More P&O Cruises growth on the horizon

Friday, 12 Apr, 2010 0

The P&O Cruises’ fleet is set to grow in the future but any new ships will be no bigger than newly launched £380 million Azura.

The addition of the 3,100-passenger vessel brings the British market leader up to seven ships.

David Dingle, CEO of parent company Carnival UK, predicted that the number of UK cruise passengers will rise from 1.5 million to 2.5 million in five years time.

Speaking at the launch of Azura in Southampton at the weekend, he said: “I think that in the long term the UK market can absorb more P&O Cruises’ ships.”

But 115,000-tonne Azura will be the last in its current class of ship – alongside sister vessel Ventura.

“A ship of this size is the largest we will have for P&O Cruises. It is a very big ship. I don’t see that we need a ship any bigger than this,” said Dingle.

He added that whenever the company added capacity, it filled each new ship, helped by the fact at more than one in five cruises sold in the UK are for P&O Cruises.

Carnival Corporation president and CEO Micky Arison would not be drawn on potential future capacity for the UK line other than to say that P&O Cruises’ management would have to compete against other brands in the organisation for the capital expenditure for any further new builds from 2013-14.

P&O Cruises is replacing small ship Artemis next year with 710-passenger Adonia, which is being transferred from US sister line Princess Cruises where it us currently operating as Royal Princess.

*See separate Azura naming story and pictures.

Azura’s godmother

Darcey Bussell

by Phil Davies

Phil Davies

Swallows and Amazons is a Brazilian adventure tour company run by the husband and wife team of Tania and Mark...

With long periods of Thailand’s History, according to evidences and studies, Sukhothai was the first kingdom of Thailand. At that time, an early Thai...

At Visit California, our mission is to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry...

Our Mission Ecommerce has transformative powers, and we believe everyone should be able to take part. But outdated solutions and...

Wonderful Indonesia Indonesia is a country blessed with countless wonders. What makes this country unique is its diverse culture and...

Jet2.com is the UK’s third largest airline, flying from ten UK airports to more than 60 destinations across Europe and beyond....

MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is an S&P 500® global entertainment company with national and international locations featuring best-in-class hotels...

SOUTH AUSTRALIA. FOR THOSE WHO WANT A LITTLE MORE. South Australia. It’s a beautiful place. A place for the restless,...

Discover Sarawak Revealing a side of Asia unlike anywhere else, Sarawak offers an alternative for those seeking humble authenticity far...

The Mexico Tourism Board serves as the driving force behind Mexico’s global appeal, orchestrating targeted marketing campaigns to showcase the...

In 2019, Buffalo Tours and Olympus Tours joined the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG) family and formed Discova. With the...

Take your clients’ vacation to the next level at Universal Orlando Resort™. With three amazing theme parks – Universal Studios...

We work with reliable data providers with global coverage, that guarantee data representativeness as well as compliance with International Personal...