News Release

P&O Adds Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines to Main Event Line Up

Rugby league fans will be cruising to next year’s Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines under a new partnership between the National Rugby League, P&O Cruises and Sportsnet Holidays.

To give P&O Cruises’ guests a taste of The Greatest Weekend of Rugby League, Sportsnet Holidays has created an exclusive eight-night package which will see NRL fans depart Sydney on Pacific Pearl on January 31, 2016, and cruise to Auckland for four nights before spending an extra four nights in Auckland to attend the league competition at Eden Park.

Priced from $1765* per person, the Sportsnet Holidays package includes a return flight from Auckland to Sydney, a full weekend pass to the Nines on February 6 and 7, 2016, and a Friday night kick off function including dinner, drinks, and NRL guests.

The special voyage to the Nines boosts P&O Cruises’ star-studded main event line up which already includes major international sporting events the Melbourne Cup and Australian Open Tennis.

“Like most Aussies, our guests are massive sports fans and we already show rugby league on the big screen on the top deck of P&O Cruises’ ships each week during the season,” P&O Cruises Senior Vice President Sture Myrmell said.

“For many Australians this will be a dream holiday – a few days cruising across the Tasman plus some great rugby league in the lead-up to the start of the 2016 NRL season.”

Mr Myrmell said the partnership would put the NRL alongside the country’s biggest sporting events as a cruise event partner.  

About 8000 people will cruise to the Emirates Melbourne Cup this year, with P&O Cruises also sailing to the Australian Open Tennis in January.

NRL Head of Football Todd Greenberg said the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines was one of the most popular events on the rugby league calendar.

“Although only two years old, the Dick Smith NRL Auckland Nines has been an outstanding success for the NRL and the city of Auckland,” Mr Greenberg said.

“The event already attracts thousands of people from Australia and other nations, and this partnership with P&O Cruises demonstrates that it is a truly international event.

“The NRL is always looking for exciting opportunities to partner with the private sector and showcase what a fantastic game we have, which is why we are excited about joining with P&O Cruises.”

For more information or to book visit: http://www.pocruises.com.au/auckland-nines
*Subject to availability, terms and conditions apply. Sportsnet Holidays is the Exclusive Official Travel Agent of the event

About P&O Cruises: The region’s largest and longest-serving cruise operator, P&O Cruises Australia leads the way in cruising as Australasia's only 'home brand' and its favourite cruise line. P&O Cruises has been sailing the region for more than 80 years, and has pioneered new destinations around Australia, the Pacific and Asia including Papua New Guinea, as reported in the New York Times’ 52 top destinations for 2015. On November 25, 2015, P&O Cruises will welcome two additional ships to its current three-ship fleet becoming the nation’s largest cruise line with five ships cruising from eight home ports in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. The addition of Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden has paved the way for exciting new cruise options including deployments from every mainland state in Australia and an extended deployment from Auckland. The pair herald a new era for P&O Cruises, as reflected in its new brand repositioning - P&O Cruises, Like no Place on Earth.