P&O Cruises will take over Australian based Princess cruise ship Dawn Princess in May 2017.  After this transfer P&O Cruises will double its fleet from currently operating three ships to the following arrival of two new ships this year Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden.

The new name of Dawn Princess cruise ship will be Pacific Explorer. Until the transfer to its new cruise line Dawn Princess will stay in Australia throughout 2017, together with Sun Princess and Sea Princess.

The move comes as demand increases of cruise vacations in Australia said Ann Sherry Carnival Australia CEO

“Australia is the world’s fastest growing cruise market, so as the biggest cruise operator Down Under we’re delighted to be expanding our local presence even further,” Sherry said.

“These fleet changes will help us further increase the range of exciting cruise options on offer to Australians and continue to meet local demand for holidays at sea.”

Before transferring to P&O, Dawn Princess will undergo extensive transformation.

“This ship is a great addition to P&O Cruises’ fleet, with her larger size opening up opportunities for new onboard product and experiences,” Vice President Sture Myrmell said.

“One of Golden Princess’ key sailings for the year will be a 75-night Circle Pacific itinerary taking holidaymakers on a roundtrip cruise from Australia to Asia, Alaska and America,” Princess Cruises Vice President Australia & New Zealand Stuart Allison said.

“This will be the first time we’ve offered a world cruise from Australia on a Grand-class Princess ship so we think it will be a winner.”

Dawn Princess was built in 1997 with max occupancy 2272guests and 900 crew with gross tonnage 77499.