THE former P&O Cruises Australia ships Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter have begun their transition to Carnival Cruises Australia vessels at Melbourne’s Station Pier.
Pacific Adventure arrived from Sydney on Sunday [16 March] and was joined by Pacific Encounter from Brisbane yesterday [19 March] and both are now transmitting their AIS signals under their new names Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter. They are undergoing changes of livery, with the famous P&O logo in the form of raised letters on the ship’s funnels now removed and alterations to hull livery underway.
Carnival Adventure is leading a slightly disrupted life, having to shift periodically to a Webb Dock West berth to accommodate cruise terminal visitors as the season winds down, before returning to Station Pier for work to continue. So far the ship has been displaced by MSC Magnifica, and will be again to make way for Crown Princess’s Sunday call.
Carnival Corp announced last June that it would ‘sunset’ the historic P&O Cruises Australia brand, effective March 2025, in “a strategic shift to further leverage its scale and strengthen its performance in Australia and the South Pacific”. Henceforth they will operate from Australian ports alongside Carnival Splendor and the seasonal Carnival Luminosa.
Carnival Australia says the migrated ships will retain onboard ‘P&O Fan Favourites’ while having ‘Signature Carnival Fun’ added. They are due to begin cruising under their new identities from the end of this month, the 2,636-pax Carnival Adventure from Sydney and the 2,600-pax Pacific Encounter from Brisbane. Both vessels are currently listed to leave Melbourne on 26 March for return to their base ports
Meanwhile, the first ship to depart the P&O Cruises Australia fleet, Pacific Explorer, has begun its new life sailing as Star Voyager for Genting’s revived Star Cruises brand, following a refit in Singapore. The ship is operating 3-5 night South East Asian cruises from the same port.
