Carnival Cruise Line Completes Integration of P&O’s Australian Operations
Carnival Cruise Line marked a new step for the brand as it completed the expansion of its operations in Australia taking over its former sister brand P&O Cruises Australia. With two P&O ships officially entering Carnival service on Saturday, March 29, the brand with 29 ships will have the largest fleet in its 53-year history.
The corporation announced last year its decision to sunset the P&O brand which had a long history with Australia. P&O (Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company) along with Orient Line traced their origins to the 1830s and the beginnings of liner service between England and Australia. The two companies initiated cruising from Australia in 1932. They merged in 1960, but Australia remained a key part of the operation including the transition into modern cruising in the 1970s.
After acquiring P&O in 2003, Carnival Corporation sought to develop the Australian market transferring ships from its Carnival Cruise Line and other brands. The Carnival Cruise Line brand entered the Australian market in 2012 and positioned its first large ship, Carnival Splendor (113,300 gross tons) in the market in 2019. The corporation however cited higher operating and regulatory costs and the South Pacific’s small population as the reason to combine the P&O Australia and Carnival brands. P&O continues to operate its separate cruise operation from the UK.
P&O Australia sailed its final cruises in February and the two cruise ships were sent to Melbourne, Australia where they spent the past 10 days undergoing overhauls and rebranding in a wet dock. Some structural alterations were made as well as redecorating with new carpet and adding new technology. They are also introducing Carnival’s signature entertainment programming to the ships.
The ships are now known as Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter after having operated since 2022 for P&O Australia. Both ships were built by Fincantieri and entered service for the U.S.-based Princess Cruises as Golden Princess and Star Princess. They are 108,865 gross tons with accommodations for 2,600 passengers.
"Our expansion in Australia demonstrates incredible enthusiasm for our brand and we’re grateful to our loyal guests who continue to drive our ongoing growth, solidifying Carnival as the world’s most popular cruise line,” said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. “Doubling the fun in our Australia homeports enables us to deliver more sailing options, offer more variety, and deepen our partnerships in the Sydney and Brisbane communities.”
Carnival Adventure arrived in Sydney, Australia on Friday morning, March 28, for events before her return to service on Saturday. She will be sailing year-round from Sydney while Carnival Encounter arrives on Saturday to start her first cruise from Brisbane.
Carnival Splendor continues to sail year-round from Sydney while the smaller Carnival Luminosa (92,720 gross tons) operates seasonally in Australia. With the four ships, Carnival Cruise Line reports it expects to sail more than 500,000 passengers from its Australian homeports this year.