Resorts World Cruises (RWC) is buying its third ship, the Pacific Explorer, from the soon-to-be-dissolved P&O Cruises Australia, a part of Carnival Company.
In keeping with Friday’s announcement, Pacific Explorer will endure a $50 million refurbishment and be rebranded as Star Scorpio in March 2025, increasing RWC’s footprint in Southeast Asia.
The Solar-class cruise ship was purchased for an undisclosed quantity and is predicted to host its final crusing for P&O Australia by February subsequent yr. The 77,441-ton vessel was earmarked for disposal after Carnival Cruise Line introduced its March 2025 merger with P&O Cruises Australia.
As a part of the change, P&O Australia might be phased out. Its two remaining vessels, Pacific Journey and Pacific Encounter, might be adopted by Carnival. They are going to serve the Australian area with Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor.
What’s Subsequent for Pacific Explorer/Star Scorpio?
The Pacific Explorer, in-built 1997 by Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard, started its journey with Princess Cruises, working underneath the identify Daybreak Princess. In 2017, it was renamed Pacific Explorer as a part of the P&O Cruises Australia fleet.
Resorts World Cruises President Michael Goh mentioned that the renovated Star Scorpio will homeport in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh Metropolis and Singapore. He added that it’ll cater to Vietnamese, Malaysians, Thais, and Indonesians with out requiring them to journey to a special nation.
Goh defined to Journey Weekly Asia, “For Vietnam, Star Scorpio would be the first cruise ship to homeport in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, permitting Vietnamese to take pleasure in inexpensive cruises to Singapore and Melaka. For Singapore passengers, the 14-hour Jakarta port time will enable passengers to go to the historic metropolis of Bandung utilizing the brand new high-speed rail, which travels at a pace of as much as 250 km per hour with the uncommon likelihood to additionally go to a dwell volcano.”
Along with Star Scorpio, the Singapore-based cruise line operates two leased vessels—Genting Dream and Resorts World One. RWC was established after Genting Hong Kong went into liquidation in 2022. The 2 firms share a standard proprietor, Malaysian tycoon Lim Kok Thay.
