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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Business
Elias Visontay and Jonathan Barrett

Budget cruising isn’t dead – but the closure of P&O Cruises makes market sense

PO Carnival Cruises Australia United States Carnival Corporation Carnival Cruise Lines PO Cruises Australia
P&O cruise liner Pacific Eden is seen docked at White Bay in Sydney
It’s the end of an era with the closing of the P&O cruise brand but Australians will still be able to take to the seas. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP

News of P&O Cruises Australia being wound up may have stung those with fond memories of the brand’s uniquely Australian style of voyages. But experts say that although cruising remains popular, tastes are changing and new opportunities have appeared thanks to the widening of the Panama Canal.

Announcing that P&O Cruises Australia would be shut down in March 2025 and integrated into Carnival Cruise Line, owned by global ship operator Carnival Corporation, CEO Josh Weinstein said the decision was made because of the South Pacific’s small population as well as “significantly higher operating and regulatory costs”.

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