Spirit back to Australia

CARNIVAL Australia’s decision to pull Carnival Spirit from China and return her to local waters in 2018 is due to “phenomenal success” in Australia, Terry Thornton, svp commercial port operations and Carnival international told media at the World’s Leading Cruise Lines summit last week.

Thornton said the deployment “was just a better utilisation for Carnival Spirit” and “this doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with China”.

Despite other brands entering the market, Carnival is not worried about capacity in China.

“The Carnival brand will be in China, it’s just a question of timing, it’s not now, but it’s not never, China over time is going to be just massive,” Thornton said.

The cruise line still plans to send Carnival Splendor to China in 2018, but as it did for Spirit, Carnival will continue to evaluate its deployment and “make a decision probably on that in the latter part of 2017, for 2019”.

Spirit will arrive back in Australia following a scheduled drydock in Singapore in May 2018.

The 2018 program, unveiled at the summit includes 35 new cruises to and from Australia and will go on sale on 04 Nov.

During the season, Carnival Legend will also return to Australia in Oct, offering three departures in Nov from Melbourne, in addition to seven from the Vic capital in early 2018.

MEANWHILE, on Sun morning, (the conclusion of the WLCL Summit) Carnival Spirit, was given a spooky welcome back into Sydney harbour.

Parasailing, wakeboarding and water-skiing witches greeted the superliner, all in the “spirit” of Halloween - CLICK HERE for a clip.