Carnival Cruise Line Doubles Ships in Australia for Spring, Summer 2025

UPDATED: March 28, 2025 at 10:30 a.m. 

Carnival Cruise Line has added two more ships to its fleet in Australia with the addition of P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter ships, which have been rebranded as Carnival ships to double the opportunities for travelers to sail in Australia this season. 

The renamed Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter were refurbished during a two-week wet dock period in March. The Carnival Adventure will sail year-round from Sydney along with the Carnival Splendor, while the Carnival Encounter will sail year-round from Brisbane. The Carnival Luminosa will also port from Brisbane for the summer season.

Both ships retain P&O dining and entertainment favorites, like the Byron Beach Club and Luke’s Bar & Grill, with some of Carnival’s “Fun Ship” experiences added. New experiences include the cruise line’s Fun Squad, who will entertain and run fun games for all ages, the Turtles Kids Club for children under two, free daily pizza and Carnival activities like 80s-themed Rock and Glow nights. 

The ships' rebrand and relaunch come after the June, 2024 announcement that P&O Cruises Australia would be shutting down this month. Since it's owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, an agreement led to the cruise line's absorption into Carnival Cruise Line. 

The two ships also increase Carnival's fleet to the biggest its ever been, with 29 ships sailing the high seas around the world. 

"Our expansion in Australia demonstrates incredible enthusiasm for our brand and we're grateful to our loyal guests who continue to drive our ongoing growth, solidifying Carnival as the world's most popular cruise line," said Christine Duffy, president of Carnival Cruise Line. "Doubling the fun in our Australia homeports enables us to deliver more sailing options, offer more variety and deepen our partnerships in the Sydney and Brisbane communities."

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