PO Australia getting a new ship

[Brisbane41]

Actually P&O have done an amazing job in the Australian market. They manage to charge more for their cruises while still filling their ships and having an massive expansion of size of the fleet within a few years. The fact that a cruise line within such a small market is getting a brand new ship is incredible and shows how well the line is going. There is only one competitor in the market. The others are not competitors, as they are owned by the exact same company. Competition is a good thing for everyone, even more cruise lines by the one company is good, as it gives more people experiences in cruising and while some may like some styles, they may like others. If they weren't doing well they wouldn't still be here. Their "game changers" was to do with the new style of the ships which is completely different to the other 3 P&O ships, and I am guessing those two ships where test runs for the new ships design.

 

Secondly how is Carnival Crop failing. I hardly see how P&O Aus, Costa and Princess booming says they are failing. These three lines have had a massive increase in size within the last few years. While almost the only ships the company have lost are ones that are too old to keep.

 

 

In regards to size 140 000 has been found to be the most profitable for cruise lines. Anything smaller and the cost of fuel and crew causes profits to go down, anything more and the ship being overly difficult to run, due to being too large. This is according to a few Royal Caribbean Officers (who help in the organisation of the line and not just the specific ship) on recent cruises.

 

You have to count the internal company ships as competition because there are many a passenger who will sail on Princess but will not be seen dead, alive or in any form on P&O Australia.

 

I think your 140,000 ton quote is BS and from people not in the know. In the early days ships were built below this tonnage yet the cruise lines managed to make such a significant profit they could invest in larger and more innovative ships.

 

The expansion of the P&O Australia fleet is only in response to the competition basing ships here. They underestimated Australians desire to cruise. It is not because they are popular or great it is more coincidental to the fact that Royal Caribbean sailed in and took over.

 

Unfortunately there are some who cruise who do not know the difference between ships and cruise lines and will book on any and find out the hard way. Getting hand-me-down ships is not something to be proud of in my opinion. If it were Princess getting them could you imagine the uproar.

 

In answer to your post P&O Australia's expansion is "responsive" to the completion and not due to popularity/demand.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Brisbane41

[Royalty X]

Princess, etc may not get "hand-me-downs" as you put it, but we've still been given the oldest ships in the Princess fleet for years.

 

Royal Caribbean have given us some great ships, but once again, they are the oldest of each class... Legend - oldest Vision class, Radiance - oldest Radiance class, Voyager and Explorer - two oldest of the Voyager class. It's only now that they've decided to send us Ovation.

 

P&O has consistently increased their fleet as demand grew. If anything, it's probably Carnival Corp who underestimated the market. Only now are they sending bigger and newer Princess ships. Australia has never had a brand new ship. Even Ovation doesn't count because she's doing so few itineraries when she's here. This will be a brand new ship, built for and based in Australia.

[Cruise ship fan]

You have to count the internal company ships as competition because there are many a passenger who will sail on Princess but will not be seen dead, alive or in any form on P&O Australia.

 

I think your 140,000 ton quote is BS and from people not in the know. In the early days ships were built below this tonnage yet the cruise lines managed to make such a significant profit they could invest in larger and more innovative ships.

 

The expansion of the P&O Australia fleet is only in response to the competition basing ships here. They underestimated Australians desire to cruise. It is not because they are popular or great it is more coincidental to the fact that Royal Caribbean sailed in and took over.

 

Unfortunately there are some who cruise who do not know the difference between ships and cruise lines and will book on any and find out the hard way. Getting hand-me-down ships is not something to be proud of in my opinion. If it were Princess getting them could you imagine the uproar.

 

In answer to your post P&O Australia's expansion is "responsive" to the completion and not due to popularity/demand.

 

Seriously. You really have no idea how business work. If Princess was taking passengers from P&O, they wouldn't expand P&O top try and compete. That would be the dumbest thing imaginable. The only one they need to compete against in such a way is Royal.

 

Also you can make money out of ships of other sizes but 140 000 has been found to be the sweet spot. As the more passengers you fit on a ship the more money they can make as the running cost per person are smaller on larger ships. However if you go too large the ship is too hard to use, aka the Oasis which is very restricted. Why do you think so many cruise lines are making ships all around 140 000. There is a reason. A line would not spend $1 Billion on a cruise line that is not guaranteed to sell well. They would be more likely to give the new ship to another line and then more one of their ships over.

 

Also your expectations of a cruise line with out sailing on them, is wrong. Having sailed on several lines many times, I can say I have actually seen the worst crowds on Royal. As well as had the worst experience on Royal.

 

Lastly if you hate P&O so much by are you in a thread about P&O.

[Brisbane41]

Princess, etc may not get "hand-me-downs" as you put it, but we've still been given the oldest ships in the Princess fleet for years.

 

Princess has been sending us brand new ships for years. In 2003 the Star Princess arrived in Sydney for a season of cruising. The next year in 2004 the brand new Sapphire Princess arrived then in 2005 it was back and in 2006 the also new Diamond Princess arrived.

 

The only reason Princess seem to base Sun, Dawn and Sea Princess here for a full time season (their oldest ships as you put it) is because Australians tend to embrace mediocrity.

 

Funny thing is that all those international guests who come here to join the brand new ships would not give P&O Australia the time of day or even look at the line seriously.

[Brisbane41]

Seriously. You really have no idea how business work. If Princess was taking passengers from P&O, they wouldn't expand P&O top try and compete. That would be the dumbest thing imaginable. The only one they need to compete against in such a way is Royal.

 

Also you can make money out of ships of other sizes but 140 000 has been found to be the sweet spot. As the more passengers you fit on a ship the more money they can make as the running cost per person are smaller on larger ships. However if you go too large the ship is too hard to use, aka the Oasis which is very restricted. Why do you think so many cruise lines are making ships all around 140 000. There is a reason. A line would not spend $1 Billion on a cruise line that is not guaranteed to sell well. They would be more likely to give the new ship to another line and then more one of their ships over.

 

Also your expectations of a cruise line with out sailing on them, is wrong. Having sailed on several lines many times, I can say I have actually seen the worst crowds on Royal. As well as had the worst experience on Royal.

 

Lastly if you hate P&O so much by are you in a thread about P&O.

 

My point being from the start that Royal Caribbean is so established here now in the Australian market that a brand new ship will not be enough to win over passengers from Royal Caribbean. The new ship for P&O Australia is a last ditch attempt to revive its fortunes.

 

Royal Caribbean became so established here because P&O Australia neglected to take advantage of Australians love for cruising years ago when they had the chance.

 

P&O Australia was so bad it took a private charter of a Royal Caribbean ship to come to our shores that alerted their management that Australians are crying out for something great. Royal Caribbean invested in us and their investment paid off with them basing some of their largest ships here. Even the older ships Royal Caribbean send here are more modern than the hand-me-downs P&O Australia operate. Personally I would not consider anything build around the year 2000 mark as old just yet.

[Royalty X]

The only reason Princess seem to base Sun, Dawn and Sea Princess here for a full time season (their oldest ships as you put it) is because Australians tend to embrace mediocrity.

Oh, so it's really just Australians you have a problem with? Let me guess, you're Australian, but due to your superior intellect, education and cruise ship hobby resulting in you knowing more than anyone else (ie. due to you thinking you're better than everyone else), you don't embrace mediocrity like the rest of us? You're pretty special Tony, aren't you?

[icat2000]

 

The only reason Princess seem to base Sun, Dawn and Sea Princess here for a full time season (their oldest ships as you put it) is because Australians tend to embrace mediocrity.

 

.

No. Its more that Australians love the three sun girls. They like the size of the ships. I have cruised several times on all three of them. Sure they a little bit older. However, some of the friendliest crew I have encountered in all my cruising history have been on those ships.

 

You need to seriously quit with the generalisations.

Edited January 2, 2016 by icat2000

[Kiwi Kruzer]

And if hes slugging his Australian countrymen for liking the Sun Class , he might as well kick the Americans in the teeth as well. There was outrage in the States when those ships were transferred here as they had a huge following up there . We were very fortunate to get such great and popular ships in our waters.

I wonder if anything will please our superior cruiser?

 

 

 

[Royalty X]

No. Its more that Australians love the three sun girls. They like the size of the ships. I have cruised several times on all three of them. Sure they a little bit older. However, some of the friendliest crew I have encountered in all my cruising history have been on those ships.

There you go again Sarah, settling for mediocrity... ;):D

[icat2000]

There you go again Sarah, settling for mediocrity... ;):D

I know which ships to sail on now :D

[Greensteam]

Well I don't have a problem with P&O, I've got two cruise booked this year. I must be just an average Joe. Give me a beer in the afternoon and I'm happy.

[jessica3152]

What great news that we Aussies will be allocated a NEW ship. Something many people have been almost demanding for some time now. I'm not going to knock P&O, they do have a few issues to work through but they also have a few years to lift their game before the new ship arrives.

I agree. People whinged when we kept getting older ships and now they whinge when we get anew ship. We used to think the Poms were whingers; we seem to be challenging them. I say well done to Ann Sherry etc for finally convincing Carnival management in Miami that P&O Aust is successful enough to deserve a new ship.

 

I just happen to be a person who has studied and read about ships since I was primary school age. I know a lot more about cruise ships than any travel agent in the industry. I know my interest. Cruise ships are a hobby to me. Travel is a hobby to me. I have a wealth of information about cruise ships and how to pick the right cruise. You just have to accept that there are people in the world that have specific tastes as to what they really like in ships and cruising.

Your change of name has not changed your insufferable sense of superiority You may cruise a lot but I just hope I never have to share a table with you; you may be the one thing that makes me seasick.

 

It is not because they are popular or great it is more coincidental to the fact that Royal Caribbean sailed in and took over.

RCI is still a token presence only in Australia compared to Carnival Corp. Your statement that it has taken over the Australian market has no basis in reality.

[Hobart18]

Hi,

This is just to let you know that the Port Melbourne has been under going a major upgrade with billions being spent on an upgrade to our docking facilities. They have been dredging, making the channels deeper, building new docking facilities so they can accommodate the larger container shipping and cruise liners, this is an ongoing project, unfortunately when I inquired about Princess Pier being finally being fully re developed they advised that it is not now part of the Port Melbourne Port Authority jurisdiction. From what I read in the papers the government of the day is trying to sell the Ports of Melbourne to who knows who, I think they are selling off the only remaining asset the state of Victoria owns. I think at one stage they were thinking of building a tunnel under the sea between Victoria and Tasmania, maybe building a train line as well.

[dizzy1948]

Hi,

I think at one stage they were thinking of building a tunnel under the sea between Victoria and Tasmania, maybe building a train line as well.

 

That's an interesting concept - that would be 10 times longer (give or take a km or two) than the "Chunnel" UK to France - and that was no mean feat.

[Brisbane41]

And if hes slugging his Australian countrymen for liking the Sun Class , he might as well kick the Americans in the teeth as well. There was outrage in the States when those ships were transferred here as they had a huge following up there . We were very fortunate to get such great and popular ships in our waters.

I wonder if anything will please our superior cruiser?

 

 

 

 

For the record I have sailed on the Sun Princess once and the Dawn Princess twice. My personal thoughts on them is that they are alright for short voyages only but I would not book them for a long voyage and they are totally unsuitable for world cruises.

 

If you sail on something like the Aurora and Oriana which were designed for long voyages and then sail on any Sun class which dimensionally are exactly the same you will realise what I mean.

 

Passenger number wise the Sun class are actually more crowded than the original Grand class if you look at the passengers space ratio.

[GUT2407]

That's an interesting concept - that would be 10 times longer (give or take a km or two) than the "Chunnel" UK to France - and that was no mean feat.

 

 

Not holding my breath on that one.

 

Who'd foot the bill for one.

[Vader1111]

Princess, etc may not get "hand-me-downs" as you put it, but we've still been given the oldest ships in the Princess fleet for years.

 

Royal Caribbean have given us some great ships, but once again, they are the oldest of each class... Legend - oldest Vision class, Radiance - oldest Radiance class, Voyager and Explorer - two oldest of the Voyager class. It's only now that they've decided to send us Ovation.

 

P&O has consistently increased their fleet as demand grew. If anything, it's probably Carnival Corp who underestimated the market. Only now are they sending bigger and newer Princess ships. Australia has never had a brand new ship. Even Ovation doesn't count because she's doing so few itineraries when she's here. This will be a brand new ship, built for and based in Australia.

To be fair, Legend was chosen for a very specific reason - it's the only ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet which is small enough to navigate the Brisbane River to dock at Portside. All of their other ships are too large and are forced to dock at the Grain Terminal when they visit Brisbane. That's an annoying inconvenience for a port visit, it's just not a viable option if you're doing passenger turnaround operations (i.e. basing the ship there for 6 months of the year).

[Royalty X]

To be fair, Legend was chosen for a very specific reason - it's the only ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet which is small enough to navigate the Brisbane River to dock at Portside. All of their other ships are too large and are forced to dock at the Grain Terminal when they visit Brisbane. That's an annoying inconvenience for a port visit, it's just not a viable option if you're doing passenger turnaround operations (i.e. basing the ship there for 6 months of the year).

Oh, I realise that. I'm not bagging Legend at all. I think she's lovely, but was just pointing something out to our mate. :)

[Bella cruiser]

Fortunately for myself I posses a superior level of intellect so high that I have the ability to perceive in advance what I will like and not like. When I look at booking a cruise I look at the demographic that the cruise line markets to and make an informed choice if it will suit me or not. That level of sophistication when knowing what I like and what demographic the cruise line caters do has enabled me to sail with P&O UK, Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and enjoy what the lines have to offer.

 

Some say that you need to experience something to judge it, well let me challenge you with this. You don't have to fly with RyanAir to know its crap and you don't have to physically smoke a cigarette to know that it is bad for you. When you apply that logic to making informed judgments about things then picking a cruise becomes so much more easier.

 

So sticking to the topic in hand I know that P&O Australia is not the demographic that I chose to associate with and as a result new ship or even my favourite recycled ships I have no desire to sail with that line. The new ship will not draw me to P&O Australia.

 

Lol, that's hilarious, best post I've seen from you in any of your many of equally narcissistic, intellectually superior alter egos.

 

Looks like it's still safe to cruise P&O. 😀

[Bella cruiser]

For years people have been complaining that P&O Australia only get hand me downs, now we are getting a new build, I think that's exciting. :) Although, personally, this ship will be a bit too big for my taste.

 

The news release has stated that the new ship will be an upgraded 'Dream class' to be built at Fincateiri in Italy. This class is a bit bigger than I would have expected to be targeted at the Aussie market as tendering will be a challenge, I'll be very interested to see itineraries.

[CroNich]

I wish it was based on the Royal Model from Princess cruises but more family orientated, oh well a new ship should be excited non the less

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I am thrilled that a new ship is coming to Australia.

However lot of water has to pass under the bridge before it arrives , so I am not holding my breath in anticipation. My bet is that it was probably on order for cruising in the Med, but now that the Med area is unstable they looked around for someone else to send it.

When it does come I am predicting the exit of some of the existing fleet...pehaps up to the gambling market in Asia.

We have seen new ships being ordered before for specific lines in the Carnival group, but by the time they are launched they appear under a different umbrella.

 

Perhaps if they named it "Canberra" we would know for sure it was destined for us.:)

 

[Antonintassie]

4200 passenger sheep ship way to big for most Pacific and Regional Aust /NZ ports

[GUT2407]

4200 passenger sheep ship way to big for most Pacific and Regional Aust /NZ ports

 

Yep 2,500 too many for most ports, then you add a % of the crew.

 

Towns are overrun and tendering is a real pain.

[Brisbane41]

4200 passenger sheep ship way to big for most Pacific and Regional Aust /NZ ports

 

That is the problem isn't it. I have traveled far and wide around the world to hard to reach destinations and have only recently done the South Pacific for the first time in December. I went to Noumea, Lifou and Isle of Pines. It is a destination more suited for less passengers and not crowds when you factor in tender ports. Paying the $15 at Jinek bay was actually enough to keep the crowds away in Lifou.

 

My personal opinion is that those Islands are a tropical paradise. They put the great barrier reef to shame. I really want to do more short cruises to the Islands now but am faced with a dilemma of what ships to pick.

 

Voyager and Explorer are too big. Radiance is a great size which I was on but too many kids in early December.

 

I am contemplating Princess such as Golden out of Melbourne but I don't like the "dumbed down" Australian style I experienced in it on the re positioning. The only other ship I would seriously consider for the Islands at this stage is the Celebrity Solstice. Even though it is large there is normally less families and children crowding it out due to being priced out.