P&O Australia Expecting ‘Rebound’ of Local Cruise Industry

P&O Cruises Australia earlier this week announced the next stage of its fleet transformation with both the Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter (ahead of schedule), arriving in the first half of 2021 in a mark of confidence in the expected rebound of the local cruise industry, according to the company.

The ships are the current Golden and Star Princess. The Pacific Adventure will 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, the company said.

The 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,” P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell said.

“This investment in our fleet is a demonstration that P&O Cruises Australia is ready to lead the industry in bouncing back when government and public health authorities agree it is appropriate to begin sailing again with protocols in place.

“It is also a mark of respect for our many loyal guests as well as crew, fresh food suppliers, entertainers and musicians, shore tour operators and port logistics partners who are looking to be a part of the resurgence of the Australian cruise sector over time.

“These have been challenging times for the entire community and, for our part, we have sought to use this operational pause to fast-track our planned fleet refresh. Our pathway to a return to cruising may be unclear but we wanted to give our guests confidence about our future fleet and our commitment to Australia and New Zealand,”  Myrmell said.

Key Takeaways: 

  • The Pacific Adventure will call Sydney home. Her first voyage is a three-night Short Break scheduled for April 30, 2021.
  • The 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 homeport for the 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, the company said.
  • The Pacific Explorer will be homeporting from Auckland, New Zealand from February 6, 2021, to her last voyage on April 25, 2021.

The company, citing COVID-19, also said the watersides will be installed at a later date.

Princess Announces Biggest Australian Deployment

Majestic Princess

Princess Cruises today announced its biggest Australia season ever, with five ships sailing from six homeports for the 2019-2020 Australia cruise season.

Three ships, including the Majestic Princess, will complete itineraries to and from Adelaide over the 2019-2020 Australia season.

Other highlights from Adelaide include an 18-day Fiji cruise on Golden Princess and a new 55-day Indian Ocean and South Africa Odyssey cruise on Sun Princess.

“Princess is gearing up for our largest Australian and New Zealand deployment in history, which will see a record number of people cruising on Princess ships over the 2019/2020 season,” said Senior Vice President Princess Cruises Asia Pacific, Stuart Allison

“Our largest ever deployment will feature five ships sailing from six homeports on over 125 departures across more than 60 itineraries to over 100 destinations in 30 countries. The arrival of Ruby Princess, combined with news of Majestic’s return before she’s completed her maiden season here, means we’ll have two of the four latest Princess ships sailing in this region which speaks to the momentous growth of our market.”

“The cruise industry is integral to South Australia’s $6.3 billion visitor economy,” said Rodney Harrex, Chief Executive, The South Australian Tourism Commission.

“Princess Cruises’ continued commitment to Adelaide demonstrates that South Australia is a key player in the cruise industry. We are delighted to welcome these cruise ships, passengers and crew to our State and look forward to visitors getting a taste of some our world-class experiences so easily accessible from Adelaide.”

The 2019/2020 Australian cruise season will be Princess’ largest in history. The 900+ day Australian deployment will see Princess carry more guests than ever onboard five ships on itineraries from Sydney, Perth (Fremantle), Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland, the company said.

The season is spearheaded by the maiden arrival of the Ruby Princess and the return of the Majestic Princess. Cruising 444 cruise days out of Sydney, Majestic and Ruby will generate a combined landmark capacity of over 100,000 guests, a 25 percent increase on the 2018-2019 season, the company said.

Princess Cruises reveals next three ships to get Ocean Medallion

Image result for Princess Cruises ocean medallion

The next three Princess Cruises ships to feature wearable Ocean Medallion technology for passengers have been revealed.

Golden Princess (November 2018), Crown Princess (November 2018) and Ruby Princess (January 2019) join four other Princess ships scheduled to use the system.

Regal Princess will be the first from November 13, followed by Royal Princess on January 19, 2018, Caribbean Princess on March 18, 2018 and Island Princess on May 16, 2018.

Golden Princess returns to Melbourne from October 2018 to April 2019 with departures to South Pacific, Tasmania, South Australia and New Zealand.

Crown Princess will feature Ocean Medallion for the autumn 2018 Caribbean season. With this news, all Princess Cruises Caribbean cruisers will experience Ocean Medallion.

Ruby Princess will be sailing from Los Angeles for a season of West Coast cruising in early 2019.

Jan Swartz, group president of Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia, said: “With the addition of Golden Princess to the fleet of Medallion Class ships, we will make available a more personalised holiday to guests sailing in and around Australia.

“And, as we continue to enhance our ships with the Ocean Medallion, we do so to further our commitment in providing our guests the most memorable and relaxing holiday.”

Ocean Medallion goes beyond the growing number of wearables used by theme parks and other holiday companies by leaving behind the required action of ‘tap’ and “ushering in a new paradigm for guest interactions,” Carnival Corporation claims.