NEWS UPDATE: Disney to Oz, P&O Itinerary Change, Second Carnival Ship Coming this year & Crew Issues

Join my private Facebook group for cruise deals, tips and advice - the more members we have, the better we’ll get! www.facebook.com/groups/CTGdeals Follow me on Facebook and Instagram: www.facebook.com/thecruiseandtravelguy www.instragram.com/thecruiseandtravelguy Head to my website for great cruise and travel deals: www.thecruiseandtravelguy.com.au Brisbane officially opened its brand new international cruise terminal on June 2nd, with the P&O flagship, Pacific Explorer being the first cruise ship to dock at the new facility. You can watch a tour of the terminal on my channel. To mark the occasion, dignitaries were in attendance including P&O and Carnival Australia president Marguerite Fitzgerald and QLD State Premier Anastasia Palsczuk. The opening comes almost 5 years after construction began, and around 2 years after construction finished. It’s expected that the new terminal will help to attract the world’s newest and largest ships to the region. Coral Princess has already docked at the new port, and she is currently undertaking a couple of test cruises exclusively with Carnival Australia employees onboard, the first departing on June 9th and the second on June 11th. She will commence guest operations on June 16th. Around the world, crew shortages continue to wreak havoc on the cruise industry with immigration restrictions responsible for the cancellation of cruises on a multitude of cruise lines. The most recent victim is Virgin Voyages. Overnight, the cruise line announced that Resilient Lady’s launch has been delayed until May 2023. Guests affected by the cancellation are being offered a very generous 200% future cruise credit plus a free cruise in 2022 on another of the line’s ships *EXCL TAXES/FEES, or the choice of a refund. The cancellations don’t affect Resilient Lady’s Australian debut, she is still going to sail from Melbourne in December 2023. Norwegian Cruise Line’s Pride of America has had to reduce passenger numbers on its sailings as a direct result of limited crew numbers and Carnival cruises have limited the number of dining options available fleet wide so as to contend with crew limitations. Locally, P&O Australia seems to have dodged these issues. Long ago I mentioned that Carnival Australia committed to bringing a second ship to the Australian market to replace the much loved Carnival Spirit. The new ship will be home ported in Brisbane and we were promised that more news about the ship would come by mid year, but we’re still waiting. In a recent development though, Carnival have announced that not only is the ship still coming, but that she’ll actually resume service from Brisbane before the end of the year. We’re still waiting to find out what ship it’ll be, but the news should help quell the thirst of Carnival lovers around the country. In more exciting news, family favourite Disney Cruise Line has made it very clear that they intend to base one of their ships in Australia in the coming years. The growth of their fleet from 4 ships to 6 over the next couple of years will mean that the cruise line can expand into the lucrative Australian market. There’s really nothing quite like the cruise line and Disney fanatics and families alike will no doubt jump at the chance to experience a Disney product so close to home. P&O this week announced this week that its Pacific Islands cruise due to depart on September 5th has had an itinerary change. Citing ongoing uncertainties in the South Pacific region, P&O have switched the cruise over to a Queensland coastal voyage with stops in Moreton Island, Airlie Beach and Cairns. Affected guests can remain on the voyage or cancel their booking for a full refund. And finally, according to the Cruise Ships in Service Report from Cruise Industry News, there are now 365 cruise ships sailing the world’s oceans as of this month with Royal Caribbean, Carnival and Norwegian Cruise Line offering cruises across their entire fleets. Thanks for watching!