Pacific Jewel to Leave P&O Cruises’ Fleet

Cruise company P&O Cruises Australia will be bidding farewell to one of its older vessels, Pacific Jewel, as part of its commitment to refresh the fleet.

As informed, Pacific Jewel’s final cruise will be on February 24, 2019, before being transferred to a new operator following its sale.

The 1990-built vessel will leave the P&O Cruises fleet in March 2019, by which time it will have served the brand for almost ten years.

The company said that it will welcome a second Grand Class ship to its fleet. Carrying more than 3,100 passengers, Star Princess will join its sister ship, Golden Princess, in the P&O Cruises Australia fleet from the end of 2021.

Star Princess will replace the considerably smaller Pacific Jewel which can carry around 2,000 passengers and crew.

Sture Myrmell, President of P&O Cruises and Carnival Australia, said welcoming two Grand Class ships — Star Princess and Golden Princess — was part of the evolution of the P&O Cruises fleet. In September last year, P&O Cruises announced its plan to renew its fleet over time.

Myrmell said P&O Cruises would continue to base ships year-round in its key homeports of Sydney and Brisbane as well as offering seasonal sailings from other Australian states and New Zealand.

A transformed Golden Princess will join the P&O Cruises fleet in October 2020 while its sister ship, Star Princess, will join P&O Cruises at the end of 2021.