P&O New Build for Australia in 2019

P&O Cruises Australia will make history by becoming the first cruise line to build a new ship specifically for the Australian market.

The 135,500 tonne ship will be the biggest cruise ship to be based fulltime in Australia, and will carry more than 4200 passengers.

http://www.pocruises.com.au

The Senior Traveller

Whilst the demand is no doubt there for large ships, such as this, my wish list is for a smaller newish ship based fulltime in Australia.

P&O Cruises Australia will make history by becoming the first cruise line to build a new ship specifically for the Australian market.

The 135,500 tonne ship will be the biggest cruise ship to be based fulltime in Australia, and will carry more than 4200 passengers.

http://www.pocruises.com.au

The Senior Traveller

 

Whilst the demand is no doubt there for large ships, such as this, my wish list is for a smaller newish ship based fulltime in Australia.

Excellent news.

I wonder if the 'Pantry' will go in? Not popular I hear.

Gimme the buffet, I don't want the food court !!

It wont do any good for me. I avoid ships that cater to that many passengers for a start.

Having wanted to see P&O Australia get a new ship for years to at least become something worthwhile and competitive with the likes of Princess and Royal Caribbean, I have reassessed my views and do not think Australians deserve a brand new ship.

Of all the cruises I have enjoyed I enjoy the more international mix where the ships style is focused on international passengers and the entertainment is geared to such passengers. I enjoy longer voyages that involves a flight and the opportunity to explore hard to reach destinations. When I am not doing that I really like shorter cruises and breaks to just get away for a while.

As I love swimming and would really love to explore the Pacific Islands more and find a cruise line that would go there and let me relax for a week, there is no way at all I would contemplate taking a 4000 passenger ship out of Sydney to the South Pacific. No way at all. I just went in December and enjoyed it on Radiance of the Seas. Even with that ship the queues for tenders were long enough. I could not imagine doing it on a 4000 passenger ship where the jetty only has room for one tender at a time.

I would be interested in the design of the new ship to be built specifically for the Australian market.

I wonder what this actually means. It wouldn't mean to obtain the highest yield from the Australian market, by any chance, would it?

I agree with Brisbane41 that tendering from large ships (4200 passengers plus crew), in ports with inadequate port infrastructure, is not my idea of a relaxing holiday.

Groundhog day!

As I think it was already said somewhere on this board - the new ship will be the new Carnival Vista - with slight modifications and the 'Australian style' most likely ( a variation of the Eden/ Aria decor?). No one-off ship designs these days for ANY market.

The 5 min video of the features of the Vista ship, with the PDF of the deck plan - see links below.

http://www.carnival.com/cruise-ships/carnival-vista.aspx

http://www.carnival.com/~/media/Images/Ships/VS/DeckPlans/carnival-vista-deck-plan-pdf

The Vista 'vital stats' are as follows: Gross Tonnage: 133,500 Length: 1,055 feet Beam: 122 feet Cruising Speed: 18 Knots Guest Capacity: 3,936 (Double Occupancy)

Total Staff:1,450 Registry: Panama. So easily over 4,200 for all birth - and more quads which are popular with younger budget minded single guys and women.

The trends and features: perhaps more family and a few single cabins; the expanded action activities/ water park, more pay-for restaurants - some with the 'outdoor' section encroaching on the upper promenade. The lower promenade deck goes about 80% around - bigger than the Royal Princess.

It will be interesting to observe P&O's Aust thinking re ship design, and how much they are willing to spend transforming Dawn Princess into Pacific Explorer in the middle of next year. And which ship they will get rid off after that.

So there is very little that is 'different' in the cruise mass market - now Carnival is copying Norwegian 'free style' in more ways. To be different (e.g destination intensive focus) you have to be smaller and bolder - with the already established clientele that you understand: witness the success of Viking Ocean Cruises, building on their river cruise experience. The economies of scale means there is no escape from the 4,000 pax ships in the mass market.

I like the large ships and I also like the small ships, most of all I like modern design ships.

I like the large ships and I also like the small ships, most of all I like modern design ships.

Whereas I prefer the older design ships, love lots of wood and brass.

Whereas I prefer the older design ships, love lots of wood and brass.

That décor is nice as well but I meant the overall design of the ship, such as more balconies rather than just a few.

That décor is nice as well but I meant the overall design of the ship, such as more balconies rather than just a few.

Ahhhhh OK got you now.

Yep love balconies.

That décor is nice as well but I meant the overall design of the ship, such as more balconies rather than just a few.

Ahhhhh OK got you now.

 

Yep love balconies.

Balconies are pretty much standard these days. The days not far off when if you want an inside it will cost more...:D:D

I am extremely doubtful that a ship at 4200 passengers is sustainable in our region with the limited port options available.

It seems the "cruise to nowhere" is the preferred options of a number of cruise lines as the ship itself is promoted as the attraction.

Having cruised on the Royal Princess the sheer volume of passengers make port visits extremely clunky and it was not a pleasant experience.

I had an interesting conversation with a TA a few days ago ,and The Ovation of the Seas cruises in Australian / Pacific waters has been very hard to sell after the initial rush ( to big is the most common comment) .

I would appear that Carnival Corporation put their hand up for this build without really having a home for the ship and I will be very surprised if it lasts more than a couple of years in Oceania

Balconies are pretty much standard these days. The days not far off when if you want an inside it will cost more...:D:D

 

like outsides, which are becoming rarer (my favourite).

We got an extra large balcony with a suite on our Century NZ cruise (our first balcony) for less than the cost of the inside I originally researched. Whilst I thought we had died and gone to heaven, I didn't like how anti social we quickly became, whilst being served meals on our balcony, by our busy butler, etc.

I am extremely doubtful that a ship at 4200 passengers is sustainable in our region with the limited port options available.

It seems the "cruise to nowhere" is the preferred options of a number of cruise lines as the ship itself is promoted as the attraction.

Having cruised on the Royal Princess the sheer volume of passengers make port visits extremely clunky and it was not a pleasant experience.

I had an interesting conversation with a TA a few days ago ,and The Ovation of the Seas cruises in Australian / Pacific waters has been very hard to sell after the initial rush ( to big is the most common comment) .

I would appear that Carnival Corporation put their hand up for this build without really having a home for the ship and I will be very surprised if it lasts more than a couple of years in Oceania

The article said 3 - 10 day cruises.

I agree. I know a number of younger families, who tried cruising from Brisbane, who don't intend to cruise again until after their families grow up. So the initial growth in Aussie passengers cruising might not be sustainable for big ships in our market.

Balconies are pretty much standard these days. The days not far off when if you want an inside it will cost more...:D:D

 

I certainly wouldn't mind.:D

Thanks for sharing this.

Keith

Sounds like a giant party/kiddy ship. Not for moi. I hope they put plenty of tenders in das wasser, otherwise many pax will melt lining up for hours in the Pacific Islands for tenders back t the ship.

Sounds like a giant party/kiddy ship. Not for moi. I hope they put plenty of tenders in das wasser, otherwise many pax will melt lining up for hours in the Pacific Islands for tenders back t the ship.

It wouldn't matter how many tenders the ship has. The Pacific Islands wharf's can only cater to one tender at a time.

From past experience there will not be enough crew employed to operate several security checkpoints. While passengers can disembark the ship simultaneously from four different tender locations, the crew will only be employed in one location for re-boarding. That makes it a long and slow process.

In an ideal world the cruise ship could employ staff to man four security checkpoints to receive four tenders at the same time on the return to the ship, but they never do this.

Now that I have travelled most of the world I would love to enjoy more cruises to the Pacific Islands. Sadly this giant ship is not for me.

It wouldn't matter how many tenders the ship has. The Pacific Islands wharf's can only cater to one tender at a time.

 

From past experience there will not be enough crew employed to operate several security checkpoints. While passengers can disembark the ship simultaneously from four different tender locations, the crew will only be employed in one location for re-boarding. That makes it a long and slow process.

 

In an ideal world the cruise ship could employ staff to man four security checkpoints to receive four tenders at the same time on the return to the ship, but they never do this.

 

Now that I have travelled most of the world I would love to enjoy more cruises to the Pacific Islands. Sadly this giant ship is not for me.

What's the point of manning 4x tender stations ship-side, if the shore-side infrastructure is limited to just one?

Thanks for the information.

It wouldn't matter how many tenders the ship has. The Pacific Islands wharf's can only cater to one tender at a time.

 

From past experience there will not be enough crew employed to operate several security checkpoints. While passengers can disembark the ship simultaneously from four different tender locations, the crew will only be employed in one location for re-boarding. That makes it a long and slow process.

 

In an ideal world the cruise ship could employ staff to man four security checkpoints to receive four tenders at the same time on the return to the ship, but they never do this.

 

Now that I have travelled most of the world I would love to enjoy more cruises to the Pacific Islands. Sadly this giant ship is not for me.

Both Mystery Island and Lifou Island can presently take two tenders at the wharf, at least they did last January on the Solstice.

Mare can take two tenders at a time as well.

What's the point of manning 4x tender stations ship-side, if the shore-side infrastructure is limited to just one?

Mainly so they aren't waiting half an hour or more at the pier for the next tender to arrive.