When Seatrade Cruise News asked if the new owner is part of Carnival Corp. & plc, a spokeswoman said ‘Sorry, the details are confidential.’
The official statement said ‘the commercial transfer’ of the 1,800-passenger ship is part of a fleet renewal with the addition of Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden at the end of last year, the addition of Pacific Explorer next year and a new ship being built specifically for the Australian market to be delivered in 2019.
P&O Cruises Australia president Sture Myrmell said Pacific Pearl’s final voyage for the company will depart Auckland on March 27, 2017, for Singapore.
In that time she will have completed 294 cruises under the P&O banner and will have carried more than half a million passengers over a period of more than five years’ service.
Pacific Pearl was the first cruise ship to be homeported in New Zealand, growing the local market by more than 20% over the past four years. This year the company will sail from Auckland for a record 140 days.
The former Ocean Village One, Pacific Pearl was renamed in Auckland on December 19, 2010, and moved to Sydney after an extended southern summer season in New Zealand.
Following Pacific Pearl’s departure, Pacific Jewel will be based in Auckland for two months from September 1, 2017, and will return again in 2018.
