Ryndam and Statendam are coming to P&O Australia!!

From: Cruise Industry News

Carnival Corporation today announced plans to significantly expand its market leadership in Australia, one of the fastest growing markets in the cruise industry.

 

With Australian cruise passenger numbers having increased 130 percent in the past five years and projections of 800,000 cruise passengers in 2013 growing to one million by 2016, P&O Cruises (Australia), one of Carnival Corporation's 10 brands, will add two ships to its fleet in 2015. With a total of five ships, P&O Cruises will establish Australia's largest year-round fleet and be well-positioned to continue meeting Australians' surging demand for cruise vacations....

 

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Exciting news! I hope one will be based in brisbane. Will be interesting to see itineries etc.

I would say they would keep these ships to cruise specially around the colder areas if needing to , only assuming since they have the retracatle roof over the lido pool so might keep the pool temperature warmer.

These ships seem about 15% smaller than the current ships but they have a good public space to cabin ratio.

Do you think they will add more cabins when it comes to refurbishment prior to entering P&O serivce

Do you think they will add more cabins when it comes to refurbishment prior to entering P&O serivce

Both ships have approx 1250 berths but P&O will add about 500 more , they always have in the past

I'm not sure it would be economic to add [many] more cabins. Sometimes they convert existing space to cabins though.

As it stands, it carries 1260 people on a twin share basis, with 1512 its maximum capacity.

Both ships have approx 1250 berths but P&O will add about 500 more , they always have in the past

I do not think it would be possible to add such a large proportion of extra berths. That is adding 40%. Each ship has a maximum number of people (passengers and crew) that it can carry. If you added 40% more berths, there would have to be extra crew. I don't that would be possible.

It is possible some extra fold-down berths to accommodate families could be added to cabins that are currently twin share. They did this to the Regal Princess when she was converted to become Pacific Dawn. Every time I have been on the Dawn, she has had around 1800 to 1900 passengers and most of the 4 berth cabins are used as 2 berth. Maybe in the peak holiday periods there could be more, but the captain on one cruise referred to the legal maximum number and that would prevent them filling every berth.

Sensational !

Quick photoshop I created of the ships in the new livery..

P&O adding addition capacity to the Australian market is a good thing for the travel and tourism industry. It is interesting that Mr Kruse said that these ships are additional capacity and not replacements, and that P&O Australia will be five ship company in the foreseeable future. (However that was said when Dawn,Jewel and Pearl came to operate with the Sun and next thing Sun left the fleet).

http://www.seatrade-insider.com/news/news-headlines/two-hal-ships-headed-to-po-australia-in-huge-boost-down-under.html

They are two beautiful ships with the wonderful retractable roof over the pool, big bathrooms all with baths and good size cabins. So much nicer than the Vista Class which HAL have been building up until now.

We have had lunch on the Statendam in the Pinnacle Grill and it was lovely and we have cruised on their sister ship, HAL's Maasdam a couple of times as well as spending 30 odd days on the Veendam. We have always enjoyed these smaller ships of only 1250+ passengers. I hope that P&O Australia doesn't change them as they did the Regal Princess when she became the Pacific Dawn.

They are ideal ships for cooler climates as the roof over the pool gives the ship so much more space on a cold day. They also have lovely lounges and bars and they are beautifully decorated inside.

Jennie

P&O are saying 1500 passengers , maybe that is when 4 bunk rooms are included , hopefully no new rooms being added on.

When P&O start adding bunk rooms to the mix, then we don't want to know about those particular ships.

The passenger ratio on the "S" class ships as they are now are ideal and I would hate to see that altered. That is what P&O did to the Regal Princess and to me that now carries far to many passengers for how the ship was originally planned by Sitmar.

Jennie

P&O are saying 1500 passengers , maybe that is when 4 bunk rooms are included , hopefully no new rooms being added on.

As I posted above, their current capacity is 1512 passengers.

Based on the announcement, it doesn't sound as though they're changing the cabin configuration.

I am not sure where you got your facts from, but here is the capacity of the Ryndam as shown on the HAL website: http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Ryndam and it says 1260 passengers.

The capacity of the Statendam is exactly the same. 1260 passengers. http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Statendam#

I have cruised on their sister ships and know that this is the correct number of passengers on these ships.

Jennie

p&o have posted on facebook that its going to be 1500 so they must be adding some 4 berths

OOPS ....posted on wrong thread

I am not sure where you got your facts from, but here is the capacity of the Ryndam as shown on the HAL website: http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Ryndam and it says 1260 passengers.

 

The capacity of the Statendam is exactly the same. 1260 passengers. http://www.hollandamerica.com/cruise-vacation-onboard/Statendam#

 

Yes, these are for the _twin share_ basis. Not the maximum capacity.

Twin share basis is the standard for the cruise industry. For whatever reason, HAL only quote this, but cruise lines generally don't give every single figure, just the common ones.

If they've posted that will be the new capacity, then they're probably not changing the cabin configuration.

Ryndam already has a lot of four-berth and three-berth cabins. I had a quick look at the deck plans of the current Ryndam and counted 140 three-berth cabins and 38 four-berth. I could have missed some in the count :) so don't hold me to the figures.

Sad time. I was on maiden voyage of STATENDAM and RYNDAM and then many times over the years. I wish everyone a new good ship into the Australia fleet.

A lot of the cabins... most of them... can be used for 4. The settee is fold out bed. No need add extra beds.

The ships have good layout and good decks... especially the wooden all around boat deck. Cabins are good size. For the suite... 570 sq ft and the balconies are some of the best of any ships ever. The balcony used to full size sun beds then a dining table for four..... with loads of space... even for dancing!

Of course the ship is older than plenty of other ships and once in a while may have a problem or plumbing of A.C., but don't sweat it... that can happen on a brand new ship.

I'm envious!

If I can ever help with anything just shout.

Stephen

I just got back from a travel industry night with P&O and am excited to report that one of the new P&O (or ex-HAL, depending on how you look at it) ships will be based out of Fremantle in 2016. Apparently with them being smaller (actually "shorter" is how they put it), the ships will be able to dock in a lot of the new ports in Indonesia and Northern WA. YAY! :)

FREMANTLE.

Could not be further from me..... I live in Bermuda... the exact opposite from Perth!

I think will be a good thing for P&O Australia. Fremantle to Indonesia! Excellent cruises... 10 to 12 days perhaos.

S Class are a great size and comfortable ships. I see good things for this.

Again... good lucky. Either way.... a long flight from Bda to Fre.

Better keep from the Parmelia Hotel. Got asked to 'leave' after a run ashore..... left from the bar to the loo and forgot to leave my shoes back in the bar. OK... it was a long time ago. But Perth and Fremantle is a great pair of towns.

Stephen

From P&O Australia:

Our new ship's names will be revealed tomorrow! We'll be making the historic announcement on the sand at Bondi Beach from 11.30am tomorrow if you would like to be one of the first in the world to know. Otherwise stay tuned to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for all the news.

The first name of the new ships is "Pacific Eden"!

Hmm, that sounds odd.

The second name of the new ships is "Pacific Aria"