P&O Cruises Australia’s Pacific Encounter is transformed and ready to sail

P&O Cruises Australia’s vessel Pacific Encounter has today completed its transformation and will be looking better than ever when it calls Brisbane’s Cruise Terminal its home later this year. Pacific Encounter will join Pacific Adventure and Pacific Explorer to make up P&O’s three ship Australian line-up.

All of Pacific Encounter’s major venues are now complete, including the Encounter Hotel and the Blue Room, with inbuilt music venues, as well as P&O’s iconic-trio of restaurants, the Italian delicacies of Angelo’s, the Pan-Asian inspired Dragon Lady and the modern Australia outlet, The Waterfront. The dining options definitely do not end there, with international marketplace ‘The Pantry”, also now redone with new graphics that beautifully frame the surrounding restaurants. If that wasn’t already enough, renowned chefs Luke Mangan and Johnny Di Francesco both have specialty restaurants on board. 

The ship is themed around modern Australia, with nature, botanicals, animals and distinctive art at the forefront of the design process. P&O Cruises Head of Design Petra Ryberg was behind this design.

“I work hard to evoke a feeling rather than a particular ‘look’ so that people are comfortable walking into a space,” Ms Ryberg said.

“With every room I construct a shape and style that encourages conversations and groups to gather, socialise, have fun or relax. I want to avoid creating an area where you walk in and feel like you can’t touch anything and need to ask permission before sitting down on the sofa!

“To me, the feeling of warmth links back to the theme of modern Australia and the country’s culture which is so warm and welcoming.”

P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell sees Pacific Encounter as not only a magnificent vessel, but a sign of better things to come for cruising. “We know that our guests are extremely excited to experience Pacific Encounter and her arrival will be a pinnacle moment in our fleet transformation and a mark of confidence in the expected rebound of the local cruise industry”. More than 84,000 hours of work have been put into making Pacific Encounter’s transformation be as spectacular as it is and let’s hope all is well for it to be sailing later this year.

“We know that our guests are extremely excited to experience Pacific Encounter and her arrival will be a pinnacle moment in our fleet transformation and a mark of confidence in the expected rebound of the local cruise industry,” Mr Myrmell said.

“Our design and technical teams have yet again surpassed expectations in completing the transformation of a new addition to our family – a ship which will have the signature experiences, entertainment and programmed activities that sets apart P&O as a contemporary cruise holiday for everyone.”