P&O Cruises Australia is set to disappear - what does this mean for travellers?

Not long after celebrating 90 years of cruising, P&O Australia is set to disappear from our shores.The iconic cruise brand is to be folded into its parent company Carnival Cruise Line, which means things are set to change for travellers booked on a P&O cruise from March next year.If you have a booking, or were thinking about making one, this is how the change might impact you.READ MORE: Daydream Island: The perfect family escape where kids eat for freeIs P&O Australia shutting down?P&O Australia will fold into its parent company Carnival Cruise Line as of March 2025, meaning the brand P&O will no longer exist in this market.But according to Carnival Cruise Line president Christine Duffy, cruisers don't have to fear too much change right off the bat."What they can count on is that the ships will continue to operate with the experience that they love from P&O Australia," Christine says, speaking to 9Travel after the announcement."We've communicated with all of our crew members. They will transfer over to Carnival Cruise Line, but they will continue to work on the P&O Cruises Australia ships and there will be the same entertainment and food and dining as well as our themed cruises."READ MORE: Travel expert shares her best tips for beating jet lag and dehydration on planesWhat will happen to my P&O bookings?Carnival has confirmed current itineraries will be run as usual, and that any guests whose future bookings will change as a result of folding P&O will be notified.It is business as usual for now, with no changes to any itineraries in 2024.There will be a small number of itineraries that will be impacted across Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure, as well as those bookings on Pacific Explorer.Guests with bookings that are affected after the transition are being notified today.Can you get a refund?Yes. Guests booked to travel on the impacted itineraries have been offered a full refund, or they can choose a Future Cruise Credit with bonus on-board spending money. The value depends on the length of cruise booked.Christine hopes and encourages guests to choose to keep their bookings after the transition."First of all, we apologise to any of the guests that were booked on these cruises that are no longer going to be operating," she says."We hope that they will keep their bookings, and we very much look forward to welcoming all of the P&O Cruises Australia guests onto the Carnival Cruise Line."All of those P&O cruisers out there who love the brand, please give us a shot."Will the P&O Cruises ships leave Australia?The move will see two of P&O's cruise liners – the Pacific Encounter and Pacific Adventure – come under the control of Carnival Cruise Line, meaning there will be four of the company's ships serving the South Pacific market.P&O's other ship, the Pacific Explorer, will be retired in February and will leave the region.As for the ones that are staying, they will be re-branded but will keep what makes them unique."We will re-brand the ships, but it will still be the same beautiful Carnival Encounter, and it will be the Carnival Adventure. We really hope customers will appreciate the fact that this decision was not made lightly, and that the same experience they love from P&O will still be there on the very same ships they booked on."Carnival plans to make some technology upgrades and other small changes but says it "will continue to be geared to the unique Australian market".READ MORE: The Gold Coast hotel package that has everything you need for the perfect weekend awayWhat will happen to the cruise industry?CEO of Ignite Travel Group, responsible for MyCruises and Cruiseabout, Ryan Thomas, tells 9Travel the loss of P&O in Australia could be a hit for the budget-conscious cruiser."P&O is iconic as a brand and not only a pioneer in the Australian Cruise market but it has played a critical role in providing a competitive price point product for the budget conscious or those that wish to experience cruising for the first time and are concerned about a large expenditure for their first cruise," he says.However, while the brand disappearing is sad, those who are fond of it need not despair."Sadly it will be the removal of a brand that many generations of Australians have come to love. Fortunately though, Carnival Cruise Lines is one of the world's leading brands and has established itself firmly in the Australian market," Ryan says.Indeed, Carnival Cruise Line already has four ships in the market, including three year-round ships – Sydney-based Carnival Splendor and Carnival Adventure, and Brisbane-based Carnival Encounter – as well as Carnival Luminosa sailing seasonally from Brisbane.This means after the transition, Carnival Corporation will have seven cruise lines sailing 19 ships calling on 78 destinations and representing almost 60 per cent of the market in 2025, by far the largest cruise operator in the region."The good news is that by doing this as a company, we'll be able to maintain three and a half ships sailing year-round in this region, and given the higher costs and more challenges operating in this region, we wanted to come up with a way that we could continue the legacy of cruising that we have here," Christine tells us.And if you have a booking and aren't sure whether to keep it, Ryan says "don't worry".Carnival is an exceptional global brand and will ensure that P&O guests will be looked after as well, if not better than they would have under the P&O brand.FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest travel news and deals via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.