The Pacific Explorer made its final visit to Sydney, Australia on July 4, 2024. As P&O Cruises Australia winds down in 2025, the ship is set to be withdrawn from service in February.

The farewell call in Sydney was part of a four-night repositioning cruise to Auckland. Sailing from the Australian city, the one-way sailing also marked the start of the ship’s last season in New Zealand.

The Pacific Explorer is now offering a series of three- to 13-night cruises to the South Pacific that sail through mid October.

The itineraries feature visits to destinations in Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Espiritu Santo and Tonga, as well as other ports in Australia and New Zealand.

Before leaving the P&O Cruises’ fleet, the 1,998-guest vessel is also set to offer cruises departing from Melbourne, Adelaide and Fremantle.

The ship’s farewell cruise will be an 11-night voyage to Singapore scheduled for February 7, 2025. Sailing from Fremantle, the itinerary also features visits to Indonesia and Malaysia.

Formerly operated by Princess Cruises as the Dawn Princess, the Pacific Explorer was transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in June 2017.

After a major refurbishment in Singapore, the 1997-built vessel also spent its inaugural season sailing from Sydney.

During its seven-year stint Down Under, the Pacific Explorer also sailed from other homeports in the region, such as Adelaide, Brisbane and Fremantle.

The P&O Cruises Australia brand will be discontinued in March 2025, as the company’s operations are absorbed by Carnival Cruise Line.

While the Pacific Explorer is expected to be sold off to a new operator, the Pacific Encounter and the Pacific Adventure will be incorporated into Carnival’s fleet.

Renamed the Carnival Encounter and Carnival Adventure, the vessels will continue to operate out of Australia on a year-round basis.

The Carnival Splendor and the Carnival Luminosa will also maintain their scheduled operations from Australian ports.