P&O Cruises Australia has extended its pause in operations until March 3, 2022.
“Despite tentative signs of a restart to cruising in Australia, uncertainty continues on the timing of when federal and state governments will allow cruising to resume. Given this difficult situation, P&O Cruises Australia has decided to further extend its pause in operations to March 3, 2022,” P&O Cruises Australia’s President Sture Myrmell said, according to the cruise line’s Facebook post.
According to the statement, the extended pause applies to cruises scheduled to depart between Feb. 15, 2022, and March 3, 2022, from Sydney and Brisbane.
According to him, the complex logistics necessary to have a ship back in Australian waters will take several months for once a return to service and accompanying protocols become clear.
“We are sorry for this disruption to your holiday plans. Our team will make contact with all guests whose cruises are affected by the pause extension,” Myrmell noted. “In the meantime, we want you to have certainty in relation to your holiday plans and to limit any inconvenience as much as we can. We hope that the pathway for the resumption of cruising becomes clearer as society continues to re-open and other forms of travel are able to resume.”
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 Cruises has unveiled a five-ship lineup for its 2021-2022 Australia season, including the debut of the Coral Princess and Royal Princess in the local market.
The premium brand will offer 95 different departure dates with homeport options in Brisbane and Sydney starting in late 2021.
Brisbane will see the Coral Princess homeport and the Royal Princess and Emerald Princess will sail from Sydney. Other ships include the Sapphire Princess sailing from Melbourne and the Pacific Princess in Australia as well.
“The first of the cruises being offered is still a year away and two years for the last voyages in the season. We know that many of our guests wish to cruise again when the time is right and it is important that we have options available so that they can plan to resume holidaying at sea. Our new itineraries will give our Australian guests some holiday inspiration for the time when we will all be able to travel again,” said Stuart Allison, senior vice president Asia-Pacific for Princess Cruises.
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