Pacific Dawn has arrived in
Papua New Guinea for the first
of several dedicated cruises.
The cruise line first visited Papua New
Guinea in the 1930s, but P&O had much to
celebrate yesterday with its maiden visit to
Milne Bay capital Alotau.
Eighty years after P&O’s mail steamer Maloja
called on nearby Samurai Island, Brisbanebased
Pacific Dawn made its inaugural call to
the port on Monday morning.
Yesterday’s visit was the first of six scheduled
calls for the cruise line at Alotau over the
coming 18 months.
The country’s Prime Minister Peter O’Neill,
along with the Governor for the Milne Bay
Province Titus Philemon, the ceo of PNG Ports
Stanley Alphonse and the ceo of PNG Tourism
Peter Vincent, joined P&O’s Australian head
and Carnival Australia chief executive officer
Ann Sherry to commemorate the company’s
“first dedicated cruise” to Papua New Guinea.
Sherry said the cruise line was thrilled to
be offering roundtrips to “one of the most
stunning regions in the world”.
“Cruising really is the perfect way to explore
Papua New Guinea’s idyllic beaches and
scenery and discover its ancient customs and
history and I’m pleased to say that from next
year, we’ll also offer cruises from Sydney as
well as Brisbane so more Australians can visit,”
she said.
Pacific Dawn will boost its operations to
Papua New Guinea in November, offering a
second cruise to the destination, while next
year’s season is set to include four cruises from
both Brisbane and Sydney.
