By
Rebecca Gibson |
P&O Cruises is to name its two new Australia-based ships Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden, when they join the fleet in November 2015.
Suggested by Cairns resident Nikki Smith, Pacific Eden was chosen because it evokes a ‘sense of peace and images of paradise’. Coincidentally, the Port of Eden in New South Wales also features on P&O’s latest itineraries. Meanwhile Pacific Aria, which was proposed by Katie Luxa from Canning Vale in Perth, was selected because it conveys a ‘sense of beauty, grandeur and escapism – all words that could be used to describe a wonderful holiday at sea’. Both Smith and Luxa will be invited to attend the christening ceremony and enjoy a cruise for two on the inaugural voyage of the ship they named.
“With ethereal and heavenly undertones, we thought Aria and Eden conjured up the happy, blissful and indulgent spirit of our cruise holidays, which offer the chance to escape the everyday world,” said Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, which operates P&O. “They really capture the cruising state-of-mind that hundreds of thousands of Australians experience on our ships each year.”
Both names were revealed in a 20 metre-wide mural created by Port Macquarie artist Chloe Dickey on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
“It’s not every day you get the chance to reveal the names of two new ships that will call Australia home, so we wanted to do it in an uniquely Australian way at one of the country’s most iconic locations,” said Sherry. “Chloe has an amazing talent and it was a delight to discover her work and bring her to Sydney to create an image that we think will capture Australia’s imagination.”
P&O received more than 30,000 suggestions from citizens across Australia and New Zealand, including names featuring gemstones, such as Diamond, Sapphire and Opal, which were each proposed more than 500 times.
Around 93% of the entries featured the word Pacific, which is consistent with the current P&O fleet of Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewel and Pacific Pearl. Consequently, the cruise line decided to maintain the prefix across all of its ships. Other names were inspired by Ozzie and Straya, Kiri Te Kawana, the Minogue sisters. as well as Dinky Di and Blinky Bill.
“We were overwhelmed by the volume of suggestions from Aussies and Kiwis who wanted to put their stamp on our latest ships, which we hope will become as adored as our current fleet,” said Sherry.
The vessels, which will be transferred from the Holland America Line fleet, will bring P&O’s total year-round Australian fleet up to a record five ships. Both ships will be fully refurbished to incorporate onboard features tailored for Australian and New Zealand passengers, while their respective itineraries and homeporting schedules will be revealed in the coming weeks.