P&O Cruises announces end of operations in Australia

After operating for more than 90 years, travel brand P&O Cruises will cease sailing from early next year.

Carnival Corporation announced yesterday that, with effect from March 2025, the company will sunset the P&O Cruises Australia brand and fold the Australia operations into Carnival Cruise Line, the most popular cruise line in the world.

This change is the latest in a series of strategic moves designed to increase  guest capacity for Carnival Cruise Line, the company’s flagship brand and the highest-returning brand in Carnival Corporation’s global portfolio.

This will result in the addition of eight new ships to Carnival Cruise Line’s fleet since 2021, including the successful shift of three vessels from sister brand Costa Cruises. 

The change will see P&O's Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure ships - along with its workforce - will be rebranded and transferred to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet, while the Pacific Explorer, previously known as the Dawn Princess, will be retired.

Passengers set to cruise in 2024 will not be affected, while customers who had cruises booked on the Pacific Explorer after 2nd March next year will have the option of a refund or credit for Carnival with extra onboard spending money.

It is the end of an era for the popular brand, which first sailed from Sydney on 23rd December 1932, on a seven-day itinerary calling at Brisbane and Norfolk Island.

The company's first permanent ship in Australia, the Fairstar - heavily promoted as ‘the fun ship’ - was part of the fleet for nine years until 1997.

In a statement, P&O Cruises Australia advised “we are all immensely proud of P&O Cruises Australia's 90-year heritage of dedicated operations in the region, and Carnival Cruise Line are honoured to carry forward its storied legacy and continue to deliver the same onboard experiences and itineraries."

While crews on the Pacific Explorer are expected to be redeployed to other ships, it is understood a small number of workers in the P&O Australia head office will lose their jobs.

Acting P&O Cruises Australia and Carnival Australia lead Peter Little will be retained under the new title of Country Manager.

Image: The Pacific Explorer. Credit: P&O Cruises Australia.