Pacific Explorer

Cruise ship built in 1997

For the ship that sailed as Dawn Princess 1988–1993, see RMS Sylvania.

Star Voyager

Pacific Explorer (Later: Star Voyager) leaving Fremantle, Australia (2023)

History
Name|

* Dawn Princess (1997–2017)
* Pacific Explorer (2017–2025)
* Star Voyager (2025) [1]

Owner|

* Carnival Corporation & plc (1997-2025)
* Probiz Investments LTD (2025-present)[2]

Operator|

* Princess Cruises (1997-2017)
* P&O Cruises Australia (2017-2025)
* StarCruises (2025)[3][4]

Port of registry|

* Liberia, Monrovia (1997–2000)
* Bermuda, Hamilton (2000–2017)
* London, U.K. (2017-present)

Route| Australia and New Zealand
Builder| Fincantieri, Italy
Cost| US$300 million
Yard number| Monfalcone 5955
Launched| 11 July 1996
Decommissioned| February 2025 (Planned)
Maiden voyage| 10 May 1997
Refit| June 2009
Identification|

* Call sign:MAQK9
* IMO number: 9103996
* MMSI no.: 310437000

Status| In service
Notes| [5][6]
General characteristics
Class and type| Sun-class cruise ship
Tonnage|

* 77,441 GT
* 8,293 DWT

Length| 856 ft (261 m)
Beam| 105.6 ft (32.2 m)
Draught| 27 ft (8.2 m)
Decks| 10 passenger decks
Deck clearance| 10 ft 6.3 in (3.208 m)
Installed power| 46,080 kW (combined)
Propulsion| Diesel-electric; two shafts
Speed| 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) (maximum)
Capacity| 1,998 passengers
Crew| 924
Notes| [5][7]

Pacific Explorer (previously known as Dawn Princess) is a cruise ship soon to be operated by StarCruises and was previously operated by P&O Cruises Australia, a cruise line brand owned by the Carnival Corporation & plc. It is a Sun-class cruise ship built by Fincantieri, Italy, in 1997, and features eight restaurants, four swimming pools, five hot tubs/spas/whirlpools, seven lounges and bars, and two children centres.

She is the sister ship to Pacific World (former Sun Princess), Queen of the Oceans (former Oceana) and Dream (former Sea Princess). Star Voyager and Pacific World differ from Queen of the Oceans and Dream by having exterior bridge wings. Queen of the Oceans and Dream have internal bridge wings.

As part of the announcement that P&O Cruises Australia would merge with Carnival, it was revealed the Pacific Explorer will not be joining the Carnival fleet and will be withdrawn in February 2025.[8] On December 20 2024 it was revealed that the ship had been sold to Resorts World Cruises.[9]

## Princess Cruises

[edit]

Dawn Princess in Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska, United States. Taken in 2006 from Sun Princess

Dawn Princess was targeted to replace Pacific Princess, sailing Australian waters between October 2006 and March 2007, to become the largest ship ever to be based in Australia, but these plans were eventually replaced by Sun Princess as well as being served by Pacific Dawn (previously christened Regal Princess). Dawn Princess began sailing in Australia as of 24 September 2008 with a 28-day itinerary circumnavigating the country, after a month serving Hawaii, Tahiti, and the South Pacific.[10] From this point on, Dawn Princess remained in Australia permanently sailing from Sydney, Melbourne and Perth alongside Sun Princess under the Princess brand until it was transferred to P&O Cruises Australia and renamed Pacific Explorer.

In June 2009, Dawn Princess was dry-docked in the Port of Brisbane, Australia, for refurbishment.[11]

In June 2017, Pacific Explorer was dry-docked in Sembawang Singapore, for refurbishment and re-branding from Dawn Princess.[12] February 2020 Pacific Explorer Dry Dock for February 12 to February 27 for refurbishments and maintenance

## P&O Cruises Australia

[edit]

Pacific Explorer in Sydney, Australia, 2017

On 7 October 2015, Carnival announced that Dawn Princess would be transferred in May 2017 to its Australian subsidiary P&O Cruises Australia as Pacific Explorer.[13] Dawn Princess entered drydock on 26 May 2017 in Singapore (Sembawang) for conversion to Pacific Explorer to be released for cruises on 22 June.[14]

It was re-registered to the United Kingdom and arrived in Sydney, New South Wales on 19 June for a 3-day stay before conducting its maiden voyage to the Pacific Islands. She was christened by the Nickelodeon Studios character Dora the Explorer on 2 July 2017 at Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal after arriving from its maiden voyage.[15]

On 2 June 2022, the Pacific Explorer was the first cruise ship to use the new Brisbane International Cruise Terminal.[16]

In April 2023, Pacific Explorer sailed from Fremantle to Exmouth to allow passengers and astronomers to witness the Hybrid Solar Eclipse. Onboard were numerous scientists, including Prof. Jonte Horner and Matt Dodds. [17]

In June 2024 Carnival Corporation announced Pacific Explorer will leave the P&O Australia fleet in 2025 as part of the planned shutdown of the P&O brand in Australia. [18]

## StarCruises

[edit]

In December 2024, it was announced Pacific Explorer was sold to Resorts World Cruises to become Star Scorpio. Sailing from Singapore starting March 2025.[19]

In February 2025, Resorts World Cruises announced the ship would be named Star Voyager instead of Star Scorpio, a reason was not specified for the name change.[20]

In February 2025, it was announced Resorts World Cruises would be split into Dream Cruises and StarCruises.[21]

## Accidents and incidents

[edit]

On 13 December 2022, a woman fell overboard between Melbourne and Kangaroo Island, triggering a search off the coast of South Australia. Her body was found several hours later, and a joint investigation by South Australia Police and Victoria Police was initiated.[22]

In December 2024, during a Christmas-themed parade, eight staff members dressed in costumes that allegedly resembled the Ku Klux Klan headgear. P&O Cruises Australia said that the pointed white hoods were "upside-down snow cones", not the KKK.[23]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Resorts World Cruises Announces Fleet Expansion with Star Scorpio's first homeport in Singapore starting 26 March 2025".
2. ^ "Lloyd's Register Pacific Explorer Asset Details". Lloyd's Register. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
3. ^ "Resorts World Cruises Announces Fleet Expansion with Star Scorpio's first homeport in Singapore starting 26 March 2025" (PDF).
4. ^ "A New Era Begins with the Grand Return of StarCruises and Dream Cruises" (PDF).
5. ^ a b "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Dawn Princess". VesselTracker. 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
6. ^ Ward, Douglas (2005). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. ISBN 978-9812467393.
7. ^ Ward, Douglas (2008). Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. London: Berlitz. pp. 335–336. ISBN 978-981-268-564-3.
8. ^ "Carnival Cruise Line to absorb P&O Cruises Australia". Seatrade Cruise News. 4 June 2024. Retrieved 4 June 2024.
9. ^ "Pacific Explorer Sold - To Leave Australia". Cruise News & Ship History with Chris Frame (Maritime Historian). 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
10. ^ "Princess Cruises : Australia Coastal". Princess.com. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
11. ^ "Dawn Princess Drydock". Flickr.com. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
12. ^ "Pacific Explorer Enters Drydock for Transformation - Cruise Industry News | Cruise News". Archived from the original on 14 July 2024.
13. ^ "Dawn Princess to be Transferred to P&O Australia". Cruise Industry News. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
14. ^ "P&O Unveils exciting new features on Pacific Explorer". 7 July 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2017.
15. ^ Staff, C. I. N. (2 July 2017). "Pacific Explorer Christened in Sydney". www.cruiseindustrynews.com.
16. ^ Atfield, Cameron (2 June 2022). "'Cruising is back': New Brisbane terminal finally welcomes passengers". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
17. ^ Frame, Chris (17 April 2023). "Pacific Explorer travelled 1,275km to see the sun disappear!". Chris Frame Official (Maritime Historian). Retrieved 17 June 2024.
18. ^ Frame, Chris (17 April 2024). "Shock news as P&O to be shut down". Chris Frame Official (Maritime Historian). Retrieved 17 June 2024.
19. ^ "Resorts World Cruises Announces Fleet Expansion with Star Scorpio's first homeport in Singapore starting 26 March 2025" (PDF).
20. ^ "Resorts World Cruises Renames Star Scorpio to Star Voyager" (PDF).
21. ^ "A New Era Begins with the Grand Return of StarCruises and Dream Cruises" (PDF).
22. ^ "Victoria Police called to help investigate after woman's body found off cruise ship". news.com.au. 14 December 2022.
23. ^ "Cruise line insists staff weren't dressed in KKK gear after fancy dress mishap".

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to IMO 9103996 at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website

* v
* t
* e

List of ships built by Fincantieri

Warships|

* Andrea Doria
* Assad-class corvettes
* Bergamini-class frigates
* Caio Duilio
* Carvajal
* Cassiopea-class patrol vessels
* Cavour
* Deepak
* Diciotti-class offshore patrol vessels
* Doha-class corvettes
* Durand de la Penne-class destroyers
* Esmeraldas-class corvette
* Etna
* Falaj 2-class patrol vessels
* Giuseppe Garibaldi
* Laksamana-class corvettes
* Maestrale-class frigates
* Minerva-class corvettes
* San Giorgio-class amphibious transport docks
* San Giusto
* Sauro-class submarines
* Scirè
* Shakti
* Toti-class submarines
* Vittorio Veneto
* Musherib-class offshore patrol vessels
* Villavicencio
* Vulcano-class logistic support ships

Cruise ships|

* Amsterdam
* Arcadia
* L'Austral
* Azura
* Le Boreal
* Britannia
* Caribbean Princess
* Carnival Breeze
* Carnival Conquest
* Carnival Dream
* Carnival Freedom
* Carnival Glory
* Carnival Horizon
* Carnival Liberty
* Carnival Magic
* Carnival Panorama
* Carnival Splendor
* Carnival Sunshine
* Carnival Sunrise
* Carnival Valor
* Carnival Victory
* Carnival Vista
* Concordia-class cruise ships
* Costa Concordia
* Costa Deliziosa
* Costa Diadema
* Costa Fascinosa
* Costa Firenze
* Costa Fortuna
* Costa Luminosa
* Costa Magica
* Costa neoClassica
* Costa neoRomantica
* Costa Pacifica
* Costa Serena
* Costa Venezia
* Crown Princess
* Dawn Princess
* Discovery Princess
* Destiny-class cruise ships
* Disney Magic
* Disney Wonder
* Emerald Princess
* Eurodam
* Fram
* Golden Princess
* Grand Princess
* Koningsdam
* Le Lyrial
* Maasdam
* Majestic Princess
* Marina
* Nieuw Amsterdam
* Nieuw Statendam
* Noordam
* Ocean Princess
* Oosterdam
* MS Ambience
* Pacific Jewel
* Queen Elizabeth
* Queen Victoria
* Regal Princess
* Riviera
* Rotterdam
* Royal Princess
* Ryndam
* Royal-class cruise ships
* Ruby Princess
* Sea Princess
* Seabourn Encore
* Seabourn Ovation
* MSC Seaside
* MSC Seaview
* Seven Seas Explorer
* Sky Princess
* Silver Muse
* Silver Spirit
* Le Soléal
* Star Princess
* Sun-class cruise ships
* Sun Princess (1995)
* Sphere-class cruise ships
* Sun Princess (2024)
* Star Princess
* The Calypso
* Vasco da Gama
* Veendam (1996)
* Ventura
* Viking Sea
* Viking Sky
* Viking Star
* Viking Sun
* Volendam
* Westerdam
* Zaandam
* Zuiderdam

Ferries|

* al-Salam Boccaccio 98
* Almudaina Dos
* Gotlandia II
* Knossos Palace
* Festos Palace
* Hellenic Wind
* MDV1200-class fast ferries
* Pride of Hull
* Pride of Rotterdam
* Star-class ferries
* Speedrunner III
* Speedrunner IV
* Superstar

Cargo ships|

* Britannia Seaways
* Cape Victory
* Cape Vincent

Yachts|

* Destriero
* Serene
* Victory

Miscellaneous vessels|

* Alliance
* Castoro Sei
* Elettra
* Karadeniz Powership İrem Sultan
* Petrobras 36
* Sagar Nidhi
* Saipem 7000
* Scarabeo 8
* Ta Kuan

Related|

* Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico
* Fincantieri

* v
* t
* e

Ships of the P&O Cruises Australia fleet

Current fleet|

* Pacific Explorer (2017)
* Pacific Adventure (2021)
* Pacific Encounter (2021)

Former ships|

* Pacific Sky (2000)
* Pacific Sun (2004)
* Pacific Star (2005)
* Pacific Dawn (2007)
* Pacific Jewel (2009)
* Pacific Pearl (2010)
* Pacific Eden (2015)
* Pacific Aria (2015)

Years indicate year of entry into service with P&O Cruises Australia.

* v
* t
* e

Ships of the Princess Cruises fleet

Current|

| Coral class|

* Coral Princess (2003)
* Island Princess (2003)

|

Grand class|

* Grand Princess (1998)
* Diamond Princess (2004)
* Sapphire Princess (2004)
* Caribbean Princess (2004)
* Crown Princess (2006)
* Emerald Princess (2007)
* Ruby Princess (2008)

Royal class|

* Royal Princess (2012)
* Regal Princess (2013)
* Majestic Princess (2017)
* Sky Princess (2019)
* Enchanted Princess (2020)
* Discovery Princess (2022)

Sphere class|

* Sun Princess (2024)

Future|

| Sphere class|

* Star Princess (2025)

|

Former|

| Various classes|

* Princess Patricia (1965)
* Princess Italia (1967)
* Princess Carla (1968)
* Sun Princess (1974)
* Sea Princess (1979)
* Royal Princess (1984)
* Fair Princess (1988)
* Dawn Princess (1988)
* Sky Princess (1988)
* Star Princess (1989)
* Golden Princess (1993)

|

Pacific class|

* Island Princess (1974)
* Pacific Princess (1975)

Crown class|

* Crown Princess (1990)
* Regal Princess (1991)

Sun class|

* Sun Princess (1995)
* Dawn Princess (1997)
* Sea Princess (1998, 2005)
* Ocean Princess (2000)

Grand class|

* Golden Princess (2001)
* Star Princess (2002)

R class|

* Ocean Princess (2002)
* Royal Princess (2007)
* Pacific Princess (2002)

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