By
Rebecca Gibson |
Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Splendor is to be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in late 2019 to boost guest capacity and maintain the line’s growth in the Australian market.
The 113,000gt Carnival Splendor is 50% bigger than P&O's largest ship and will accommodate 3,000 guests. The vessel is joining the fleet instead of the originally planned newbuild, which was scheduled for delivery in 2019. Now, the newbuild will join Carnival Cruise Line as its third Vista-class ship.
“Welcoming a transformed and renamed Carnival Splendor to the P&O Cruises' fleet in 2019 on the back of the addition of Pacific Explorer in mid 2017 cements our position as Australia's leading cruise line and the only true home grown Australian brand,” said Sture Myrmell, P&O Cruises Australia president. “In four years P&O Cruises will have doubled capacity by welcoming four ships – Pacific Aria, Pacific Eden and Pacific Explorer as well as the additional ship in 2019 – as part of the remarkable evolution of the brand.”
P&O Cruises Australia hopes that Carnival Splendor will enable it to maintain its position as the region’s largest and longest-serving cruise operator.
"We benefit from being part of a global organisation with a worldwide fleet of cruise ships that ensure we have the flexibility to make the most of opportunities in our region and to adjust our strategies accordingly," “Having reviewed the market, we believe a 3,000-passenger ship is the right sized ship for the P&O fleet to drive further sustained growth in our market.”