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P&O Cruises record 1500 Cruises
P&O Cruises will celebrate a landmark 1500 cruises from Australia and New Zealand when Pacific Star sets sail from Brisbane on Thursday April 5, with the achievement coinciding with the company’s anniversary of 75 years of cruising, started when the 23,000-ton Strathaird operated the first cruise from Sydney in December 1932.
Since Strathaird’s inaugural voyage, which took passengers on a five-night round trip to Norfolk Island and Brisbane, more than two million people have cruised with P&O Cruises and countless more have travelled on liner voyages and other cruises to and from Asia, North America and Europe with P&O Cruises and associated cruise lines, P&O SN Co and Orient Lines.
While all the company’s ships have enjoyed a loyal following over the years, its most famous vessels include Strathaird, which helped pioneered cruising the 1930s, the Himalaya, known for completing the first extensive cruise season in 1968, and the original Oriana, which carried more cruise passengers than any other P&O Cruises’ ship during her time sailing from Australia between 1961 and 1986.
In a testament to the company’s growth, P&O Cruises marks its 75th anniversary this year with the debut of its first superliner, Pacific Dawn.
P&O Cruises will offer more than 89 different voyages in 2007. That number will rise to 110 in 2008, with cruises operating from Auckland, Brisbane, Singapore and Sydney to the South Pacific and Asia.
Fifty years ago, the company offered only 17 voyages, while 25 years ago it operated 32 cruises.
P&O Cruises’ passengers now include couples, families and friends from all States and Territories, with more than 100,000 Australians travelling with P&O Cruises in 2006. The average adult passenger age is 47 and the company carried a record number of families in 2006, accounting for 28% of passengers.
P&O Cruises’ research shows that its extensive kids’ facilities are an important drawcard for families, along with the wide range of entertainment, great dining options and the sheer ease of travelling by ship, which appeals to the young and old alike.
For more information, contact P&O Cruises on 13 24 69 or visit www.pocruises.com.au
Report by The Mole
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