Resorts World Cruises (RWC) is acquiring its third ship, the Pacific Explorer, from the soon-to-be-dissolved P&O Cruises Australia, part of Carnival Corporation.
According to Friday’s announcement, Pacific Explorer will undergo a $50 million refurbishment and be rebranded as Star Scorpio in March 2025, expanding RWC’s footprint in Southeast Asia.
The Sun-class cruise ship was bought for an undisclosed amount and is expected to host its last sailing for P&O Australia by February next year. The 77,441-ton vessel was earmarked for disposal after Carnival Cruise Line announced its March 2025 merger with P&O Cruises Australia.
As part of the change, P&O Australia will be phased out. Its two remaining vessels, Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter, will be adopted by Carnival. They will serve the Australian region with Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor.
What’s Next for Pacific Explorer/Star Scorpio?
The Pacific Explorer, built in 1997 by Italy’s Fincantieri shipyard, began its journey with Princess Cruises, operating under the name Dawn Princess. In 2017, it was renamed Pacific Explorer as part of the P&O Cruises Australia fleet.
Resorts World Cruises President Michael Goh said that the renovated Star Scorpio will homeport in Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore. He added that it will cater to Vietnamese, Malaysians, Thais, and Indonesians without requiring them to travel to a different country.
Goh explained to Travel Weekly Asia, “For Vietnam, Star Scorpio will be the first cruise ship to homeport in Ho Chi Minh City, allowing Vietnamese to enjoy affordable cruises to Singapore and Melaka. For Singapore passengers, the 14-hour Jakarta port time will allow passengers to go to the historic city of Bandung using the new high-speed rail, which travels at a speed of up to 250 km per hour with the rare chance to also visit a live volcano.”
In addition to Star Scorpio, the Singapore-based cruise line operates two leased vessels—Genting Dream and Resorts World One. RWC was established after Genting Hong Kong went into liquidation in 2022. The two companies share a common owner, Malaysian tycoon Lim Kok Thay.
