Exclusive: Carnival is doubling down on value, families and Australia in 2026

By Peter Lynch, Editor-in-Chief, Cruise Passenger

• Carnival Cruise Line has a lot to do in 2026, after shrugging of absorbing P&O Australia.
• The four-ship year-round line is focussed on its core demographic: Australian families.
• And in an exclusive interview with Cruise Passenger, AVP of sales and marketing Anton Loeb says he is proud to wear the budget line badge.

Carnival Adventure was buzzing with holiday energy when Cruise Passenger sat down for lunch with Anton Loeb, Carnival Cruise Line Australia’s AVP of Sales and Marketing.

A choir of schoolchildren filled the atrium with carols. A towering gingerbread house stopped guests in their tracks.

Below decks, crew members prepared gifts destined for children in Vanuatu and other Pacific ports. And all around us, families in matching festive outfits boarded for a South Pacific Christmas cruise that, for many, would be the holiday they could afford — and the one they would remember for some time to come.

It was a fitting backdrop for a conversation about value, accessibility and Carnival’s unapologetic role as Australia’s most unpretentious cruise line.

“She’s not the most modern ship,” Loeb admits of Carnival Adventure, smiling as he watches families stream aboard. “But for thousands of Australian families, she’s the holiday they can have.”

And that, he says, is something Carnival wears with pride.

Holding the line on price

At a time when cruise pricing across the industry has crept steadily upward, Carnival’s position in the Australian market is increasingly clear. It is the value leader — and Loeb has no intention of apologising for that.

“If being budget means making holidays affordable, then yes, I’ll wear that with pride,” he says. “If it means more Australians can take a break from the pressure and stress of life, then absolutely.”

Carnival’s pricing, Loeb explains, remains dynamic, as it does across the industry, but the philosophy behind it is unwavering.

“We will always strive to be affordable and represent great value,” he says. “Even when prices look different to what they did a year ago, you still have to look at what’s included. Accommodation, meals, entertainment, kids’ clubs — it’s incredibly hard to find better value than cruising.”

In Cruise Passenger’s recent market analysis, Carnival emerged as the clear leader in the budget segment, a position Loeb believes is critical to the health of the wider cruise industry.

“Our biggest success — and our biggest opportunity — is bringing more people into cruising,” he says. “Carnival is often that first step. People experience cruising for the first time with us, and then many move on through the wider Carnival Corporation family.”

An unpretentious brand by design

Loeb is careful with labels. He resists terms like “budget” or “mid-market” if they create the wrong expectations.

“For me, Carnival represents an easy, affordable, value-for-money holiday,” he says. “What you call that is less important than putting the right person on the right ship.”

Expectation, he believes, is everything.

He recently told a trade journal how important it was that travel agents didn’t oversell what Carnival is. “We have to be make sure that our marketing is on point, our training is on point, our travel agent partners understand ‘what are the qualifying questions I need to ask?’,” he said.

He told Cruise Passenger: “Our goal is always positive surprise. We want to meet — and exceed — expectations. If you come onboard thinking, ‘I’ll get my meals, my accommodation, my kids are happy,’ you’re going to walk off saying it was the best holiday you’ve ever had.”

Oversell it as luxury, he warns, and disappointment follows.

“That’s why it’s on us — and our travel partners — to ask the right questions and set the right expectations.”

The power of multi-generational cruising

Carnival’s greatest strength may be its ability to appeal across generations — often on the same sailing. 

It’s been a big year – the closure of P&O Australia early in 2025 caused a rupture. Our own Cruise Passenger audience was emotional about the demise of a 92-year-old institution.

But time and cruises of great value is a good healer. Today, our readers debate Carnival’s lack of new ships and polish, but concede the price is the surprise.

“We’re not going to say we’re for everyone,” Loeb says. “But our core is families, groups of friends, couples — people looking to reconnect.”

That means grandparents, parents and children all sharing the same holiday, something Loeb sees daily onboard.

“There’s something incredibly powerful about watching a father dance with his daughter for the first time — not at a wedding, but just because they’re having dinner,” he says. “You can’t bottle that.”

It’s also why Carnival continues to attract younger demographics, including millennials.

“They love the themed cruises, the social atmosphere, the sense of connection,” he says. “It’s not about formality — it’s about fun.”

Four ships, year-round and fully committed to Australia

By 2026, Carnival Australia will be operating four ships year-round — the largest and only continuous cruise operation in the country.

“This is our first full year as a complete fleet,” Loeb says. “Four ships, each with its own identity and personality, sailing from Sydney and Brisbane, with over 200 sailings a year.”

That commitment, he stresses, is long-term.

“We are absolutely committed to Australia and to year-round cruising,” he says. “That’s not changing.”

Nor is Carnival’s push into regional ports. New deployments include Auckland from 2027, a return to Melbourne in 2027 and 2028, and an Adelaide season beginning in 2028.

“Taking ships out of Sydney and Brisbane creates excitement,” he says. “Adelaide, in particular, the reaction was massive. People want cruising closer to home.”

Not chasing shiny new things, but relevant

Asked about new ships, Loeb is pragmatic. “Everyone loves shiny new ships,” he says. “But you don’t always need more ships to do better. Sometimes you do better with what you have.”

Instead, Carnival is investing heavily in refits and enhancements to its existing fleet, ensuring ships remain relevant, fresh and appealing to Australian guests.

“Our focus is on delivering what we promise — and doing it well,” he says.

As our conversation ends, the symbolism of the sailing around us is hard to ignore.

Families heading to the Pacific. Children receiving gifts. Choirs singing. Crew preparing for a holiday season at sea.

“This is cruising for people who may never have cruised before,” Loeb says. “They don’t compare it to anything else. They just know they’re here, they’re enjoying it, and it feels special.”

For Carnival — and for Australian cruising — that may be the most powerful position of all.

“Positive surprise,” Loeb repeats, watching another family step onboard. “That’s what we’re here to deliver.”

For more, see Carnival Cruises.