Princess Cruises has laid out its biggest-ever Australia and New Zealand programme for the 2028-29 season, and it comes with a headline grabber: the longest roundtrip world cruise ever to sail from Australian waters.
The regional season itself is substantial. Three ships — Emerald Princess, Royal Princess and Grand Princess — will offer 90 departures across more than 70 itineraries, calling at 42 destinations in six countries. Trips range from short two-night hops to a 46-night epic, and there are 17 full round-Australia voyages for travellers wanting the whole coastline in one go. Departure ports include Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Auckland and Fremantle (Perth). Notably, Emerald Princess returns to Australian service for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Then there's the Grand World Odyssey. Sailing on Grand Princess, it runs 129 nights and roughly 37,300 nautical miles, hitting 61 destinations in 31 countries. Guests can join in Sydney, Brisbane or Melbourne — or pick up in Dover, handy for UK travellers. The route threads together the Mediterranean, South Pacific and the Americas, with calls at New York, Miami, Lisbon, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Reykjavik, Tahiti and Auckland. Standout moments include two full transits of the Panama Canal's newer locks, scenic passes by Easter Island and the remote Pitcairn Island, plus double crossings of both the Equator and the International Date Line.
Bookings open on November 10, 2026, and early birds get meaningful incentives. On Australia and New Zealand sailings, the Early Booking Bonus runs to February 16, 2027, and bundles up to $500 in instant savings, up to $500 onboard credit, a $100 reduced deposit, priority dining and arrival group access, a free location upgrade, and up to $300 extra for Captain's Circle loyalists. World cruise bookers fare even better: up to $3,000 onboard credit plus as much as $2,000 in Captain's Circle savings.
Why care? For Australians and New Zealanders, this is one of the richest local cruise seasons on record, with genuine variety from weekend getaways to circumnavigations — no long-haul flight needed. For everyone else, the world cruise offers a rare full-circle itinerary anchored in the Southern Hemisphere, and the early-booking window makes a long voyage slightly less daunting on the wallet. If a world cruise is on your bucket list, marking that November 10 date is the smart move.
