Newly renovated Pacific Eden will sail her first voyage as a P&O ship on 15 November
By
Rebecca Gibson |
P&O Cruises’ Pacific Eden is to make her Australia debut when she embarks on an inaugural ten-night cruise from Fremantle on 15 November.
Formerly Holland America Line’s Ryndam, the ship spent two weeks undergoing extensive onboard renovations at Singapore’s Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard and has been berthed in Fremantle undergoing final finishing touches since 3 November. The 55,820gt vessel now offers various new features including 15 dining options, a private dining room, a spa, new bars, a resort-style pool deck and a child-free Oasis area with private cabanas.
Around 1,500 guests will join Pacific Eden’s first voyage, which will include calls at Esperance, Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and Melbourne en route to Sydney.
In an industry first, Pacific Eden will then join her newly renovated sister ship Pacific Aria to be christened via social media during a ceremony at Fort Denison in Sydney Harbour on 25 November. ARIA Award-winning singer Jessica Mauboy will share the official naming words for Pacific Aria via Twitter, while award-winning actress and TV presenter Kate Ritchie will do the same for Pacific Eden during the dual christening ceremony. The social media launch will also see the naming posted simultaneously on the godmothers’ Facebook and Instagram accounts and shared by P&O Cruises across its platforms.
Both ships will be named as part of P&O’s history-making Five Ship Spectacular event. During the event, Pacific Dawn, Pacific Jewel, Pacific Pearl, Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden will meet in a V formation off the Heads of Sydney Harbour for the first time.
The ships will then enter the harbour single file, with Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden following the other three vessels. As they reach the centre of the harbour around 8.30am, Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden will sail either side of Fort Denison for their naming ceremonies.
All five vessels will then berth in the harbour and collectively host live onboard concerts from 25 artists throughout the afternoon for guests. Mauboy will perform on Pacific Aria. The ships will depart Sydney in the evening following a fireworks display.
Pacific Eden will return to Fremantle in April 2016 to offer 16 itineraries, which will include short breaks to Margaret River and Esperance and longer itineraries to Indonesia. The ship will return to offer ten cruises from the port between April and June 2017. These will include a new nine-night itinerary featuring P&O Cruises’ first scenic cruising along the Kimberley coastline.
“Western Australia is really coming into its own both as a cruise destination and a homeport, so we’re thrilled to have the capacity to be able to base one of our latest ships in Fremantle for the next two summers,” said Sture Myrmell, P&O Cruises’ senior vice president. “Pacific Eden is sure to become a fast favourite among Western Australians as she offers an exciting line up of cruises from the state, giving local tourism a boost and bringing a wealth of economic opportunities to port towns up and down the coast.”