Princess Cruises is opening sales on November 10, 2026 for its most ambitious Australia and New Zealand season to date, anchored by the 2029 Grand World Odyssey — a 129-night roundtrip from Australia that the line bills as the longest world cruise it has ever operated from that market. The voyage spans approximately 37,300 nautical miles, touches 61 destinations in 31 countries, and connects five continents aboard Grand Princess.
The World Cruise Itinerary
The Grand World Odyssey departs from Sydney, Brisbane, or Melbourne, with an additional embarkation option from Dover, England. Guests transit the Panama Canal twice through its new locks, pass scenic cruising near Easter Island and remote Pitcairn Island, and call at marquee cities including New York, Miami, Reykjavik, Lisbon, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Tahiti, and Auckland. The voyage includes 51 UNESCO World Heritage Sites and nine More Ashore experiences — eight late-night stays plus one overnight port call — across Europe, South America, and the South Pacific. Early booking incentives for the Grand World Odyssey include up to $3,000 in onboard credit and up to $2,000 in Captain's Circle member savings, available through February 16, 2027.
The Regional Season
Beyond the flagship world cruise, Princess Cruises is deploying three ships — Grand Princess, Emerald Princess, and Royal Princess — across more than 90 departures on over 70 unique itineraries ranging from two to 46 nights. The season covers 42 destinations in six countries, with sailings departing from six Australian and New Zealand homeports: Adelaide, Auckland, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth (Fremantle), and Sydney. Notably, Emerald Princess returns to Australian waters for the first time since the 2016–17 season, and Melbourne regains homeporting status. Seventeen Round Australia voyages are included, alongside an expanded New Zealand program covering both the North and South Islands.
The hospitality and dining angle matters here: Princess has long positioned its onboard culinary program as a differentiator in the premium cruise segment, and the extended port-call strategy — particularly the More Ashore late-night stays — gives food and beverage operators in destination ports significantly more evening foot traffic than traditional daytime calls allow. For hospitality businesses in cities like Barcelona, Reykjavik, or Sydney, longer guest dwell times translate directly into incremental restaurant and bar revenue. Cruise itinerary strategy increasingly mirrors the kind of experiential thinking driving destination dining and hospitality trends in the broader travel sector.
Jim Berra, Princess Cruises Chief Commercial Officer, framed the season as an evolution of the line's discovery-focused identity. "From the longest World Cruise ever to sail roundtrip out of Australia to an unmatched variety of voyages showcasing the beauty of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, we're giving guests more ways to discover remarkable destinations, immerse themselves in different cultures and see the world in new ways," he said.
Early booking bonuses for the 2028–29 Australia and New Zealand regional voyages include up to $500 in instant savings, up to $500 in onboard credit, reduced $100 deposits, and up to $300 in Captain's Circle member savings. Both promotional windows close February 16, 2027. For hospitality and travel trade partners tracking cruise-driven tourism and its downstream food and beverage impact, the scale of this season — three ships, six homeports, 90-plus departures — signals sustained demand for premium southern hemisphere itineraries well into the decade.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
