Carnival's Jubilee to Be Transferred To P&O Au
Carnival Cruise Lines' 1,486-Passenger Jubilee to Be Transferred
To P&O Cruises Australia in Autumn 2004
MIAMI, June 23 -- At its annual general meeting for
shareholders held in Southampton, England, today, Carnival Corporation & plc
(NYSE: CCL; LSE) (NYSE: CUK) announced that Carnival Cruise Lines'
1,486-passenger Jubilee will be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in Autumn
2004, more than doubling the size of the brand's operations in the region.
The 47,262-ton Jubilee, which will be renamed, will be the largest cruise
ship based year-round in Australia. She will join the Pacific Sky that is also
based year round in Australia and together both ships will deliver a fun,
easygoing holiday experience to their passengers.
The Jubilee and Pacific Sky will sail year-round on seven to 14 day
cruises to the South Pacific islands of New Caledonia, Fiji, Vanuata and Tonga
as well as to New Zealand and Australia, including a schedule from Brisbane
for part of the year, opening up a new market for P&O Cruises Australia. The
opportunity of the arrival of the Jubilee will also be taken to extend the
seasonal deployment of the Pacific Sky in New Zealand, supporting the further
growth of this market.
These two Australian fun ships will join the premium cruise ship Pacific
Princess, which is also deployed in the Australian market for part of the
year. Upon the completion of its service for Carnival Cruise Lines, the
Jubilee will undergo a multi-million-dollar refurbishment to assume the
characteristics of a typical P&O Cruises Australian fun ship.
While no immediate timetable has been finalised, the Jubilee will be
deployed in Australia in time for the 2004 summer cruise season, which begins
in November.
Carnival Corp. & plc Chairman and CEO Micky Arison said:
"We are continually exploring opportunities to take advantage of the
synergies that exist within the various Carnival Corp. & plc brands. The
transfer of the Jubilee to P&O Cruises Australia is yet another example of
optimizing asset utilization to benefit our brands and maximize returns for
the group."
P&O Princess Cruises Chief Executive Officer Peter Ratcliffe said:
"We are very pleased that the Jubilee will begin sailing under the P&O
Cruises Australia banner next year. Australia and New Zealand are rapidly
growing cruise markets and the addition of the Jubilee significantly expands
our presence in the region while enabling P&O Cruises Australia to upgrade its
product offerings with amenities and facilities desired by today's consumers.
P&O Cruises Australia carries approximately 61,000 passengers a year and the
addition of the Jubilee is expected to increase the brand's annual passenger
counts to more than 150,000."
Note to Editors:
The Swedish-built Jubilee, which entered service in May 1986, currently
operates four- and five-day Mexico sailings from Galveston, Texas, and will
begin a seven-day Caribbean cruise program from San Juan in September. Its
eight passenger decks house three restaurants, a health and fitness facility,
and 10 bars and lounges, including a 1,000-seat multi-level theater. Other
features include three swimming pools - one with a 115-foot-long water
slide -- a casino, a library, an Internet cafe and a children's play room.
Carnival Corporation & plc is the largest cruise vacation group in the
world, with a portfolio of 13 cruise brands in North America, Europe and
Australia, comprised of Carnival Cruise Lines, Princess Cruises, Holland
America Line, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises, Cunard Line, Windstar Cruises,
Seabourn Cruise Line, Ocean Village, Swan Hellenic, AIDA, A'ROSA, and P&O
Cruises Australia.
Together, these brands operate 68 ships totaling more than 105,800 lower
berths with 15 new ships scheduled for delivery between now and mid-2006.
Carnival Corporation & plc also operates three riverboats on Europe's Danube
River and the leading tour companies in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon, Holland
America Tours and Princess Tours. Traded on both the New York and London Stock
Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be
included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.
SOURCE Carnival Corporation & plc
-0- 06/23/2003
/CONTACT: Investor Relations, US - UK, Beth Roberts, +1-305-406-4832, or
+44-79-5643-6104, or in UK, Bronwen Griffiths, +44-23-8052-5231, both for
Carnival Corporation & plc; or Media, in the US, Tim Gallagher, or Jennifer de
la Cruz, +1-305-406-5464, both of Carnival Corporation & plc; or in UK, Peter
Ratcliffe of Brunswick, +44-20-7404-5959, for Carnival Corporation & plc/
/Web site: http://www.carnivalcorp.com /
(CCL CUK)
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