Carnival has announced plans to deploy a newbuilding to Australia even though it was custom-built for the Chinese market.
But it will be just a seasonal deployment during China's winter season for Princess Cruises' 3,560-berth Majestic Princess (built 2017).
The 143,000-gt ship, which was recently delivered from Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard, will sail from Sydney during the southern summer from September 2018 and to March 2019.
The vessel will travel to 16 destinations including Fiji, New Zealand and Tasmania.
The Majestic Princess will also carry out repositioning cruises from Shanghai to Sydney and from Sydney to Hong Kong.
The decision to depart the Chinese market during its winter season means cruise giant Carnival has decided to eschew year-round sailing for its most China-focused ship.
While China is the industry's hottest emerging market, lines are still working to increase awareness of cruise as a vacation option in the country.
At the same time, recent tensions between China and South Korea have blocked a key destination for China-based cruises, at least temporarily.
