P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Encounter is sailing home to Australia after an overnight encounter with sister ship the Pacific Adventure while berthed side-by-side in Trieste Italy.

It was also a case of back-to-back visits to the shipyard for Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure as ‘wetdock’ preparations continued for their return to cruising from Brisbane and Sydney respectively, according to a press release. 

The Pacific Encounter will initially arrive in Sydney before heading for her new cruising home in Brisbane, which has been host to P&O ships throughout the line’s 90-year cruising history in Australia.

P&O Cruises Australia President, Marguerite Fitzgerald, said: “We are seeing the evolution of P&O Cruises Australia as the nation’s homegrown cruise line and the results of its ambitious fleet transformation. As we prepare to welcome home Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure, we can also see that momentum is growing in the resurgence of cruising in Australia.”

The Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure are undergoing final preparations ahead of joining Pacific Explorer to complete P&O Cruises Australia’s three-ship fleet.

The work on the two ships includes important technical upgrades as well as other enhancements such as upgraded hotel facilities and interior furnishings, and adding P&O’s iconic red, white and blue bow livery depicting the Southern Cross.

The Pacific Encounter welcomes her first guests on 20 August on a seven-night cruise departing from Brisbane.

The Pacific Adventure will welcome her first guests on 22 October on a three-night cruise from Sydney.