And She’s Back…P&O Announce ship to re-join in 2017.

P&O Adonia is to rejoin the P&O Cruises fleet in 2017 after just a year operating for US-based social impact sister brand Fathom.

Carnival Corporation confirmed that the 710-passenger vessel would be returning to Southampton-based P&O Cruises for next summer.

Adonia moved across to Fathom in May to launch the first US departures from Miami to Cuba in more than 50 years.

The ship was revamped during a period in dry dock in the Bahamas and has also been running alternate seven-day cruises to the Dominican Republic, using Amber Cove, Carnival Corporation’s dedicated port on the north of the Caribbean island.

Adonia’s summer season will include visits to Iberia (including the Canary Islands), the western Mediterranean, Iceland and the British Isles. Other exciting highlights include a river transit and overnight in Bordeaux, a river transit into Seville, plus calls to Portifino (Italian Riviera), Puerto Banus (Spain) and the island of Heimaey (Iceland).

A spokesman said last night: “The Fathom experience has been expanded across our many Carnival Corporation brands sailing to the Dominican Republic and beyond, and the Adonia is being scheduled to sail in the UK for the summer season for our P&O guests.”

Carnival Corporation has requested approval from Cuba to sail there with other brands from June 2017.

The spokesman said: “We plan to continue sailing to Cuba for many years to come based on the success of our first cruises to the country, which have proven extremely successful.

“Fathom continues to receive some of the highest ratings in the company based on guest surveys, and we hope to expand the Fathom experience to other markets in the future.”

However, demand for Fathom’s Cuba cruises outstripped interest for the Dominican Republic sailings.

P&O Cruises senior vice president Paul Ludlow said: “The Fathom experience has been expanded across our many Carnival Corp brands sailing to the Dominican Republic and beyond and we are extremely pleased to have Adonia, our well loved small ship, here for our guests beginning with the summer season, sailing a range of discovery itineraries.”

Adonia will embark on a European summer cruise schedule taking in western Europe, the western Mediterranean, British Isles, the Iberian Atlantic coast and the Atlantic Islands.

The ship then runs winter itineraries around the Caribbean for six months of 2017.

Good move by P&O? Just 2 days ago I had a customer that wanted a small ship (not Fred Olsen) sailing from the UK and no more that 800 passengers. I really struggled to find what he wanted, this is perfect and will certainly target a market.

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