In 2025, Carnival Corporation will end the P&O Cruises Australia brand and merge Australian operations with Carnival Cruise Line.
The Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure ships will be renamed and operated by the Carnival Cruise Line brand, while the Pacific Explorer will be removed from the fleet in February 2025.
This change is the latest in a series of “strategic moves designed to increase the guest capacity of Carnival Cruise Line,” the company’s flagship brand and the highest-performing brand in Carnival Corporation’s global portfolio, the company said.
This will result in the addition of eight new ships to the Carnival Cruise Line fleet from 2021, including the replacement of three ships from sister brand Costa Cruises.
In addition, the company recently placed its first new ship order in half a decade for two new Excel-class cruise ships that will join Carnival Cruise Line in 2027 and 2028.
“Despite increasing Carnival Cruise Line’s capacity by nearly 25% since 2019, including the transfer of three ships from Costa Cruises, guest demand remains incredibly strong, so we are leveraging our scale in an even more significant way by absorbing an entire brand into the world’s most popular cruise line,” said Josh Weinstein, CEO of Carnival Corporation.
“In 2019, Carnival Cruise Line represented 29% of our total capacity, and when we complete this transfer early next year, Carnival Cruise Line—our most profitable brand—will represent approximately 35% of our total global capacity. While our company's overall growth from 2019 to 2028 is projected to be less than 2% (CAGR), the majority of that growth will come from Carnival Cruise Line, which is expected to grow by approximately 50% during that period“.
In addition to further optimizing the composition of Carnival Corporation's global brand portfolio, the realignment will strengthen the company's performance in the South Pacific through numerous operational efficiencies, the company said.
“P&O Cruises Australia is a historic brand with an incredible team, and we are very proud of everything we have achieved together in Australia and the wider region,” said Weinstein.
“However, given the strategic realities of the South Pacific's small population and significantly higher operating and regulatory costs, we are adjusting our approach to deliver the efficiencies we need to continue providing an incredible year-round cruise experience for our guests in the region. Carnival Corporation & plc remains committed to Australia and will continue to be the region's largest cruise operator, with 19 ships calling at 78 destinations and representing nearly 60% of the market“.
In the case of P&O Australia, current itineraries will continue to operate as normal, and customers will be notified in the coming days of any changes to future bookings as a result of this news.
When the transition is complete next year, Carnival Cruise Line will have four ships in the market, including the Sydney-based Carnival Splendor and the seasonally Brisbane-based Carnival Luminosa, in addition to its new sister ships Encounter and Adventure.
Follow cruise news at Cruisesnews.es
