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Carnival SpiritOnly a few days ago, my well-informed global cruise sources told me that some big decisions were being made in Carnival Corporation regarding the potential redeployment of the cruise ships normally allocated to Australia, which are currently laid up.
So, as you would expect I asked Carnival for their views, and here is what I asked on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at 5:52 pm:-
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Could you please comment on the following information received from a very reliable source:-
As a result of the ongoing ban on cruising by foreign-flagged and crewed vessels in Australia, P&O Cruises Australia’s vessels, Pacific Adventure, Pacific Encounter, and Pacific Explorer are going to be deployed elsewhere in the Carnival Corporation fleet globally or any of them disposed of?
Also that the two Carnival Corporation ships Carnival Splendor and Carnival Spirit, both still laid up in Dubai are also going to be deployed elsewhere within the Carnival Cruise Lines or Carnival Corporation fleet or disposed of.
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This is the very speedy response I received the very same day Thursday, 27 January 2022 at 6:47 pm:
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We were happy to send you our media release today regarding our latest pause but we are not proposing to add to it. As to your specific questions, we don’t wish to respond to unfounded speculation, which in respect of both questions is simply wrong!
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I responded the following day Friday 28 January as follows:-
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Noted that you were happy to send me your media release yesterday regarding your latest pause and that you are not proposing to add to it, which I was not asking you to do!
Regarding my specific questions, noted that you don’t wish to respond to what you describe as unfounded speculation, which in respect of both questions you say is simply wrong.
Please appreciate though that the dearth of information from a number of Australian cruise sources and a refusal to answer very simple questions, including by Carnival Australia about what is going on overall in terms of discussions with government, will naturally generate what you describe as unfounded speciation, but it is clearly information we have to investigate…Finally, while you may say the information I provided to you was unfounded speculation, I can advise you that it came from outside Australia and Carnival and from well-informed sources!
As a matter of interest, when I wrote about Crystal being for sale some time ago that was also described as untrue and unfounded speculation or similar!
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So, less than a week later, on Wednesday 2 February, our colleagues at Travel Daily ran this article:————————————–
Carnival Spirit to leave Oz 
Carnival Cruise Line is set to withdraw its Carnival Spirit from the Australian market and instead deploy the vessel out of Jacksonville, Florida, due to the “continued uncertainty of when cruising can resume in Australia”. 
Carnival Senior Cruise Director John Heald announced the move on Facebook this morning, along with a range of other adjustments in vessel deployments. 
The restart of Carnival Sensation is being delayed, and so Carnival Ecstasy will reposition from Jacksonville, Florida to Mobile, Alabama to sail Sensation’s planned itineraries – and then Spirit will sail Ecstasy’s departures effective from 07 Mar, operating four- and five-night voyages to the Bahamas including Nassau, Bimini and Princess Cay. 
Carnival Spirit has been operating in Australia for just under a decade (CW 09 Feb 2012), expanding her initial seasonal deployment to year-round cruising in 2014. 
Carnival Cruise Line recently further extended its local cruising pause (CW 27 Jan), with Spirit sailings off the agenda until 29 May according to the most recent information from the line. 
Previously Carnival had planned to deploy Spirit from the brand new but dormant Brisbane International Cruise Terminal, while Carnival Splendor is set to operate from Sydney in Jun. 
Foreign ships are prohibited from Australian waters due to the Government’s biosecurity ban, with the industry waiting with bated breath to see whether it will be further extended past the 17 Feb deadline. 
Carnival Cruise Line wasn’t able to provide any further details of its plans for Australia before CW’s deadline today.
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Of course, as you would imagine and expect me to, I asked Carnival for clarification as what was described by them as ‘unfounded speculation” in regard to Carnival Cruise Lines or at least one vessel, now appearing to be correct.
I then received the following response this afternoon, Wednesday 2 February from the Public Relations Manager, Carnival Cruise Line Australia:-
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Please see attached media release on our redeployment of Carnival Spirit due to continued uncertainty on the resumption of cruising in Australia. At the time of your enquiry with my colleagues, no formal decision had been made and so we stand by their comment that we did not wish to add to speculation at that time. 
CARNIVAL SPIRIT DEPLOYED TO JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA DUE TO THE CONTINUED UNCERTAINTY OF CRUISING IN AUSTRALIA
SYDNEY, 02 February 2022 –
Due to the overwhelming success of the resumption of cruising in the U.S and the continued uncertainty in Australia with operations still on pause, Carnival Spirit will be deployed to Jacksonville, Florida to commence cruising from March 7, 2022.
Carnival Cruise Line looks forward to resuming guest operations in Australia when government officials can provide clarity.
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I don’t think anyone would blame any company within Carnival Corporation or any other cruise company for redeploying laid-up vessels elsewhere, while the Australian government continues to procrastinate.
In the meantime though, with my sources’ comments described by Carnival as “unfounded speculation” but actually proving to be totally the opposite, actually very well-founded, not speculation at all and actually correct, regarding at least one Carnival Cruise Lines vessel, could they also be correct regarding other Carnival vessels, including P&O’s?
Carnival may well also dismiss this as “unfounded speculation”, but I leave you to draw your own conclusions.
Written by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor