Carnival Splendor arrived in Sydney this morning at the start of Australia’s seven-month wave season – one that will see a new record and some poignant departures.
The Carnival Splendor will be among vessels taking over the P&O Australia mantle when the brand is closed down in February.
Carnival Cruises has been amping up the brand since the announcement of the 92-year-old brand’s demise, and today used social media to corral an enthusiastic bunch of cruisers to head down to Overseas Passenger Terminal at 5:30am with promises of a live TV event.
Welcoming the newly refurbished 113,300-tonne vessel, the chosen few were dressed to the nines in 1980s-themed outfits and accessories, looking fabulous for their chance to be on Channel 7’s Sunrise breakfast show.
Crew members popped out on the ship’s deck to wave signs welcoming the 20-deep cheerleading squad, the majority of whom are joining the cruise today as it sets sail on a 9-day round-trip cruise of the South Pacific.
Carnival Splendor, which had just wrapped up a 9-day Great Barrier Reef itinerary looked set against Sydney Harbour and the rising sun.
Each member of the stand-in audience was given novelty sunglasses and other accessories to add some colour to the quick live broadcast, which was wrapped in just 10 minutes so the camera crew could then board the ship for filming.
“We’re very excited,” beamed one particularly well-dressed star, “it’s my 50th birthday and the first thing we did is add on the drinks package. Bring it on!”
Groups wearing matching outfits, families with kids, and even some solo travellers were part of the audience set to board the ship.
While one expressed her disappointment that the cruise would no longer be docking in New Caledonia—due to ongoing riots—almost everyone said they were most excited about seeing Vanuatu, given some had never even set foot on a Pacific island before.
Cruise Lines international Association is expecting a new record for the 2024/25 season.
MD Joel Katz told the Cruise360 conference earlier this month: “Earlier this year CLIA announced a very important milestone. Our annual passenger figures show we have overtaken the numbers achieved previously in 2019, and moved into new territory. We’re setting new records.
“CLIA’s forecasts indicate we will break that record again in 2024, reaching 34.1 million passengers worldwide, and again next year with 36.4 million.
“Australasia has followed the global trend with positive figures of our own, recording 1.34 million passengers from across this region in 2023.”
However, capacity is likely to be curtailed in the coming seasons. Cruise Passenger exclusively disclosed that 30 per cent fewer cabins could be available in 2026.
Who is cruising in 2024/25? Find out here.
