P&O redeploys ship to Caribbean

Flagging demand among American passengers for Mediterranean cruises today prompted P&O Princess Cruises to redeploy one of its ships to the Caribbean.

In a statement to the London Stock Exchange, P&O said that the Grand Princess - which had been scheduled to undertake 11 separate 12-day cruises and two trans-Atlantic crossings between May and October – would instead perform 22 Caribbean cruises each lasting seven days.

P&O said last week in a fourth quarter trading statement that it expected earnings from Mediterranean cruises to be below normal levels.