P&O Cruises Australia has cancelled all sailings until at least June 18th.

Guests with bookings affected by the pause extension are being given “as much notice as possible” to provide them with greater certainty around their holiday plans, the line said.

“While we are becoming increasingly confident in the restart of cruising in Australia, we are continuing with the realistic and pragmatic approach we have adopted previously,” P&O Cruises Australia president, Sture Myrmell said.

“We know from our contact with guests and through our social media channels that they, like us, cannot wait to be cruising again and our crew can’t wait to again be delivering exceptional cruise holiday experiences.

“We once again thank our guests for their patience and understanding and for their unwavering loyalty to Australia’s homegrown cruise line.”

P&O said it would contact guests whose cruises have been affected, either directly or via their appointed travel agent, to let them know of the pause extension and the options available to them.

The line said it remained optimistic over the ultimate restart of cruising.