P&O Cruises Australia has announced the next stage of its fleet transformation with both Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter arriving in the first half of 2021 in a mark of confidence in the expected rebound of the local cruise industry.
Cruise lovers, get excited…
P&O Cruises has announced that the much-anticipated Pacific Adventure is planned to begin sailing from Sydney on April 30 next year and the delivery of Pacific Encounter is being brought forward by at least six months to ensure the local fleet is poised to drive the resurgence of cruising at the right time.
Pacific Encounter is scheduled to call Brisbane home from May 7, 2021 – but additional voyages may be added even earlier, depending on the timing of the return of cruising in Australia.
“The arrival of these much-anticipated ships, Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter, in the first half of next year represents a step-change for the fleet and a sign of confidence in the market,”
Sture Myrmell, P&O Cruises Australia President
Mr Myrmell said “both Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will offer something for everyone from a range of inclusive dining options, speciality restaurants by renowned chefs Luke Mangan and Johnny Di Francesco as well as family-friendly activities and vibrant night-time venues brought to life by some of Australia’s leading comedians, musicians and our own talented entertainment staff.”
The sister ships will sail alongside P&O’s current flagship, Pacific Explorer, which will extend its operational pause until January next year.
Wanna know more?
The latest deets are:
- Pacific Adventure will call Sydney home. Her first voyage is a three-night Short Break scheduled for April 30, 2021. Pacific Adventure was originally planned to debut in November this year but was delayed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic.
- Brisbane’s new international cruise terminal will become the new home port for Pacific Encounter. At this stage, her first voyage is scheduled to depart Brisbane on May 7, 2021, and is a three-night Short Break. Additional voyages may be added earlier.
- Pacific Explorer is planned to be homeporting from Auckland, New Zealand from February 6, 2021, to her last voyage on April 25, 2021.
- Extending the pause for Pacific Explorer until the end of the year, covering her Christmas and New Year cruises from Brisbane, to give certainty for guests over this important holiday period. Pacific Explorer’s first cruise is now scheduled for January 9, 2021.
In recent weeks, P&O Cruises Australia announced the early departure of much-loved favourites Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria. It had previously been announced the ships would leave as part of a fleet transformation.
READ: Sailing Off Into The Sunset: P&O Farewells Pacific Dawn
“While the current pause in cruise operations is until 17 December in Australia, the pathway to re-start remains unclear. We felt the best approach was to cancel Pacific Explorer’s remaining 2020 cruises to allow families to plan with certainty for their Christmas and New Year activities. It was a difficult decision but in the end, it was an effort to do the right thing by our guests on both Pacific Explorer and Pacific Adventure, which is also affected over the holiday period,” Mr Myrmell said.
P&O Cruises Australia will assist those guests whose bookings have been affected by the changes, will pay refunds back to travel agents for guests who booked through that sales channel and will protect travel agent commissions on all bookings for cancelled cruises that were paid in full as of October 21, 2020.
Book with Confidence
P&O Cruises Australia is expanding its ‘P&O Assurance’ policy to provide guests with maximum peace of mind and flexibility when booking their 2021 cruise holiday.
Guests can book with even further confidence, knowing they can cancel their cruise at any time up to 75 days prior to the scheduled date of departure and receive a full refund with no cancellation fee.
The revamped policy applies to all existing and new bookings made prior to 3 March 2021. Guests scheduled to sail on or before 31 January 2021 can access the same offer if they choose to cancel at any time up to 30 days prior to the departure date.
P&O Assurance also offers guests the option to cancel their cruise up to 14 days prior to sailing and receive a future cruise credit equal to the total fare amount which can be used towards another booking.
New for Travel Agents: Bonus Commission
As part of P&O Cruises Australia’s ongoing commitment to the travel agent community, the cruise line will pay an additional five percent bonus commission on all new bookings made from 23 October through to 1 December 2020.
“The trade has been overwhelmingly supportive of P&O Cruises Australia, both through the good times and the challenging year we’ve all been faced with,” Mr Taibel said.
“We want to support them in getting back on their feet and work together on making thousands of Aussies and Kiwis future cruise holidays come true. The opportunity to earn extra commission is one way of instilling confidence and showing our unrivalled support for our agency partners.”
The new offer is applicable to P&O Cruises Australia Value Plus, Value Go and Short Sales fares and will be added automatically at the time of booking.
Click here for more information.