In 2015, I spotted a cruise that circumnavigated Australia which really grabbed my attention and I hoped it was a cruise I could someday take. With cruising being our favoured method of taking a holiday, it would also provide the opportunity to see some parts of Australia that ordinarily we would never get the chance to visit, so in 2016 I managed to negotiate time off work to take it in 2017, unfortunately, the cruise line operating this itinerary, Celebrity, had decided to drop all future sailings of this route. So with the time booked off, we filled the gap with 3 back to back cruises in the region instead, Auckland to Sydney, South Pacific & Fiji & Eastern Australia. We had an amazing trip but the desire to do this itinerary never wavered and in 2019 I noticed that Princess Cruises were doing a similar itinerary so I started to do some research, well as we all know, not long after that, the world came to a standstill for a few years and the idea took a backseat. When things started to return to normal, the itinerary reappeared along with my interest and despite my best efforts to do it in 2023 for a landmark birthday, it was fully booked. Being determined to do this itinerary I started to monitor all new sailings and their release dates with our TA and on 4th April 2023, the first day of sale, we booked this cruise and got the cabin grade we wanted. At the time of booking, I had only just started a new job and fortunately, my new employer was very accommodating with my leave request.
As part of the booking, we added Princess Plus and will receive the following:
*Plus Beverage Package inclusive of bar
service charge (up to 15usd).
*Unlimited Wi-Fi for all guests in the cabin who have booked Princess Plus, one device per guest
*Pre-Paid Crew Appreciation for all guests in the cabin who have booked Princess Plus
*Premium Desserts (2 per day) *Fitness Classes (2 classes)
You will notice below that there are plenty of sea days on this cruise (16 to be exact) so it will certainly be a real take-the-foot-off-the-pedal cruise along with opportunities to see some parts of Australia that are off the normal radar.
| Date | Location | Arrival | Departure |
| Saturday, October 26, 2024 | Sydney, Australia | 6:45 PM | |
| Sunday, October 27, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, October 28, 2024 | Hobart, Australia | 9:00 AM | 6:00 PM |
| Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Wednesday, October 30, 2024 | Melbourne, Australia | 7:00 AM | 10:00 PM |
| Thursday, October 31, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Friday, November 1, 2024 | Adelaide, Australia | 7:00 AM | 6:00 PM |
| Saturday, November 2, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Sunday, November 3, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, November 4, 2024 | Albany, Australia | 7:00 AM | 4:00 PM |
| Tuesday, November 5, 2024 | Margaret River, Australia | 9:00 AM | 6:00 PM |
| Wednesday, November 6, 2024 | Fremantle, Australia | 7:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| Thursday, November 7, 2024 | |||
| Friday, November 8, 2024 | 9:00 AM | 6:00 PM | |
| Saturday, November 9, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Sunday, November 10, 2024 | Broome, Australia | 7:00 AM | 6:00 PM |
| Monday, November 11, 2024 | Yampi Sound (Scenic Cruising) | 12:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| Tuesday, November 12, 2024 | Kimberley, Australia (Scenic Cruising) | 7:00 AM | 11:00 AM |
| Wednesday, November 13, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Thursday, November 14, 2024 | Darwin, Australia | 7:00 AM | 10:00 PM |
| Friday, November 15, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Saturday, November 16, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Sunday, November 17, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Monday, November 18, 2024 | Cairns, Australia | 9:00 AM | 9:00 PM |
| Tuesday, November 19, 2024 | Willis Island, Australia | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| Wednesday, November 20, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Thursday, November 21, 2024 | Brisbane, Australia | 8:00 AM | 5:00 PM |
| Friday, November 22, 2024 | At Sea | ||
| Saturday, November 23, 2024 | Sydney, Australia | 6:00 AM |
On 8 August 2024, our TA advised us of an itinerary change, Geraldton was removed and replaced with a sea day and the following day which was originally a sea day, they added Exmouth. We had a tour booked in Geraldton which the operator refunded within days. Despite thorough searches in and around Exmouth, we have not found anything that remotely interests us that hasn’t already been seemingly block-booked by the cruise line. So it looks like a trip into town to explore and possibly spend time on the beach.
I won’t go into much more detail and will leave most of it to unfold as we go along. So, if you are reading this, we are on our way to Australia.
Good morning Mike. Great to see a decent cruise blogger back at sea.
I think this is the first time we are both traveling at the same time. I am assuming you are flying out of Heathrow tomorrow. Sometime when you are going and we are coming or vice versa, maybe we can pass a few minutes there. I will be following along with your vacation while you follow ours. Have a superb time.
We have just boarded our first flight which is to Dubai. Sorry Jim, maybe next time.
Have a wonderful time. Look forward to following your trip.
We’d love to do a round-Australia cruise! I figure it’s the only way we will get to see Broome and the Kimberleys (even from afar). Hobart and Darwin are also on our bucket list.
We liked the Crown Princess when we did a trans-pacific on her. A good-size ship and the Medallion that you can use to order food and drinks almost anywhere on board is really useful.
So I’m looking forward to this blog very much. I hope your flights were bearable.