P&O Cruises Australia Loses Vista Class Newbuilding

P&O Cruises Australia Loses Vista Class Newbuilding

Carnival Corporation has revealed that the new 133,500 gross ton cruise ship, originally designated for P&O Cruises Australia brand, will join Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet in late 2019.

The 4,200-passenger ship, being the third vessel in the company’s Vista class, is currently under construction at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard in Italy.

The ship’s name, homeport and itinerary details will be announced at a later date, according to Carnival.

Instead of the Vista-class cruise ship, Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Splendor, built in 2008, will be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in late 2019, the company said.

The first Vista-class ship, the 133,500 gross ton Carnival Vista, was handed over to Carnival Cruise Line in April 2016.

Carnival Cruise Line has now two additional ships joining its fleet – Carnival Horizon, which is scheduled to be delivered in March 2018, and the third, yet-to-be-named Vista-class vessel.

Earlier this year, Carnival Corporation finalized contracts with Fincantieri to build five new cruise vessels, including the one intended for P&O Cruises Australia, as part of a memorandum of agreement signed in 2015.

Including the five new ship orders with Fincantieri, Carnival Corporation has a total of 16 new ships scheduled to be delivered between 2016 and 2020.

Carnival Splendor To Make Drastic Move To P&O In 2019

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Carnival Splendor will be transferred to P&O Australia

Carnival Cruise Line has just revealed that its vessel, Carnival Splendor, will be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in late 2019.

The move is to boost guest capacity and maintain the line’s growth in the Australian market. The 113,000gt Carnival ship is 50% larger than P&O’s biggest ship and will accommodate 3,000 guests.

P&O Cruises Australia president, Sture Myrmell, stated: ‘Welcoming a transformed and renamed Carnival Splendor to the P&O Cruises’ fleet in 2019 on the back of the addition of Pacific Explorer in mid 2017 cements our position as Australia’s leading cruise line and the only true home grown Australia brand’.

‘In four years P&O Cruises will have doubled capacity by welcoming four ships- Pacific Aria, Pacific Eden and Pacific Explorer as well as the additional ship in 2019- as part of the remarkable evolution of the brand’.

A newbuild originally designed for P&O Cruises Australia will now join the Carnival fleet as the third in its Vista Class whilst Carnival Splendor will be transformed into P&O Cruises Australia.

Myrmell continues: ‘We benefit from being part of a global organisation with a worldwide fleet of cruise ships that ensure we have the flexibility to make the most of opportunities in our region and to adjust our strategies accordingly. Having reviewed the market, we believe a 3,000 passenger ship is the right sized ship for the P&O fleet to drive further sustained growth in our market.’

P&O Cruises Australia hopes that Carnival Splendor will enable it to maintain its position as the region’s largest and longest-serving cruise operator.

Before joining the fleet, Carnival Splendor will be refurbished ‘to reflect the P&O look-and-feel and build in the experiences core to our offering’, Myrmell said. And while P&O’s desire to grow its position in an increasingly competitive market was the core reason for the change in plans, Myrmell has further stated that other longer term factors could not be ignored in the recent market review.

Carnival Splendor will join P&O at the end of 2019 and more details regarding the ship’s features and itineraries will be revealed in due course.

Princess, Costa Asia and P&O Australia getting new ships


Princess Cruises is getting a fourth Royal-class ship.

Carnival Corp. signed a memo of agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for another Royal-class vessel for its Princess Cruises brand and two Costa Asia ships to operate in China.

A fourth ship was ordered to sail for P&O Cruises Australia. Deliveries of the ships are expected in 2019 and 2020.

“Each of the four new ships will be specifically designed and developed for the brand and guests it will serve,” Carnival Corp. said.

The Royal-class ship will be 143,700 gross tons and carry 3,560 passengers. It will be the fourth in the series; the third, the Majestic Princess, is to be delivered in 2017. Carnival Corp. said that in addition to brand hallmarks like a “soaring” atrium and multiple dining and entertainment venues, the new ship would include “brand-new innovations to enhance the guest experience even further.”

The Costa Asia ships will be 135,500 gross tons and carry 4,200 passengers.

The P&O Cruises Australia ship will also be 135,500 gross tons with 4,200 berths, and it will be that line’s largest vessel. “Australia is one of the top performing cruise markets in the world, with an average annual passenger growth rate of 20% over the past decade,” Carnival Corp. said.

The orders are part of an agreement Carnival Corp. announced in March to build nine ships, five at Fincantieri and four at Meyer Werft, for delivery between 2019 and 2022.

In June, Carnival Corp. said the vessels developed at the Meyer Werft yard in Germany would be powered by liquefied natural gas; two will sail for Aida Cruises, but Carnival Corp. has not assigned the other two.