P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Encounter has made its final Australian port of call before a planned three-week drydock, which will add exciting and adventurous features to the Grand-class vessel.
Homeported in Brisbane, the ship will return to Australian waters after the Singapore drydock, refreshed and upgraded with new activities for guests to enjoy.
Pacific Encounter Heading for Drydock
Pacific Encounter will enter a three-week drydock in Singapore after concluding its current sailing, a 14-night one-way “Indonesian Explorer” journey from Brisbane to Singapore, calling on Airlie Beach and Darwin in Queensland along the way, as well as Benoa and Lembar in Indonesia.
The call in Darwin on Monday, January 30, 2023 is especially significant, as the cruise line’s first visit to that port since cruising resumed. This is even more momentous as Pacific Encounter was the first ship to resume year-round cruising from Brisbane once cruising returned after the 26-month shutdown in Australia.
The remaining calls on Pacific Encounter‘s itinerary – visits to Benoa and Lembar – will also be the first cruise ship visits to those exotic ports of call since cruising restarted, signifying even more strongly that cruising is back in this highly desirable region.
The ship will arrive in Singapore on Monday, February 6, 2023, and after debarking her 1,730 guests for this specific cruise, will enter drydock for exciting upgrades.
Thrilling Additions to Pacific Encounter
The planned upgrades to Pacific Encounter largely focus on adventurous options, including the two Twin Racer waterslides, extending 466 feet long (142 meters) from a height of 53 feet (16 meters).
Even more exciting is the addition of the P&O Edge Adventure Park, which will include a variety of adrenaline-pumping thrills such as a 180-foot (55-meter) Zipline, Rock Climbing wall, Cargo Net, Walk the Plank, and Beam Walk, which each attraction sitting a heart-stopping 33 feet (10 meters) above Deck 16 for spectacular views on top of spectacular thrills.
“These exciting additions will mark the completion our three-fleet transformation and bring us yet another step closer to a full and ‘normal’ cruising season. And of course, we look forward to welcoming our Brisbane guests back onboard and seeing the joy as they race down the new slides and test out the adrenalin-pumping activities at sea when she returns,” said Marguerite Fitzgerald, President of P&O Cruises Australia.
While the thrill park additions are the biggest changes scheduled for this dry dock, the ship will also undoubtedly get generally refreshed with hotel enhancements and updates and minor repairs to other public areas.
These updates follow the vessel’s major transformation in 2022 as part of the cruise line’s fleet upgrade, which added a variety of new venues to the ship, including the Byron Beach Club, Luke’s Bar & Grill and 400 Gradi celebrity chef restaurants, the F45 Fitness Studio, Black Circus Theatre, and the Altitude nightclub.
Pacific Encounter Returns in March
Pacific Encounter will depart Singapore after the completion of the dry dock on Saturday, February 25, 2023, on a one-way 14-night voyage to take her back to Brisbane – the reverse itinerary from the voyage the ship is sailing on her way to the refurbishment.
Once in Brisbane, the ship will resume her year-round offerings from that charming city for P&O Cruises Australia, with sailings ranging from 3-14 nights, offering travelers a range of itinerary options to suit all vacation preferences.
Among the 24 unique destinations Pacific Encounter will visit in the coming months are various ports in New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, and more.
Shorter, quick getaway sailings to nowhere also feature headliner comedians, and the ship also offers outstanding voyages to the Great Barrier Reef.
Pacific Encounter is scheduled to remain sailing year-round from Brisbane at least through January 2025, giving travelers many opportunities for great voyages on the updated ship with all its onboard thrills.
