Carnival Cruise Line is adding two ships from its sister line P&O Cruises Australia, Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter, to its fleet in March 2025, giving guests four Carnival ships from which to Choose Fun!
The P&O brand is being absorbed into Carnival Cruise Line with Pacific Explorer to be retired. Pacific Adventure will be renamed Carnival Adventure and join Carnival Splendor as they sail from Sydney. Pacific Encounter will be renamed Carnival Encounter and join Carnival Luminosa as she homeports seasonally in Brisbane.
“As we expand our fleet to four ships in Australia and enrich our overall deployment plan, our 2026/27 itineraries significantly increase the options available for the Carnival experience from Sydney and Brisbane,” said Fred Stein, vice president of itinerary planning. “Guests interested in a cruise from Australia are bound to find the perfect itinerary, whether they’re looking to explore a new region or revisit key vacation destinations – all showcasing the diverse beauty of the South Pacific.”
Sailing from Sydney, Carnival Splendor will sail a range of itineraries from two to 12 days. 4-day cruises will include Moreton Island while 5- and 6-day cruises will sail to Tasmania allowing guests to stay overnight in Hobart. 9- and 10-day South Pacific sailings will visit Mystery Island and Port Vila and 10-day New Zealand sailing will feature scenic cruising in Fiordland National Park.
Carnival Adventure will also sail two- to 12-day itineraries. Short cruises will visit the Moreton Islands while longer sailings will feature the Great Barrier Reef. A 12-day sailing to Fiji is scheduled for April 2027 and features Lautoka and the Dravuni Island. Carnival Splendor and Carnival Adventure will offer cruises to Melbourne for Australia’s most popular horse race, the Melbourne Cup.
Carnival Luminosa, which will sail from Brisbane seasonally, will offer three- to 14-day sailings. One sailing is a six-day Great Barrier Reef cruise that allows passengers to experience Airlie Beach and Cairns. 7-day South Pacific cruises will visit Mystery Island and Port Vila while and 8-day options will also include stops in Vanuatu and New Caledonia. Passengers can also choose a 14-day Carnival Journeys cruise that features the locations where Mutiny on the Bounty took place in 1789.
Carnival Encounter will feature sailings to various destinations in the South Pacific and Great Barrier Reef. She will sail short voyages to Airlie Beach as well as 6- to 10- day voyages to Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and other South Pacific islands. Passengers looking for a slightly longer cruise will want to choose the 12- and 14-day options to Fiji.
The 2026/27 Australia cruise series is currently open for booking.