With the introduction of Pacific Pearl, P&O’s Australasian fleet now boasts four ships with a total passenger capacity of 7672 berths.
The 63,500-tonne liner, which carries 1800 passengers, was formerly Ocean Village and joins Pacific Jewel, her former sister ship Ocean Village 2.
Pacific Sun (built in 1986) and Pacific Dawn (1991) complete the Australasian fleet.
Amongst ship features are a giant poolside entertainment screen, P&O Cruises’ largest-ever teen centre and a swim-up bar.
After a summer operating out of Sydney, Pacific Pearl relocates to Auckland in April
Welcoming Pacific Pearl to Sydney, Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, said the company expects to carry 300,000 passengers in 2011; a fivefold increase in a little over ten years and a doubling of capacity in the last two.
Another trend has been the introduction of younger ships which have been redeployed from other Carnival Corporation fleets.
The workhouse of the P&O Australia, Fairstar was 44 years old when she was retired, only to be replaced by an equally elderly vessel, Fair Princess.
That changed when, in 2000, the 16-year-old Sky Princess joined the fleet as Pacific Sky. The average age of P&O’s Australian ships is now a little under 20 years.
By Philip Thorniley
