P&O Cruises Australia
The pioneer of Australian cruising, P&O Cruises Australia, will celebrate its 75th birthday this year, and mark the arrival of Australia's first superliner, Pacific Dawn. When the 70,000-ton, 2050-passenger Pacific Dawn sets sail from Sydney on November 1, passengers will be, no doubt, in the same excited holiday mood as those who lined the rails of Strathaird on December 23, 1932, as she headed out from Sydney for a five-night cruise with just two ports of call - Brisbane and Norfolk Island. By contrast, Pacific Dawn's inaugural cruise is an eight-night affair with stops at Noumea, Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, and Mystery Island in Vanuatu. And those on board will enjoy her impressive three-storey atrium lobby, two swimming pools, five evening dining areas, nine bars and lounges, show lounge, fitness centre and comprehensive children's facilities.
"The introduction of Pacific Dawn - Australia's first super liner - in P&O Cruises' 75th year of cruising from Australia will signal the dawn of a new era in cruising and will be the highlight of the year," according to Mark Barnes, vice president, market and planning, P&O Cruises Australia.
Meanwhile, the other two ships in the P&O fleet, Pacific Sun and Pacific Star will have their duties changed. Pacific Sun will sail from Sydney until November 2007 and then move to Brisbane, and Pacific Star will sail from Brisbane until November 2007 and then offer New Zealand cruises from Auckland.
The arrival of Pacific Dawn also means the arrival of what P&O calls 'Your Choice Cruising'. Basically this means passengers will have more choice of cabin type and be able to decide when, where and with whom they wish to dine.
In announcing the arrival of Pacific Dawn, Gavin Smith, P&O Cruises Australia's managing director, said traditional first and second dinner seating would be replaced with a more flexible approach and five dining options ranging from la carte five-course dinners, to casual bistro meals and outdoor deck barbecues. Passengers would also have 795 cabins to choose from, with 50 suites and mini-suites featured among the 184 private balcony cabins.
"We believe our existing passengers and new cruisers will enjoy the great range of dining options available on Pacific Dawn," Mr Smith said. "With Your Choice Cruising, Australia's first super liner is guaranteed to offer P&O Cruises' passengers more choices than ever before."
But, underpinning these new developments, remains P&O Cruises' commitment to offering value-for-money cruising. In fact, the line continues to account for the largest slice of Australians who cruise. In 2002 P&O Cruise ships carried around 50,000 passengers, in 2006 it carried more than 100,000 and by 2008 it expects to have had 150,000 passengers across its expanded three-ship fleet.
According to P&O, 26 per cent of passengers are families, 45 per cent are couples, 25 per cent are friends travelling together and four per cent are people travelling by themselves, and the average age of passengers is 42.
As Barnes says, "P&O Cruises will continue to promote the phenomenal value of cruising - few holidays offer such a fun and relaxing experience where all accommodation, main meals and entertainment are included in the one fare."
But last year the line ran into some rough water with the widely publicised coronial inquest into the death of Brisbane mother Dianne Brimble on board Pacific Sky in September 2002. (P&O has since sold the vessel and it left the fleet in May 2006.)
Barnes says the line responded to the tragedy by "cooperating fully with the coronial inquest and we continue to extend our full sympathy to Mrs Brimble's family. We take the welfare of our passengers and crew very seriously and last year announced a series of onboard and shore-side measures to reinforce our commitment to safety and security and ensure our passengers have an enjoyable holiday."
Providing an enjoyable holiday is what P&O does best. The company is proud of its record for attracting repeat customers - 42 per cent of passengers have returned. And Barnes says P&O isn't aiming at getting passengers to take longer cruises rather, "our emphasis is on creating choice for our passengers, so we will continue to offer cruises of varying lengths, sailing to a wide range of destinations from a range of ports."
"From Sydney, most cruises are nine to 11 nights in length, while from Brisbane we operate shorter Saturday-to-Saturday seven-night itineraries, which are able to visit three ports given Brisbane's proximity to its South Pacific neighbours.
"We're also offering seven-night cruises from Singapore with our new Asian itineraries in 2008. But longer itineraries such as our six-week Cherry Blossom cruise to Japan and China and the four-week Tahitian Explorer on Pacific Dawn are also very popular."
With the arrival of Dawn, formerly known as Regal Princess, it is easy to overlook the sterling service provided by her sister ships Sun and Star.
A three-star plus ship, Pacific Sun displaces 47,262 tons and carries 1896 passengers. Transferred to Australia in 2004 after being refurbished, she features a 35-metre waterslide, two pools, three children's clubs, a showlounge, spa and various bars and restaurants. Its young-at-heart atmosphere makes it a great ship for families and young couples.
Pacific Star is a three-star ship and appeals to the same style of passenger. Refurbished in December 2005, she began sailing in Australian waters the same year, carrying 1412 passengers. Displacing 35,190 ton, Star offers three swimming pools, four eateries, a showlounge, three kids' clubs, a teen centre and spa.
P&O Cruises Australia is part of Carnival Corporation, along with sister lines Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises World Voyages. As befits a cruise line with such a long history, P&O holds a special place in the hearts of many Australians. Just mentioning the names of P&O ships such as Fairstar and Fair Princess evokes memories. In fact, Fairstar, which was commissioned in 1957 and retired in 1997, has had a book dedicated to her. Now, the much-anticipated arrival of Pacific Dawn will usher in a new style of cruising for a new generation of holidaymakers.
Written by Toni Eatts - Issue 27, Autumn 2007
