Sarah Bretz, ContributorCarnival Corporation has announced that in March 2025, its brand P&O Cruises Australia will be absorbed into Carnival Cruise Line.
The change is the latest in a series of moves designed to increase guest capacity for Carnival Cruise Line, which is 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 another sister brand, Costa Cruises.
In addition, the company recently placed an order for two new Excel-class ships to join the Carnival Cruise Line fleet 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, CEO of Carnival Corporation.
“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 Carnival Corporation’s brand portfolio, the absorption will strengthen the company’s performance in the South Pacific. As the P&O Cruises Australia brand retires early next year, its ships Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure will be rebranded and operated by Carnival Cruise Line. Pacific Explorer will exit the fleet in February 2025.
Current itineraries will operate 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 will have four ships in the South Pacific market, including Sydney-based Carnival Splendor and Carnival Luminosa, which sails seasonally from Brisbane.
Carnival Corporation plans to make some small changes — including technology upgrades — to the two ships that will be joining the Carnival Cruise Line fleet. However, they will continue to be geared to the Australian market with a familiar feel and much of the same experiences that P&O Cruises Australia guests are used to. One notable change will be the new capability to use Carnival’s HUB smartphone app on the ships. In addition, P&O Cruises Australia guests will be invited to participate in Carnival’s loyalty program, the VIFP Club.
“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.”
It’s important to note that this announcement in no way impacts P&O Cruises, which is a separate cruise line based in England and dedicated to the UK market.
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