Princess Cruises has announced its much-anticipated 2025/26 Australian summer programme featuring the Down Under debut of its flagship Discovery Princess ship as well as the longest ever world cruise to sail roundtrip from Australia – a record-breaking 114-night voyage on Crown Princess.
Offering roundtrip departures from Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland, Crown Princess’ epic 2026 world odyssey will visit 48 destinations in 31 countries across six continents and cover an impressive 35,000 nautical miles.
The voyage will also claim the mantle of the longest world cruise ever undertaken from Australia, with Crown Princess carrying up to 3,080 guests on its record sailing around the globe.
Guests on the cruise will be treated to two new world cruise ports – Alexandria in Egypt and Patmos in Greece – as well as overnight visits to New York, Lima and Quebec and late-night stays in a range of exotic destinations including Reykjavik in Iceland and Papeete in Tahiti.
Unveiling details, Princess Cruises Senior Vice President Asia Pacific, UK & Europe Stuart Allison said the milestone cruise was a highlight of the new programme brimming with exciting holiday options as Discovery Princess joins Crown Princess and Grand Princess in local waters.
Across the summer season the trio will offer 75 unique itineraries and 120 departures, with cruises ranging from 2 to 37 days and sailings available from seven ports: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Hobart in Australia and Auckland in New Zealand
Mr Allison said Discovery Princess’ Sydney debut on December 6, 2025, would be a day to remember, coming almost exactly 50 years after Princess Cruises first started cruising local waters. The original Pacific Princess sailed on her first roundtrip cruise from Sydney in December 1975.
“Cruising has come a long way in half a century, and we’re delighted to now be bringing a ship of the calibre of Discovery Princess to Australia as part of a fantastic line-up of summer cruising,” Mr Allison said.
Measuring 330 metres in length and carrying 3660 guests, the 145,000-tonne Discovery Princess will be the biggest Princess Cruises’ ship to ever sail in Australia waters and will offer 22 itineraries during her four-month deployment, which will include 11 departures from Sydney.
Mr Allison said Discovery Princess and Crown Princess would be deployed in Sydney, sailing on an array of itineraries including the cruise line’s ever-popular round Australia voyages and unique Tahiti and Hawaii cruise in addition to roundtrip sailings to New Zealand, Queensland and Fiji.
Meanwhile the 107,000-tonne, 2600-guest Grand Princess will be based in Brisbane and will carry a record number of Princess guests from the city on 14 roundtrip cruises to destinations including Tasmania, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Highlights of the programme include:
· Crown Princess’ 2026 world voyage sailing from Australia to South East Asia and through the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean and Northern Europe before cruising to North America and transiting the newest Panama Canal locks to return Down Under via the Pacific. Departing Sydney on May 10, 2026, the voyage will visit 48 memorable destinations and provide access to more than 50 UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
· More cruises to New Zealand than any other cruise line, with voyages on the three ships ranging from six to 15 nights. Sailings from both Brisbane and Sydney, roundtrip options include visits to an array of beautiful ports from Dunedin in the south to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand’s north.
· An 18-night cruise from Singapore to Sydney on Discovery Princess departing November 18, 2025, and enjoying maiden visits to destinations such as Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang in Vietnam and Lombok in Indonesia.
· Round Australia cruises departing from Sydney, Melbourne, Fremantle, Adelaide and Brisbane on Crown Princess in November 2025 and March 2026. The cruises will include visits to regional ports like Port Douglas, the Whitsundays, Broome, Exmouth and Albany as well as scenic cruising along the Kimberley Coast.
· The return of Princess’ popular cruises to Hawaii and Tahiti, with Grand Princess setting sail on a 37-night cruise visiting Pago Pago, Maui, Honolulu, Kauai, Kona, Hilo, Papeete, Moorea, Raiatea, Tonga and Norfolk Island. The cruise departs Sydney on October 16, 2025, and Brisbane on October 18, 2025.
· A 12-night Southern Explorer cruise on Discovery Princess sailing round trip from Sydney on February 28, 2026, and visiting Melbourne, Kangaroo Island, Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Port Arthur and Hobart.
· An 11-night cruise to Papua New Guinea on Grand Princess departing Brisbane on March 24, 2026, and visiting Alotau, Rabaul, Kiriwina Island and the Conflict Islands.
· Epic adventures sailing across the Pacific between North America and Australia and New Zealand on Discovery Princess and Grand Princess, with visits to ports in Tahiti and Hawaii.
Mr Allison said guests on Discovery Princess would be able to enjoy 270-degree sweeping views from the largest balconies in the Princess fleet offered as part of the ship’s Sky Suites, unwind in the ultimate comfort at the Sanctuary and indulge their senses with world-class dining options including 360: An Extraordinary Experience, which takes guests on a sensory journey through world-class cuisine with a fusion of master story-telling and visual entertainment.
Other features include 14 restaurants, 10 bars and additional lounges, and entertainment options that include the SeaWalk, a breathtaking glass-bottomed enclosed walkway that extends nearly 9 metres beyond the ship’s edge.
Meanwhile, all three ships based Down Under will feature the Princess exclusive MedallionClass experience, which enables a level of service personalisation previously only available on small ships to now be delivered on a large ship, amenity-rich platform.
The connected guest experience maximises guests’ time by delivering a host of onboard conveniences including contactless payment for anything on board; expedited embarkation; keyless stateroom entry; friends and family locator; and ordering food, drinks, retail items or requesting service from their smart device or a crew member and having their order delivered directly to them…even if they move.
