The ultimate guide to Australia’s 2025/26 cruise season – all you need to know to book

• Australia’s 2025/26 cruise season is set to start in the next few weeks
• Some 63 ships will sail out of our ports.
• Local ships are filling up fast, so choose your crews and book up now.

Australia is set for another blockbuster cruise season, with 63 cruise ships set to sail to our shores. 

There’s plenty of choice, from traditional contemporary ships like Carnival Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises to luxury line Oceania’s first season with Riviera.

We’ll see Disney Cruises sailing its final season in Australia, with Aussie families now only having just a couple of months to get on a local Disney cruise in Aussie waters. However, plenty of itineraries remain available, and Disney will hopefully leave Aussies with nothing but positive memories.

Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter, the two new Carnival ships which were previously part of P&O Cruises, will complete their first full summer season, offering an extra Carnival option out of Sydney and Brisbane, respectively. Towards the end of the season, Carnival Encounter will head into a dry-dock in Singapore, and we’ll get a peek into whether the new ships will keep some P&O flavour or undergo a complete transformation into Carnival ships. 

We’ll also see Aussies enjoying the boom in luxury cruising. More luxury ships will be making their way to Australia as demand for more extravagant holidays arrives. Small-ship cruising offers the chance to get to more exotic and exciting destinations that can’t always be accessed by large ships, as well as all the indulgences that one would expect. 

Another key narrative of the season will be that of Princess Cruises. Princess is a beloved line for Australian cruisers, but it has cut its Australian capacity to just two ships, and the results are already evident, with cruises selling out at unprecedented rates.

This season, we’ll get an idea of what Princess fans who aren’t able to get on their favourite ships will do. Will they opt for different cruise lines, will they fly and cruise overseas, or will they opt for a different kind of holiday completely?

There are also a couple of new ships coming to Australia, as well as the return of some familiar vessels that we haven’t seen for a year. Anthem of the Seas will embark on its first-ever sailing in Australia, and Voyager of the Seas will return, sailing just one season in our waters before being redeployed again. Discovery Princess will also make an exciting journey over to Australia, set to be by far the most modern and new ship sailing in our waters.

Over the season ahead, we’ll see all sorts of cruise ships sail our shores, from large family ships packing in thousands of people, to small expedition ships ready to take Aussies to the most hidden parts of the country. Whether you’re an experienced cruiser or are thinking about getting onboard for the first time, here’s what to know about the 2025/26 Aussie cruise season, which is right around the corner and is shaping to be one of the biggest yet.

Who should you sail with this summer?

With so many different cruise lines and different kinds of cruises available to Aussies, it can get overwhelming trying to pick the cruise for you. While doing your own research and speaking to a travel agent is always recommended, here are the basics of what to know when booking your cruise in Australia. 

Cruising with family?

• If you’re looking to cruise with family, the standout options are Carnival Cruises, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line and Disney Cruise Line.
• Carnival is the best budget option and has the most available dates, due to the fact that they have four ships in Australian waters. 
• Royal Caribbean is a little more expensive than Carnival, but generally has the most modern ships and also the largest that sail in Australia. Royal Caribbean is perceived as a touch above Carnival in service, ship quality and activities offered, but Carnival is considered more of a classic Aussie cruise experience. 
• Norwegian Cruise Line is a great option for the family if you’re looking for a ship that still has plenty to do for the whole family, but isn’t quite as chaotic and full-on as a Royal Caribbean or Carnival sailing. NCL also has prices slightly on the higher side, particularly for their Australian sailings, but their ‘More at sea’ offers mean you can normally get perks such as a drinks package and wifi access included in your fare. 
• The other line that of course, needs a introduction is Disney Cruise Line. If you’re a Disney fan, the experience is hard to beat, and the entertainment is unique compared to what else you can find at sea. However, a Disney cruise doesn’t come cheap. You can expect upwards of $500 a night for the whole family to be able to enjoy the Disney experience. As mentioned, this will be Disney’s last season in Australia for the foreseeable future, so if you want to get on a Disney Cruise, this is the time to do it.  

Cruising on a budget?

• If you’re cruising on a budget, you simply can’t beat a Carnival cruise. Carnival’s prices are by far the most competitive for the Australian market, and it’s the only cruise line where you can still find some cruises that start from about $100 a day, although most will start in the $115 to $130 per day range. 
• You shouldn’t expect luxury on a Carnival ship, but there’s still plenty of specialty dining and more elegant spaces available on the ship for those who want to add an extra touch of class to their holiday. 
• Other cruise lines also offer great value, but for those looking to enjoy a trip away without breaking the bank, a Carnival cruise is one of the best value holidays in all of Australia.

Looking for a big ship but without the chaos?

• If you still want to enjoy the amenities and activities of a big ship, but don’t want to be sailing on a ship filled with family and younger children, you want to look towards cruise lines such as Princess, Holland America and Celebrity Cruises.
• These lines still offer the experience of a larger ship, but tend to have less of a focus on families, rather prioritising dining, quiet space, elegant bars and the like. You can still definitely have fun and enjoy classic cruise ship activities such as comedy, trivia, live music, Broadway-style shows and more, but these ships don’t have quite the range of things to do that a Royal Caribbean or Carnival ship has. 
• These lines also tend to have more varied itineraries than the family lines, so they’re a great option to explore other parts of Australia that aren’t just New South Wales or Queensland.

Want something slightly more luxurious?

• If you want something a step up from the Princesses and Celebrity of the world, you can opt for an upper premium line such as Oceania or Azamara. You might be surprised to find that the prices don’t turn out much higher than a Princess Cruise.
• These lines offer a small-ship experience and an extra, more specific focus on aspects such as dining, cocktails, wellness, exclusive events, workshops and classes and so on. 
• For those who have tried larger ship cruising, these lines offer a middle point between full-on luxury lines such as Viking or Scenic and lines with larger ships such as Princess or Celebrity.

Go for luxury

• For the most luxurious options, you want to be looking towards cruise lines such as Viking, Seabourn, Ponant, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas and Crystal Cruises. 
• While you’ll have to pay top dollar to sail on cruise lines such as these ones, you won’t be let down. Almost everything comes included, and you can expect to be showered in personal service and luxury throughout your cruise.
• Lines such as Ponant and Silversea have a more expedition-based focus, with more opportunities for adventure and remote destinations. Silversea will have Silver Nova, Silver Moon and Silver Dawn visit our shores this coming season, Silverseas offers cruises in The Kimberley, around Australia and also to Asia and the Pacific. Ponant also has a series of sailings in The Kimbeley on Le Jacques Cartier and Le Soleal. As well as other options around Australia and to Asia and the Pacific.
• If you’re looking for the absolute upper tier of luxury, your best bet is probably Regent Seven Seas. Regent Seven Seas will see three ships come through our waters this summer, Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Mariner and Seven Seas Navigator.
• Lines such as Viking, Seabourn, Regent Seven Seas and Crystal Cruises can also whisk you off to faraway destinations, and their true highlight is the fine dining and luxury amenities onboard. 

Want to keep things Aussie?

• Three Aussie-owned cruise lines will be sailing on our shores this summer, Coral Expeditions, Aurora Expeditions and Scenic Luxury Cruises. All three are on the luxury and expedition side of things, offering the small-ship experience and whisking passengers off to more remote locations. 
• Coral Expeditions is ever present on Aussie shores, offering a large variety of sailings across the season, with Aussie destinations such as the Kimberley, the Western Australia Coral coast, Great Barrier Reef and plenty more on offer. 
• Aurora Expeditions will offer an 11-day circumnavigation of Tasmania before it heads towards the Arctic. 
• Scenic Eclipse II, maybe the most luxurious ship on our shores, will offer a range of sailings all around Australia, with a focus on the Kimberly, but also options across the Pacific and New Zealand, including a two-week highlight to the Spice Islands of Indonesia.

New and returning ships to check out 

The cruise season ahead will feature some exciting ships coming to our shores for the first time, as well as some notable returns to Aussie ships that we haven’t seen for a while. Discovery Princess is definitely the headline, with the ship being one of Princess’s newest and having just one season to sail in Australia for cruisers to enjoy before she heads back to sailing out of the USA.

• Discovery Princess: Having entered service only a couple of years ago, Discovery Princess will be a bit shinier and more modern than the Princess ships we’re used to. It will have exciting new eats for Aussies to try, such as The Catch by Rudi and Princess’s new 360 immersive dining experience. Other venues, such as the Wake View Pool Bar and Spotlight Bar, will also be fresh and exciting for Aussies. Plenty of loyal cruisers will get a fresh take on what it’s like to sail with Princess as they get the chance to be on a newer ship and enjoy all the amenities that come with it. 
• Anthem of the Seas: The announcement that Anthem would be heading towards Australia was met with a mixed reaction, as it’s actually slightly older than Quantum and Ovation, the ships we’re used to. However, it will bring a new place to explore for loyal Royal Caribbean cruises and a few surprises with it. Aussies can check out new shows such as The Gift and We Will Rock You, as well as dine at Johnny Rockets, a classic American eatery. Anthem will sail out of Sydney for the 2025/26 season.
• Voyager of the Seas: Voyager has sailed in Australia before, but she’ll be returning to Australia for the 2025/26 season, and she’ll only be here for one season. She’ll sail out of Brisbane and offer a slightly different experience than what Aussies have become accustomed to over recent seasons, as Voyager is a bit smaller than the Quantum-class ships such as Ovation or Quantum. She packs in 3600 passengers at double occupancy. Voyager has some different venues to enjoy, such as Giovanni’s Table and Izumi Sushi & Hot Rocks, as well as High Notes Bar and The Tavern, to enjoy a drink. Voyager of the Seas also has an ice-skating rink, which Anthem and Quantum don’t have.

Where to sail to?

Australia and its surrounds are packed with natural beauty, coastal towns and rich cultures. This can make picking your cruise destination tricky.

Even cruise lines that sail to the same destinations often visit different ports or stay for different amounts of time, meaning you should always read over itineraries to decide which itinerary is for you, but here’s the rundown on Aussie cruise destinations.

Want to see it all?

If you want a truly in-depth exploration of Australia, the way to do this is to sail an Australian circumnavigation, that will take you right around Australia’s famous coastline.

Cruise lines such as Holland America, Princess, Viking Voyages and Coral Expeditions offer these sorts of cruises, that take you right around Australia, seeing all of the best that the country has to offer?

Fjords and more?

As far as scenic cruising goes, the fjords of New Zealand are hard to beat anywhere in the world, let alone just sailing out of Australia. Sailing through Milford Sound is a bucketlist item for many and a highly recommended option out of Australia.

Almost all cruise lines offering sailing to New Zealand, meaning you can simply opt for the line of your choice. A cruise of 10-11 days out of Sydney or Brisbane will be enough time to see the highlights, but a cruise of two-weeks will give you more time to immerse and explore other parts of New Zealand as well.

Want something wild?

If you want to see the most rugged corners of Australia, what you want to do is head to the Kimberley. Here cruise lines such as Silversea, Ponant, Scenic, Coral Expeditions and more run sailings, generally inbetwen Broome and Darwin, that go right into the heart of the Kimberley.

You can expect to see waterfalls, red-stained cliff faces, coral reefs and more. These cruises are generally on the luxurious side as well, so you can indulge in five-star dining and accomodation at the same time.

Craving something sunny?

If you want to get out to some beautiful beaches and take in the sunshine, the South Pacific is the best place to do it. Cruise lines such as Carnival and Royal Caribbean have lots of options to New Caledonia and Vanuatu, however, if you want to explore deeper into places like Tonga, French Caledonia and Fiji, you might rather want to opt for smaller and more luxury ships, such as Coral Expeditions, Silversea, Oceania or Azamara.

An Aussie-classic

Cruising is also a great way to have a classic Queensland holiday, and make it up to the Great Barrier Reef. You can find plenty of cruises with lines like Royal Caribbean or Carnival, but you want might want to look towards smaller ships if you want a longer sailing that’s more adventure focused and offers more time on the reef.

A taste of Tassie

Large ships don’t offer as many sailings down to Tasmania as they used to, but you can still find options on Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean. Other ships will often visit Tasmania on larger circumnavigations as well.

Tasmania is another great and diverse destination, equally well known for its landscapes as it is for its food and drink.