Beloved Aussie cruise line P&O to disappear: 'Didn't see that coming'
Carnivals Cruises announced on Tuesday that after 90 years, its subsidiary P&O will be dissolved in early 2025.
One of Australia's most beloved cruise brands will soon be dissolved, with its management announcing plans today to merge the once popular line into its parent company in early 2025. Tens of thousands of people travel on board P&O Cruise ships every year, but on Tuesday Carnival Cruises announced the much-loved line will vanish in a fresh wave of cost-cutting measures.
Carnival described P&O as a "storied brand with an amazing team," but explained that closing the company in March 2025 is a necessary money-saving tactic.
"Given the strategic reality of the South Pacific's small population and significantly higher operating and regulatory costs, we're adjusting our approach to achieve the efficiencies needed to continue delivering an incredible cruise experience year-round to our guests in the region," Carnival CEO Josh Weinstein said in a statement to media.
Cruise line dissolved in cost-cutting measure
Nonetheless, the company tried to assuage likely concerns that Australian customers would be left worse off.
"Carnival Corporation & plc remains committed to Australia and will continue to be the largest cruise operator in the region with 19 ships calling on 78 destinations and representing almost 60 percent of the market," Weinstein said.
The move will see two of P&O's cruise liners — the Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure — come under the control of Carnival Cruises, bringing the total to four of the company's ships serving the South Pacific market. The remaining P&O ship, the Pacific Explorer, will retire in February.
P&O issue statement
In a statement, P&O said the merger would "make for an improved pre-cruise and onboard experience."
"[Next year], the Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will become Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter and join Carnival Splendor to remain based in Australia year round, with Carnival Luminosa joining us for the summer season," it said. "Separately, Pacific Explorer will leave the fleet in February next year after many wonderful years with P&O Cruises.
"Under Carnival Cruise Line operation you will continue to enjoy many of our most loved onboard experiences and itineraries, and it also means we will be able to offer the benefits of Carnival Cruises including their wonderful loyalty program and their IT systems which will make for an improved pre-cruise and onboard experience.
"We are all immensely proud of P&O Cruises Australia’s 90-year heritage of dedicated operations in the region and welcome this new and exciting next chapter of our operations in Australia and the Pacific. On behalf of the entire team, thank you for your support of P&O Cruises Australia over the years."
Carnival assured travellers that current itineraries will go ahead as planned, and guests whose future bookings will change as a result of the announcement will be informed within the next few days.
"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," Carnival Cruise Line President Christine Duffy said.
"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."
Aussies weigh in on cruise's demise
Online, Australians speculated over what led to the popular cruise line's demise and urged the company to find affected staff employment elsewhere within the company.
"Hopefully the staff get transferred over with the ships. Would hate to see them lose the jobs," one man wrote. "Wow, after 90 years in Australia. Didn't see that coming. I've got two P&O cruises booked," a concerned woman said.
"There goes history. P&O was mainly what some of us started cruising with, Pacific Sky was my first ship," one loyal customer wrote online.
"Wow they just spent millions rebranding and now this. I am not a fan of Carnival so this will be interesting," said another.
P&O attracted repeated criticism in 2024
P&O Cruises faced a string of publicity disasters in 2024, with a whole range of incidents taking place in May alone. Multiple travellers reported being bitten by bed bugs on board the Pacific Encounter while a man died after falling from the Pacific Adventure.
Two passengers who travelled on separate journeys on the Pacific Encounter earlier claimed to Yahoo News that despite being covered in "itchy" bite marks while on holiday, the company denied there was a problem.
Corinne McIvor was on the ship for a week in May and a couple of days into her trip, the nurse woke up to find marks on her skin. She visited the ship's doctor, who she says verbally confirmed they were from bed bugs.
Also in May, another Aussie cruise enthusiast vowed to "never again" book a P&O cruise after spending three days in what she described as a bed bug infested room. Queensland woman Monica Robertson said she was "looking forward to spending time together as a family celebrating" her mother's 70th birthday — a major milestone.
Robertson claimed almost immediately after boarding the Pacific Encounter and entering her room, she noticed the presence of bugs. The mum said when she slept that night, she "could feel things crawling on me in the bed".
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