Carnival Cruise Line to boost its capacity by
absorbing P&O Cruises Australia in 2025, further
optimizing the company's brand portfolio creating operational
efficiencies
MIAMI and SYDNEY, June 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;
NYSE: CUK), the world's largest cruise company, today announced
that in March 2025, the company will
sunset the P&O Cruises Australia brand and fold the
Australia operations into Carnival
Cruise Line, the most popular cruise line in the
world.
This change is the latest in a series of strategic moves
designed to increase guest capacity for Carnival Cruise Line, the
company's flagship brand and the highest-returning brand in
Carnival Corporation's global portfolio. This will result in the
addition of eight new ships to Carnival Cruise Line's fleet since
2021, including the successful shift of three vessels 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 to join Carnival Cruise Line in 2027 and 2028.
"Despite increasing Carnival Cruise Line's capacity by almost
25% since 2019 including transferring three ships from Costa
Cruises, guest demand remains incredibly strong so we're leveraging
our scale in an even more meaningful way by absorbing an entire
brand into the world's most popular cruise line," said Josh Weinstein, chief executive officer of
Carnival Corporation & plc. "In 2019, Carnival Cruise Line was
29% of our total capacity, and when we complete this move early
next year, Carnival Cruise Line – our highest-returning brand –
will make up approximately 35% of our total global capacity. While
our company's overall growth between 2019 – 2028 is projected to be
less than 2% (CAGR), the majority will be for Carnival Cruise Line,
which will grow by approximately 50% over that time 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.
"P&O Cruises Australia is a storied brand with an amazing
team, and we are extremely proud of everything we have accomplished
together in Australia and the
broader region," said 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. Carnival Corporation & plc remains committed to
Australia and we will continue to
be the largest cruise operator in the region with 19 ships calling
on 78 destinations and representing almost 60% of the market."
Building on Shared Legacy in the Region
As the
P&O Cruises Australia brand retires early next year, the
Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure ships will be rebranded and
operated by Carnival Cruise Line brand. Pacific Explorer will exit
the fleet in February of 2025. Current itineraries will operate
business as usual, and guests will be notified in the coming days
of any changes to future bookings as a result of this
announcement.
When the transition is complete next year, Carnival Cruise Line
– which has served the South Pacific since 2013 – will have four
ships in the market, including Sydney-based Carnival Splendor and Carnival
Luminosa sailing seasonally from Brisbane, in addition to their new sister
ships Encounter and Adventure.
"We look forward to building on the history and heritage of
P&O Cruises Australia by bringing some of our innovations to
more cruise guests in the region," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise
Line. "While we plan to make some technology upgrades and other
small changes to the two P&O Cruises Australia ships, they will
continue to be geared to the unique Australian market with a
familiar feel and much of the same experiences for P&O Cruises
Australia guests. The most notable change will be the availability
of our popular HubApp, enabling guests to make online dining and
excursion reservations, request food and beverage delivery, and
chat with other guests, among other features. P&O Cruises
Australia guests will also be invited to participate in Carnival's
loyalty program and promotional offerings specific to Carnival
ships sailing in the region."
"Over the coming months, we will find ways to celebrate and
honor P&O Cruises Australia – a valued part of our legacy and
an important contributor to the tourism industry in the South
Pacific," said Weinstein. "We value the connection our P&O
Cruises Australia guests, employees, travel advisor partners,
public officials and destinations have with our company and are
committed to building on this association moving forward as
Carnival."
[EDITOR'S NOTE: This announcement does not impact P&O
Cruises (UK), which is a separate Carnival Corporation & plc
brand based in England and
dedicated to the UK market.]
About Carnival Corporation & plc
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest global cruise
company, and among the largest leisure travel companies, with a
portfolio of world-class cruise lines – AIDA Cruises, Carnival
Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O
Cruises (Australia), P&O
Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises, and Seabourn.
Additional information can be found on www.carnivalcorp.com,
www.aida.de, www.carnival.com, www.costacruise.com, www.cunard.com,
www.hollandamerica.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.pocruises.com,
www.princess.com, and www.seabourn.com.
For information on Carnival Corporation's industry-leading
sustainability initiatives, visit
www.carnivalsustainability.com.
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SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc