New year, new cruise. Cruise lines are creating fresh itineraries to take cruisers on different routes around Australia and further afield.

Cruisers have their pick of never-sailed-before itineraries, some of which includes some maiden ports, as well as plenty of old favourites in 2020.

P&O Cruises has added new itineraries to its Polynesian destinations, plus its very first cruise to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Princess Cruises also has a new two-week Adelaide roundtrip sailing the east coast on Sea Princess.

Carnival Spirit, which makes Brisbane her new homeport in late 2020, is also debuting new week-long itineraries to the Pacific Islands featuring a half-day call in Noumea. Silversea is also offering a 51-day circumnavigation of Australia and New Zealand, in a Sydney roundtrip sailing, as well as four sub-Antarctic Dunedin roundtrip itineraries.

Meanwhile, Regent Seven Seas and Holland America Line are launching new grand voyages sailing worldwide in 2020, with the longest voyage being a 79-day Grand Africa Voyage.

Viking has two new month-long voyages, the 26-day Jewels of Southeast Asia and a 30-day Mumbai to Mediterranean Passage.

Seabourn is visiting a number of new ports in Iceland and Ireland in Northern Europe while Oceania Cruises have longer Alaskan itineraries and new ports in Japan and Indonesia.

For music lovers, Ponant is launching nine music-themed cruises in September in conjunction with Beethoven’s 250^th birthday celebrations.

So, if you need fresh holiday inspiration, have a look at all the new cruise itineraries we have gathered to see what is of interest to you this year.

P&O Cruises

Pacific Aria debuts a 14-night Bounty Adventure cruise in July 2020. The cruise is visiting the clear waters of Norfolk Island, Nuku’alofa, Vava’u, Cruise Bay, Suva, Port Denarau and Dravuni Island. Onboard experiences include the Captain’s Cocktail Party, Masquerade Ball, dance lessons, and Tai Chi with Australian actor Paul Mercurio from Strictly Ballroom. The sailing also has a shorter 10-night version. The Bounty Discovery itinerary visits Norfolk Island, Noumea, Lifou, Port Vila and Mystery Island.

The line is also making their first sailing to the Melbourne International Comedy Festival this year. The five-night cruise on Pacific Explorer, departing Sydney on 6 April, features popular comedian Rhys Nicholson. The fare packs in everything from tickets to transfers and even an exclusive comedy show at Melbourne Town Hall reserved for P&O guests.

Holland America Line

The line has four new itineraries for 2020. The 79-day Grand Africa Voyage on Amsterdam departs from Boston, Massachusetts in October and also features a maiden port, La Goulette, Tunisia. The line also has a 22-day Solar Eclipse cruise visiting South America and Antarctica on the Westerdam. The cruise departs San Antonio, Chile in November.

For shorter itineraries, there is a new 12-day itinerary, Mexico & Sea of Cortez  making its debut aboard Maasdam. It departs San Diego in October. Holland America also has seven-day itineraries sailing the Pacific coast, from San Diego to Vancouver, in April also on Maasdam as well as Oosterdam.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises has a new 14-night Adelaide roundtrip itinerary on the Sea Princess with a maiden call to Eden on the NSW South Coast. The ship will be visiting Burnie, Hobart, Eden, Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne on the return to Adelaide. The Eastern & Southern Explorer itinerary departs 16 November. The itinerary currently has a Best Value package fare which includes premier beverage package and WiFi. Interior twin share from $2,559pp. Offer ends 12 March.

Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Spirit will be the newest and largest ship in the homeport of Brisbane, beginning October. The ship will be sailing a new seven-day itinerary visiting Espiritu Santo and Mystery Island in Vanuatu along with a half-day call in Noumea. The itinerary also visits a mix of other Pacific islands, including Isle of Pines, Lifou and Maré.

Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL has a new 24-day Indian Ocean Explorer itinerary stopping in South Africa, Seychelles, Maldives and Thailand from Cape Town. The itinerary features overnights in Port Victoria, Seychelles and Richards Bay, South Africa. Departing 22 March on the recently refurbished Norwegian Spirit, fares start from $2,189pp, with 50 per cent off a second guest for oceanview cabins and above.

Seabourn

The line is visiting nine new maiden ports in 2020. This ranges from Alta and Farsund in Norway to Fethiye in Turkey. The line is also making its first visit to Kinsale and Inishmore, Aran Isle in Ireland, Skagafjordur and Stykkisholmur in Iceland, Ystad in Sweden and Oran in Algeria.

To visit the new ports in Norway and Iceland, join Seabourn’s Viking, Atlantic and Northern European itineraries. They have sailings that are just over a month long and shorter 15-day options like A Viking Midsummer and Iceland, North Cape & The Midnight Sun.

Oceania Cruises

This year, the Regatta offering more and longer Alaskan voyages. They range from seven- to 14-day sailings, including many “open-jaw” itineraries between Vancouver and Seward. The Insignia will also be sailing two new voyages, including Iceland to New York and Reykjavik to London.

The line will also be visiting 12 new ports of call this year. From Maceio in Brazil, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic, Japan’s traditional seaside town of Miyako as well as Sendai and Muroran (Hokkaido), to the Indonesian melting pot of Surabaya and Celukan Bawang (Bali).

In Australia, Oceania will be making first calls to Mooloolaba and Port Lincoln, as well as New Zealand’s remote port of Whangarei.

Viking

Viking has two new month-long voyages, the 26-day Jewels of Southeast Asia and a 30-day Mumbai to Mediterranean Passage, as well as its 2020/21 World Cruise.

The Mumbai to Mediterranean itinerary crosses the Arabian and Red Sea before reaching Mediterranean destinations. It will visit popular destinations such as Oman, Jordan and Egypt before exploring Mediterranean classics including Malta, Italy, Spain and Portugal before arriving in London.

The Jewels of Southeast Asia sails from Hong Kong to Mumbai, exploring many Southeast Asian countries, including Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Singapore and Malaysia, before arriving in India.

Regent Seven Seas

Claimed as “The most luxurious ship ever built”, the Seven Seas Explorer, is calling at local ports such as Sydney and Auckland for the first time, on itineraries such as the 18-night Singapore to Sydney Balinese Celebration or the 14-night, Sydney to Auckland, Majesty of Milford cruise.

Meanwhile, the Seven Seas Voyager is visiting multiple new ports in Italy in 2020, including Lecce, Crotone, Siracusa, Porto Empedocle and Porto Torres. The ship will also be visiting Cabo Frio in Brazil.

The line is also launching four new Grand Voyages, including a 74-Night Grand Arctic Discovery, a 68-night Grand Cape Horn Adventure, 76-night Grand Spice Route Quest, and 60-night Grand Asia Exploration.

Silversea Cruises

The Silver Muse is embarking on a 51-day circumnavigation of Australia and New Zealand in a Sydney roundtrip sailing that visits 30 different ports. The line is also launching four exclusive sub-Antarctic voyages departing December 2020 and February 2021. Starting from 14 days and going up to 22 days, the Dunedin roundtrip itineraries visit destinations including Ulva Island, Stewart Island, The Snares, Enderby Island and Auckland  Islands archipelago, as well as cruising the sounds.

Ponant

The line is launching a new eight-day itinerary from Alaska to British Columbia, sailing along the Tracy Arm Fjord when the Le Soleal departs in July. There are also more than 15 new itineraries in Northern Europe, including nine music-themed cruises in September in celebration of Beethoven’s 250^th birthday. In December, the Le Lapérouse is also debuting a new sailing from Mumbai, heading for the Maldives and concluding in Sri Lanka. The Le Bougainville is also launching a selection of new expeditions to the Seychelles in December.

Royal Caribbean

The line is returning to Brisbane in November after a three-year hiatus to offer cruises on the Radiance of the Seas. This includes week-long South Pacific cruises. Sampler cruises and a 7-night Queensland Cruise will also be offered in 2021.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Eclipse will arrive in Port Phillip Bay for her first homeport stay in Melbourne to sail Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, in cruises which range from 11 to 14 nights long.