Carnival Corp. is retiring the P&O Cruises Australia brand in March, and Carnival Cruise Line will absorb the assets.
The Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure ships will be rebranded and operated by Carnival Cruise Line. The Pacific Explorer will exit the fleet in February.
The Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter are sister ships that entered service in 2002 as the Golden Princess and Star Princess, respectively. The Pacific Explorer is the former Dawn Princess, sailing its maiden voyage in 1997.
Carnival. Corp said it chose Carnival Cruise Line to absorb P&O Australia's operations because it is the company's highest-returning brand. When the transition is complete, CCL will make up approximately 35% of Carnival Corp.’s global capacity, up from 29% in 2019.
Carnival Corp. remains committed to Australia and plans to remain the largest cruise operator there with 19 ships, representing almost 60% of the market, said CEO Josh Weinstein.
"However, given the strategic reality of the South Pacific's small population and significantly higher operating and regulatory costs, we're adjusting our approach to give us the efficiencies we need to continue delivering an incredible cruise experience year-round to our guests in the region,” he said.
Following the transition, Carnival Cruise Line will have four vessels in Australia and the South Pacific, including the Sydney-based Carnival Splendor, the Carnival Luminosa cruising from Brisbane seasonally, along with the rebranded P&O Australia ships.
In addition to the two P&O Australia ships, Carnival Cruise Line has added three vessels from sister brand Costa Cruises (Luminosa, Firenze and Venezia), debuted the Carnival Jubilee this year and ordered two more Excel-class cruise ships to launch in 2027 and 2028.