In 2012-13, P&O will homeport
Pacific Sun in Melbourne,
add new ports of call in SA,
and offer more short cruises.
VICTORIAN RESIDENTS CAN LOOK FORWARD TO
cruising from their doorstep, with P&O
announcing that seven cruises will depart
from Melbourne in summer 2012-13.
A further 119 voyages will be offered from
Sydney, Brisbane, Fremantle and Auckland,
but no longer from Newcastle, where the
last P&O cruise departs next March.
“We haven’t built Newcastle into this latest
program as a homeport as we keep testing
new markets and growing the cruise sector,”
a P&O spokesperson told Cruise Weekly.
“We think Newcastle, as the gateway to
some fantastic tourist drawcards in the
Hunter, will ultimately find its place as a
popular transit port for both local and visiting
international ships in the years to come.”
The switch to Melbourne allows P&O “to
mix up its offering” the spokesperson added.
“Now that we have four ships in the fleet
we can offer a broader range of sailings
from a wider range of home-ports, and we
felt the time was right to offer some summer
cruises from Melbourne including holidays
to Tasmania and New Zealand.”
The program also features two new ports
of call, with Pacific Sun visiting Port Lincoln
and pristine Kangaroo Island in South
Australia on a coastal cruise.
The program also offers 24 “short breaks”
of less than a week, including more comedy
and food/wine cruises.
Meanwhile, Fremantle will welcome back
Pacific Sun for cruises to WA and Asia.
Brisbane will see 36 cruises onboard
Pacific Dawn and Sun, to the Pacific Islands
and Queensland coastline, and Pacific Pearl
will return to Auckland.
Sydney highlights include a four-night
Christmas shopping cruise to Melbourne,
and an Australia Day long weekend cruise.
Special voyages are also planned to
witness the total solar eclipse in November
2012, and to celebrate the 80th anniversary
of P&O cruises in Australia.
All cruises, operating between June 2012
and April 2013, go on sale from next
Thursday (31 March).
Fares start at $749 per person (quad
share) and for more info, call 13 24 94 or
visit www.pocruises.com.au.
CW’S Barry Matheson spoke to Jenny
Lourey about the new program, to see the
interview visit youtube.com/cruiseweekly.
