After announcing plans to be absorbed by Carnival Cruise Line, P&O Cruises Australia has confirmed that all Pacific Explorer operations will be discontinued in early 2025.
According to a statement published on the company’s website, all cruises previously scheduled to depart after March 2, 2025, are now canceled.
Affected passengers are being contacted by guest services and will receive full refunds, according to P&O Australia.
The Pacific Explorer was scheduled to offer a series of two- to 14-night cruises departing from various ports in Australia and New Zealand, including Adelaide, Fremantle, Brisbane, Melbourne and Auckland.
Itineraries included destinations in different parts of the South Pacific, such as the Australian Coast, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Tasmania, Fiji and Vanuatu.
“We are all immensely proud of P&O Cruises Australia’s 90-year heritage of dedicated operations in the region, and Carnival Cruise Line is honored to carry forward its storied legacy and continue to deliver the same onboard experiences and itineraries,” the company added.
The Pacific Encounter and the Pacific Adventure will continue to sail from Australia on a year-round basis after transferring to Carnival Cruise Line.
According to P&O Australia, while maintaining most of the current onboard experiences, the ships will offer new benefits including the Carnival HUB App and the VIFP loyalty program.
With the cancellations, the Pacific Explorer is scheduled to embark on its final cruise on February 7, 2025. The one-way itinerary starts from Fremantle and ends in Singapore eleven days later.
After completing its sailing career for P&O Cruises Australia, the 1997-built vessel is expected to leave Carnival Corporation’s fleet.
As part of a series of four ships that began with the 1995-built Sun Princess, the 1,998-guest vessel has been offering cruises for the Australian brand since early 2017.
All three of its sister ships, the former Sea Princess, the former Sun Princess, and the former Oceana, were sold by Carnival Corporation in 2020.
