Carnival Encounter: Ultimate Guide

With two P&O ships jumping over to Carnival Cruises, Carnival Cruises now officially has a year-round Brisbane ship, in the shape of Carnival Encounter. Carnival Encounter will sail alongside Luminosa out of Brisbane, and provide an option out of Brisbane for the winter months, sailing a mix of shorter cruises, journeys up north to the Barrier Reef and escapes to the South Pacific. 

The ship has a long and rich history, first built in 1998 as part of the Princess Cruises fleet. What was then the Star Princess became Pacific Encounter in 2018, sailing as a crucial part of the P&O Cruises Australia fleet right up until the start of this year, when she became Carnival Encounter.

An interesting thing to note about Carnival Encounter is that right now, she’s extremely similar to how she was as a P&O ship and not much has changed, however, this will only last for one season.

At the end of this season, Encounter will sail across to Singapore, where it will undergo a renovation. The details of this renovation aren’t yet known, however, it’s assumed that she’ll likely be refitted to more closely resemble the rest of the Carnival fleet.

Therefore, if you are a P&O tragic and don’t feel ready to give up the experience just yet, it’s definitely recommended that you hop onto Encounter this season, as she could look drastically different following her trip to Singapore. 

As far as the numbers goes, Encounter clocks in at 108,865 gross tonnage, a 2600 guest capacity, measures 951 feet in length and has 1100 crew onboard. 

There’s always plenty happening onboard with four pools, spas, waterslides, kids clubs, an adults-only retreat and more. 

While we don’t know what the future might contain for Carnival Encounter after its drydock, we do know how the ship will shape up for the season ahead, and this guide will cover just that.

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Should I book Carnival Encounter or Carnival Luminosa?

Carnival now has two ships running out of Brisbane, Encounter and Luminosa. Both provide great options and slightly different itineraries, but it can be useful to know a couple of the differences between the ships in making your choice as to which one to sail with. 

First of all, for the season ahead, you’ll generally find Encounter is slightly cheaper, with Encounter clocking in at an average of $8 cheaper per person per sailing for the season ahead, however, this could vary depending for the exact itinerary that you’re after. 

Secondly, a big factor for some who cruise with kids is waterslides, and Luminosa doesn’t have waterslides. However, Carnival Encounter is decked out with Edge Adventure Park, where plenty of fun can be had on waterslides.

Luminosa provides a slightly more intimate experience, with a capacity of 2200 passengers, 400 less than Encounter. 

However, the main difference, at least for the next season, is that Carnival Encounter is still essentially a P&O ship, with totally different restaurants, venues and more. If you’re an established Carnival Cruiser who wants to take a punt on a more P&O-flavoured experience before it’s too late, then you can take the leap and know you’ll have many of your Carnival comforts. 

If you’re a P&O fan, you can take comfort in knowing the experience won’t be too different from what you’re used to, but you’ll get a few new bonuses.

Then, if you’re brand new to cruising, take a squiz through this guide, and our guide for Carnival Luminosa, and see which ship captures your imagination. 

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Itineraries 

Carnival Encounter offers a range of quick three-night escapes, which start as low as $318. These can also be specialised comedy cruises, which have extensive comedy line-ups to inject a few laughs into your cruise.

For those who are looking for something short but with a port stop, you can treat yourself to a four-day cruise and enjoy a stop at the famous Airlie Beach, with prices kicking off from $370

If you’re looking to spend a week at sea, you could opt for a six-day Great Barrier Reef sailing, with stops at Airlie Beach, Cairns and sightseeing of Willis Island, starting from $497.

You can get even better per-day value, with an eight-day cruise out of the Pacific, such as this Vanuatu and New Caledonia sailing, starting at just $641.

For something slightly different, you can try this 10-day cruise to Papua New Guinea, which visits Kiriwina Island, Rabaul and the Conflict Islands, starting from just $773 per person.

If you want to enjoy the ship right before it dry-docks, you can hop on this 13-day South East Asia trip, where you’ll get the chance to visit Darwin, Airlie Beach, Denpasar, Lembar and end up in Singapore.

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Accommodation

Carnival Encounter won’t see major changes over the short term to its cabins in their furnishings and lay-out, but for those already accustomed to their P&O groupings, should make themselves aware of how the cabins will be mapped out under Carnival.

As is customary with a Carnival ship, each room will have a dedicated attendant, lines, closet and drawer space, a safe, a television and climate control.

Cabins are divided up into categories: interior, ocean view, balcony and suites.

Interior cabins also have an option for rooms with a porthole.

Ocean View and Balcony are as you’d expect, with the rooms a bit larger, and you can also opt for extended balcony options if you’d like a slightly larger space to relax and take in the sea views.

Suites begin with a simple ocean suite, which offers a larger space, a balcony and a tub in the bathroom. Suites will also come with a range of amenities like priority boarding, priority reservations, a one-off laundry service, pillow-top mattresses and more.

Now, for other suite categories, what used to be the Byron Beach Retreat on P&O ships, will stay on the ships for now, with a range of different suites available.

Depending on the level of luxury you’re after you can opt for anything from the Byron Beach Ocean View Suite, right up to the luxury of the Byron Beach Presidential Suite.

Every guest who books a Byron Beach suite gets a range of further perks. These include free access to the Byron Beach Club, exclusive breakfast at Angelo’s restaurant, an in-suite coffee machine, special bathrobes and slippers and more.

Here you can view exactly what P&O cabins correlate to which cabins on Carnival.

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Dining and Culinary Experience

Included dining on Carnival Encounter

• Dragon Lady: A P&O classic, Dragon Lady brings East Asian style dining into a contemporary Australian context.
• Waterfront: At Waterfront enjoy classic Aussie dining for the whole family with ocean views to match.
• Trattoria: At Trattoria pizza and pasta are the highlights at this classic Italian eatery, and be sure to enquire about the wine menu as well.
• Angelo’s: Another option to test out Italian onboard, with the menu featuring favourites like a caprese salad, chicken parmigiana, lasagne and plenty more.
• The Pantry: The Pantry is where you can head for something for everyone, with this main-dining hall bringing together all sorts of different cuisines for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Additional dining

• Luke’s Burgers: Coming straight from the brain of celebrity chef Luke Mangan is Luke’s Burgers. While the burgers aren’t included like Guy’s Burgers on Carnival ships, they are a classic choice for P&O’s cruises.
• Luke’s Bar & Grill: Another option from Luke Mangan is the more sophisticated Luke’s Bar & Grill, where you can try out some more unique dishes, like the crab omelette with enoki mushroom salad or the Kingfish sashimi.
• Steakhouse Selections: A classic at-sea Steakhouse, this where to head for Encounter’s finest cuts.
• Coffee Bar: This is where to head for premium coffee, as well as top-notch pastries and other snacks.
• New Zealand Natural: Rather than the soft-serve bar found on other ships, Encounter will have New Zealand Natural, with milkshakes, ice cream and more on offer.

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Onboard Activities (Family, Kids and Couple)

What’s included?

All sorts of activities can be enjoyed onboard without spending any extra, such as Pickleball, basketball, dive-in movies, a dip in any of the pools, karaoke, scavenger hunts, various arts and crafts and more.

Furthermore, access to the fitness centre is included for those looking to keep up, or kick off their exercise routine.

Additional activities

The classic P&O Edge Adventure Park will keep operating, where are all sorts of waterslides, adrenaline activities, splash pools and more can be enjoyed.

Then there are plenty of other options for those looking to splash a bit more cash like the video arcade, various retail options, Bingo, Deal or No Deal, Build-a-Bear workshops and plenty more.

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Deck Plan

The full Carnival Encounter deck plan can be viewed here.

For those familiar with Pacific Encounter, nothing will seem too new or unfamiliar. However, there are a few new Carnival venues and spots in there. For example, Carnival’s fun shops will now be onboard, as well as the Cherry On Top Sweet Spots.

Another notable change is that P&O’s Blue Room has become the Piano Bar on Carnival Encounter.

You can use this deck plan to wrap your head around the ship and already have your bearings once you’re on board.

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Bar and Night Clubs

It’s been confirmed that the Carnival 80s Rock-N-Glow Party and the White Hot Night Party will be both be happening onboard.

There’s also karaoke onboard and live music in different venues all across the ship.

The only new bar is the Piano Bar, where you can expect to find classic drinks and sing-a-longs. 

The other venues on board include Sunset Bar on Deck 16 and Altitude Nightclub on Deck 17. 

There’s also Sky Bar on Deck 16 and the Pool Bar on Deck 14 for other spots to grab a drink.

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Entertainment

Blanc de Blanc Show, a P&O classic and fan-favourite, will continue showing on Carnival Encounter. You can expect a mixture of jaw-dropping stunts, cheeky humour, and plenty of glitz and glamour.

Another show to catch onboard Encounter is Playlist Productions. This show brings classic songs into a more extravagant setting, reimagining your favourite classics as larger musical theatre pieces. Playlist productions also carry a slightly different flavour on each ship, so we’ll see what Carnival Encounter has to offer as far as the show goes.

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Frequently Asked Questions