Carnival Australia has booked
out Sydney’s main port for five
years but is yet to name the
mystery vessel – or vessels.
CARNIVAL Australia has made regular
bookings to berth at Sydney Harbour’s
Overseas Passenger Terminal every 10-14 days
from October 2013 to January 2018, with the
ship’s name listed as ‘TBA’.
The bookings are not for any of its existing
P&O, Princess or Holland America Line vessels,
nor the new Carnival Spirit, which all have
separate bookings already in place.
The information has been published on
Sydney Ports Corporation’s website
(www.sydneyports.com.au) for months, but
the cruise company is yet to make any
announcements.
According to the first TBA booking, on 30
October 2013, the ship would dock overnight
and then return on 03 November, suggesting a
three- or four-night sampler or preview cruise.
Then the port is booked for every 10, 12 or
14 days until January 2018.
It is also possible that the five-year booking
would be used for several ships or to shuffle
around its current fleet’s itineraries.
Meanwhile, Carnival’s various lines have
etched their commitment to Sydney’s cruise
schedule over the next decade.
Pacific Pearl and Jewel (but also Pacific Sun,
which leaves the P&O fleet in July 2012) are
listed through to 2020.
Carnival Spirit, which arrives in nine months,
is locked in until January 2018.
Princess bookings have been made up until
May 2014, and Holland America until April
2015.
When contacted by Cruise Weekly, a
Carnival Australia spokesperson responded:
“Given the fast growing nature of the cruising
industry in Australia, our planning team works
many years ahead to pencil in dates so we
have flexibility in itinerary planning.
“As always, details of final ship movements
will be shared when itineraries are published.”
A spokesperson for Sydney Ports, which
manages the shipping schedules, said it “has a
history of taking TBA bookings” from the
cruise industry, often for several years in
advance.
“Sydney Ports has not received any
information from Carnival Australia about
what ship – current or new – they intend to
berth at OPT for those advanced bookings,”
the spokesperson added.
