Why was there TWO P&O Cruises? How come the two P&O’s were so different?

A P&O Cruise in Australia was VERY DIFFERENT to a P&O Cruise in the UK! Although the two brands share the same name and same house flag, there are so many differences between the two P&O Cruise experiences. These differences range from the interior style and decor of their cruise ships, to formality and the ambiance on board. And even the hull art and branding on the P&O cruise ships is different. But why is this? -- ▶ SUBSCRIBE for regular cruise ship updates & maritime history: https://bit.ly/38BR2DK ▶ FOLLOW ME on Instagram: https://bit.ly/3qg1AOR ▶ CONNECT WITH ME on Facebook: https://bit.ly/39sBKQP ▶ CHECK OUT my Cunard history website: https://www.chriscunard.com/ ▶ LEARN MORE about me: https://www.chrisframe.com.au/ ▶ READ: Maritime History Books (I am the co-author of these books): https://bit.ly/3nISs3w #notsponsored ▶ COLOUR IN: The P&O Colouring Book: https://bit.ly/2O2L9r9 (I am the co-author of these books): https://bit.ly/3nISs3w #notsponsored -- From the late 1980s we start to see two distinct brands forming. P&O in the UK offered cruises with Canberra, expanding in the 1990s with the addition of Oriana, Victoria and Arcadia. In the Southern Hemisphere, Fairstar was eventually replaced by the larger Fair Princess in 1997. When Sky Princess was transferred to the newly rebranded P&O Australia in 2000, she wore a new blue livery with distinctive yellow font on the funnel. From here we see the two brands diverge further. P&O Cruises UK received the bulk of the attention, with new build Aurora entering service in 2000. 2002 also saw Adonia and Oceana join the P&O UK fleet – having transferred from Princess. The 2003 merger of Carnival and P&O Princess coincided with a boom in Australian cruising. As such, the P&O Australia fleet expanded, with Pacific Sun and Pacific Star – two former Carnival Cruise Line ships – joining the fleet. While P&O Cruises UK has had plenty of new builds in recent years; including both Ventura and Azura, P&O Australia has never yet received a purpose built cruise ship. For example, at its peak of 5 ships in 2015, the Pacific Dawn was the former Regal Princess, Pacific Jewel was the former Crown Princess, Pacific Pearl was the former Arcadia, while Pacific Eden and Pacific Aria were originally Statendam and Ryndam for Holland America Line! Today, both brands still share the same name, and the same house flag. But the experience on the two P&O Cruises brands is worlds apart. P&O Australia has a fleet of three ships – all former Princess Cruises vessels – but they’ve been treated to massive refits to “Australianise” them in preparation for cruising to resume in 2021. On the other hand, P&O UK has a custom-built fleet of a six ships. This includes their brand new $950m flagship – Iona. And, there’s a second new build in the works – Arvia – due in late 2022. Having sailed as a guest lecturer with both brands, I’d say that P&O Australia is fun, casual, welcoming and friendly. It’s a relaxing, stress free holiday and very, very local - nearly every guest on board lives in Australia or New Zealand. The on board currency is Australian dollars and the ships are all home ported in Australia or New Zealand. On the other hand, P&O Cruises UK ships are based in Southampton, offering year round voyages for the UK market. The brand offers a higher level of luxury and formality than its Aussie cousin; providing a more refined and a noticeably British experience, with the on board currency in British Pounds. -- ▶IMAGE THANKS: Rob Henderson & Doug Cremer / Henderson & Cremer Collection, and Gavin Harper - many thanks for your support! ▶ MUSIC: YouTube Audio (and the bird outside my window). #cruiseship #cruisenews #cruiseline