Carnival Splendour to join P&O Cruises in Australia
NewsThe 3,000 passenger Carnival Splendour will be joining P&O Cruises Australia in 2019, making her bigger than any of the lines’ ships. This will mean for Aussie cruisers there are more opportunities to cruise with P&O as the line will be doubling its capacity in just four years.
The decision was announced today as Royal Caribbean’s Ovation of the Seas arrived in her new homeport of Sydney earlier this morning.
P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell said that the decision is to maintain the pace of P&O’s growth momentum.
“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,” he said.
“Having reviewed the market, we believe a 3000-passenger ship is the right sized ship for the P&O fleet to drive further sustained growth in our market.”
P&O is deferring its plans to build a new ship which was scheduled for delivery in 2019.
“Welcoming a transformed and re-named 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 Australian brand,” Mr Myrmell said.
“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.
“As the Australian and New Zealand markets develop, we want to make certain that P&O Cruises is front-and-centre to capture growth with the addition of the biggest ship yet.”
The ship has some fantastic features that are well suited to the Australian and New Zealand market and year round cruising in the region.
“The ship is already suited to year round cruising with features that support P&O’s contemporary style of cruising. Before joining the fleet, she will be refurbished to reflect the P&O look-and-feel and build in the experiences core to our offering,” Mr Myrmell said.
