experience that our guests enjoy and love will continue to be available.”
P&O Cruises Australia will continue operations until March 2025, with celebrations planned to honour the brand’s legacy.
“Storied brand”
“P&O Cruises Australia is a storied brand with an amazing team, and we are extremely proud of everything we have accomplished together in Australia and the broader region,” Weinstein said.
“However, given the strategic reality of the South Pacific’s small population and significantly higher operating and regulatory costs, we’re adjusting our approach to give us the efficiencies we need to continue delivering an incredible cruise experience year-round to our guests in the region.”
Duffy added, “We look forward to building on the history and heritage of P&O Cruises Australia by bringing some of our innovations to more cruise guests in the region”.
“While we plan to make some technology upgrades and other small changes to the ships, they will continue to be geared to the unique Australian market with a familiar feel and much of the same experiences for P&O Cruises Australia guests.
“The most notable change will be the availability of our popular HubApp, enabling guests to make online dining and excursion reservations, request food and beverage delivery, and chat with other guests, among other features.
“P&O Cruises Australia guests will also be invited to participate in Carnival’s loyalty program and promotional offerings specific to Carnival ships sailing in the region.”
Same leadership
Carnival Corporation & plc also announced that long-standing company executive Peter Little will continue to lead the team in Australia, as Country Manager reporting to Duffy.
“We’re pleased to confirm that Peter will take on a new role leading the local operations and building on the company’s legacy of strong relationships with destinations and communities across Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific,” said Weinstein.
“In making this important announcement we recognise that P&O Cruises Australia is much loved across the region, having been dedicated to local operations for over 90 years, delighting guests and being welcomed by destinations across the region.
“We value the pride our P&O Cruises guests, employees, travel partners, public officials and destinations have in our company, and we will find ways to celebrate and honour P&O Cruises Australia in the coming months.”
According to Carnival Corporation, there will be no changes to the deployments in the region for CCL’s other brands Princess Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line and Seabourn as a result of the announcement.
P&O Cruises (UK), a separate Carnival Corporation brand based in England and dedicated to the UK market, is also unaffected by the announcement.
Earlier this year, P&O Cruises Australia debuted a new brand platform, ‘Brings Us All Together’, designed to celebrate the ability to create deeper connections between family, friends and fellow passengers on a cruise holiday.
