Tag: P&O Cruises Australia
P&O Cruises Returns to Noumea as Cruising Resumes in New Caledonia
The resumption of cruising in the South Pacific is gaining momentum, with P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Explorer today becoming the first cruise ship to return to New Caledonia.
Pacific Explorer sailed into Noumea this morning for a historic overnight stay following the reopening of New Caledonia’s maritime borders to cruise tourism.
The call is the latest in a series of milestones for P&O’s flagship, which was the first cruise ship to return to Australia in April this year, as well as the first ship to visit New Zealand and Fiji in August.
Ships from across Carnival Australia’s family of brands will make more than 20 visits to New Caledonia over the remainder of 2022, with more than 150 calls scheduled for 2023.
Pacific Explorer to arrive in Sydney on 18 April 22
In keeping with Sydney Harbour’s rich maritime heritage, on April 18, P&O Cruises Australia’s flagship Pacific Explorer will return home to lead the restart of cruising in Australia.
Pacific Explorer’s arrival after an absence of more than two years will be embraced by cruise suppliers as a sign that their businesses and livelihoods will soon be in recovery mode with the resumption of cruising based on comprehensive protocols to support its return.
The P&O Cruises Australia flagship’s arrival is also expected to capture the imagination of Sydneysiders as it enters the Heads on Easter Monday in returning to its home port.
The Easter Monday holiday arrival will give the city’s ‘boaties’ an opportunity to escort Pacific Explorer as the ship makes its way up the harbour to the Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) to be alongside at 10.30am.
President of Carnival Australia and P&O Cruises Australia Marguerite Fitzgerald said Pacific Explorer’s return marked the start of rebuilding cruise tourism in Australia, which, prior to the pandemic, contributed more than $5 billion a year to the national economy.
The approximate schedule for Pacific Explorer’s arrival on April 18 is as follows:
- 9.30am – Pacific Explorer enters Sydney Heads
- 10.10am – Passing Fort Denison
- 10.20am – Passing the Sydney Opera House
- 10.30am – Alongside at the OPT
P&O Cruises Australia Celebrates its Return to the High Seas with a Sparkling Pride Cruise
P&O Cruises Australia is celebrating its return to the high seas by counting down to its first dazzling ‘Pride Cruise’ – a celebratory weekend at sea created especially for members of the LGBTQIA+ community, their friends, family and supporters.
Setting sail on 4 November 2022, the three-night cruise will give Australians the chance to join P&O Cruises in proudly recognising individuality, diversity and inclusion in Australian society.
The celebrations will continue with a Pride Cruise departing Melbourne on 9 December, followed by three dedicated sailings in 2023.
Joining P&O Cruises in the new sailing will be a raft of community organisations that support the LGBTQIA+ community through health, well-being and social initiatives.
The home-grown cruise line has also partnered with some of the best names in the Australian entertainment business to develop the three-night cruise, including talented artists and entertainers who are champions of equality.
Headlining the fun with plenty of feathers, sequins and flamboyance, will be international superstar, accordionist and Berlin boy-wonder Hans the German, the award-winning comedy cabaret star who found fame on America’s Got Talent.
P&O Cruises Pacific Adventure will depart Sydney on the inaugural Pride Cruise on the afternoon of Friday November 4, 2022, and will return on the morning of Monday November 7, 2022.