In a shock announcement, P&O Cruises Australia and Princess Cruises have announced further pauses in its cruises from Australia, irrespective of any ongoing government ban on cruising.
P&O Cruises Australia’s pause extension applies to cruises departing from Sydney and Brisbane by a further month, but in a surprise move, it has cancelled its full Melbourne season.
The additional pause for Brisbane and Sydney will be until mid-January 2021 , with P&O claiming this will give guests greater confidence in planning their Christmas and New Year holidays because of the uncertainty around the return of cruising.
P&O Cruises Australia says that this is a voluntary pause and will apply to cruises scheduled to depart from 18 December, 2021 through to 14 January, 2022 (for Brisbane) and 18 January, 2022 (for Sydney).
In cancelling its full Melbourne season, P&O Cruises Australia said its Melbourne summer season, was no longer feasible to deliver because of the latest extension.
P&O Cruises senior vice-president Sture Myrmell
P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell said, “We recognise this is disappointing for our guests who were looking forward to cruising with friends and family over Christmas and New Year, however, we wanted to make this announcement as early as possible to ensure they could plan with certainty for the holiday period,”
He added, “I would like to once again thank our guests for their loyalty and support”, and “We look forward to the day when we can welcome guests back onboard to celebrate these special events on the holiday calendar.”
P&O Cruises Australia also recently announced that it intented to resume domestic operations with cruises for fully vaccinated guests and crew, with Myrmell saying, “Governments have made it very clear that vaccination thresholds are the key to ending lockdowns, border restrictions and, ultimately, re-opening Australia. And part of returning to normal society is ensuring that the more than one million Australians who choose a cruise holiday each year have the opportunity to do so again”.
He added, “Unfortunately, we are not yet clear on the requirements from governments and public health authorities for a phased return of domestic cruising but we remain hopeful these conversations will gather pace now there is real momentum around society re-opening.”
Guests whose bookings have been affected will be notified of the pause and options available either directly or via their appointed travel agent.
Global Travel Media has repeatedly invited Mr Myrmell to an interview, but all requests to date have been declined.
Guests can track the progress of their future cruise credit or refund requests via the tracking tool found on P&O’s website at www.pocruises.com.au.
Princess Cruises, says that it is extending its pause in cruise vacations in Australia/New Zealand to January 27, 2022, due to the uncertainty around the return of cruising in the region, with as a result of the pause extension, Coral Princess voyages through January 17 are cancelled and Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess seasons through to March 2022 are being cancelled.
Deanna Austin, Princess Cruises Chief Commercial Officer said, “It became apparent we would not be able to deliver planned deployment of Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess in Australia before they were due to start their published northern hemisphere voyages,” adding, “We recognise that guests planning cruises over the popular summer and new year holiday period will be particularly disappointed with the changes, however, we wanted to give guests as much notice as possible so they could plan their holidays with certainty.”
For guests booked on a cancelled cruise, they have the option to move to an equivalent cruise. The rebooking process will have the added benefit of protecting the guests’ fare on their replacement cruise. Alternatively, guests can choose a future cruise credit (FCC) equivalent to 100% of the cruise fare paid plus an additional non-refundable bonus FCC equal to 10% of the cruise fare paid (minimum $25 USD) or a full refund to the original form of payment.
Requests must be received through this online form by October 31, 2021, or guests will automatically receive the FCC option. FCCs can be used on any cruises booked by December 31, 2022, and sailing by April 30, 2023.
Princess will protect travel agent commission on bookings that were paid in full in recognition of the critical role they play in the cruise line’s business and success.
The most current information and instructions for booked guests affected by these cancellations, and more information on FCCs and refunds, can be found online at Information on Impacted & Cancelled Cruises.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor.
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