Crown Princess To Call Australia Home

Princess Cruises is set to hit a significant milestone in Australia, as Crown Princess will shortly become the country’s biggest cruise ship ever to be based year-round.

The 3,080-guest ship will debut in her home port of Sydney in October 2024, offering itineraries such as a 113-night world cruise, the longest Princess journey to sail round-trip from Australia.

In 2024–25, Princess will debut the 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess in Brisbane for the cruise line’s first-ever season. The ship is the largest of the line’s ships ever to be stationed in Queensland.

The 18-night cruise to New Zealand on Royal Princess is Princess’ first-ever round-trip from Hobart. A four- or five-night cruise to and from Hobart is also available for guests who wish to prolong their time in Tasmania.

Between October 2024 and September 2025, passengers can choose from 117 departures aboard one of the three ships, with cruise lengths ranging from two to 113 days and embarkation points in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Fremantle, and Hobart. According to Princess President John Padgett, the company’s choice to permanently homeport a massive ship like Crown in Australia reflects the country’s insatiable appetite for extended voyages at sea.

“Thanks to Crown Princess’ generous size, we’ll be able to carry over 50% more guests on popular itineraries like our world cruise and Australian circumnavigation voyages, adding more affordable stateroom types and more premium suites than ever before to cater for a broad range of travellers.”

The programme will be on sale beginning on April 4 for VIP Guests and April 5 for the general public. Meanwhile, the Grand Princess, one of the cruise line’s ships, performed a “daring midnight rescue” to save two sailors in dangerous waters near Wilsons Promontory.

On Monday morning, Grand responded to a police request for help, rescuing two sailors who had been lost and abandoned their boat, with the ship’s Staff Captain recounting the story on Sunrise. The sailors were found in the Bass Strait, just off Cleft Island.