For starters, more options, about 25 percent more than 2019.
Princess Cruises will position six ships – one third of its global fleet – in Australia for the first time. The 670-passenger Pacific Princess will return for a four-month deployment, coinciding with the 45th anniversary of Princess’ first roundtrip cruise from Australia on the original Pacific Princess, which appeared in the 1970s-1980s “Love Boat” TV series.
A 28-day “Round Australia” itinerary on Sea Princess will sail roundtrip from Sydney on February 21, 2021. Posts will include Hobart, Burnie, Melbourne, Adelaide, Albany, Margaret River (Busselton), Perth (Freemantle); Broome, Darwin, Cairns, and Brisbane. Guests also cruise the Kimberley Coast and visit Alotau (Milne), and the rare Papua New Guinea stop. In addition to receiving the best price, bonus OBC, you will also receive a complimentary Deluxe Balcony Breakfast for 2 when you are booked in a minisuite or higher aboard any 2020 Princess Australia, Tahiti or New Zealand sailing. Plus with over 69 cruises that give you additional bonuses when you book your South Pacific Cruise with Midwest Travel Solutions you will not only receive expert advice on every port of call, the best value for your vacation dollar including any past guest offers.
Between October 2020 and March 2021, Silversea Cruises will sail to 49 destinations in eight countries in and around Australia and New Zealand. One highlight? By combining three voyages—Sydney to Fremantle (Perth), Fremantle (Perth) to Bali, and Bali to Sydney—travelers will complete a 50-day circumnavigation of Australia onboard Silver Muse, which will make multiple port calls in Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia. Between December 2020 and February 2021, the ship will operate voyages between Sydney and Auckland. A 16-day voyage departing December 20, 2020 will call at Melbourne and Burnie, and then head for New Zealand ports, before ending with an Auckland overnight.
Azamara’s 2021-2022 schedules will feature many global maiden calls. One is at Fraser Island, Australia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s the world’s largest sand island with rainforest growing from the dunes.
Azamara’s 18-night “Australia Intensive Voyage” on February 23, 2021 will provide opportunities for plenty of time ashore with three late-night stays and three overnights in port. The 684-passenger Azamara Pursuit calls at Mooloolaba, Airlie Beach, Cairns and Darwin, plus Benoa, Bali, before ending in Singapore. One plus is that Azamara’s tours in Australia are operated by Abercrombie & Kent. Pre-cruise, land-stay options for Azamara include the Kuranda Rainforest & Great Barrier Reef, a scenic option with eco-exploration; “Rail & Sail Australia: Indian Pacific,” a railroad journey across the continent; “Uluru: Ayers Rock at Longitude 131,” a visit into Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park; and two “Stay Local Sydney” options, one that includes the Blue Mountains. The Azamara Pursuit, is comparable in size to the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest. The ship will be updated similar to the renovations recently introduced on the Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest, bringing guests the experience of a boutique hotel at sea.
Sailing “Down Under” is one highlight of Crystal Cruises’s 2022 World Cruise “Myths, Marvels & Monuments: A Cultural Mosaic” on Crystal Serenity. Voyage length varies from 86 to 116 nights, depending on boarding/disembarkation ports (Los Angeles, Miami or Monte Carlo).
The voyage will feature Australian port calls in Sydney (overnight), Eden, Melbourne, Adelaide, Busselton, and Perth; along with a Panama Canal transit and calls in New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Egypt, Israel, the Black Sea, Central America, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. “Crystal Cruises Presents: A Culinary Journey Hosted by Jon Ashton.” Ashton visits Perth eateries to learn how local chefs incorporate truffles into their menus and, back on Crystal Serenity, he and Alfred Napotnik, chef de cuisine of the onboard Prego, create a classic gnocchi and black truffle dish.
For wellness fans, Seabourn Cruises’s 2020 “Wellness in the South Pacific” cruise onboard Seabourn Encore will depart February 21 from Auckland, New Zealand to Sydney. Exploring many ports in New Zealand, the ship also will call in Australia at Melbourne, Phillip Island, Eden and Sydney. The sailing will also offer Ventures by Seabourn, the line’s optional program of expedition excursions. Onboard, Seabourn’s guests can attend onboard wellness seminars from Dr. Andrew Weil (who designed Seabourn’s wellness program) and other experts; they’ll talk about diet & nutrition, healthy aging, mind-body healing, hypnosis, the microbiome, vitality, genetics and brain health.
Oceania Cruises 684-passenger Insignia will spend more than a week in Australia during its “2021 Around the World In 180 Days” World Cruises. Departing Miami on January 9, 2021 and culminating in New York City on July 9, 2021, this six-continent voyage will cross three oceans and visit 44 countries.
Queen Elizabeth will operate four roundtrip voyages from Melbourne and four from Sydney, sailing to South Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. New in 2021 is a pair of “open-jaw” New Zealand voyages, sailing from Sydney to Auckland and in reverse.
During cruisers’ free time in Sydney, one fun option is a distillery tour/tasting experience. Gin, vodka, whiskey and rum are infused with everything from fruit to seaweed. Among the options for independently minded guests who wish to explore the local distillery culture on their own are the Archie Rose Bar in the Cannery Rosebery and Brix Distillers in Surry Hills.
For a 120-night Asia-Pacific circumnavigation that includes Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere in the South Pacific, Regent Seven Seas Cruises “Elements of the Pacific,” a Seven Seas Mariner voyage to 59 ports in 17 countries with 18 overnight stays including two in Australia – Sydney and Brisbane. Cruisers can visit 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites incuding the “Royal Exhibition Building and Carlton Gardens” on a Melbourne call and the “Wet Tropics of Queensland” on a visit to Cairns. Among the new shoreside experiences is “Classical Rendezvous in Sydney” on February 22, 2022. Cruise guests will enjoy a three course-lunch at a local venue, prior to an afternoon classical music concert at Sydney Town Hall, famed for its marble stairs, ornate stained glass, golden highlights and the world’s largest tubular pneumatic organ.
Holland America Line’s 1,258-passenger Maasdam is sailing a series in-depth Voyages in the South Pacific. Voyages offer special lectures, interactive workshops and cultural programs and the ship carries Zodiacs for EXC Tours. For a holiday cruise down under this year, Maasdam’s 14-day “Southern Australia Holiday” cruise will sail roundtrip from Sydney on December 23. Ports will include Eden, Melbourne, Port Arthur, Adelaide, Penneshaw on Kangaroo Island, Portland, Burnie and Phillip Island, as well as scenic cruising of Cape Raoul.
Celebrity Cruises’ 2,850-passenger Celebrity Eclipse will sail a 14-night “Australia’s Great Barrier Reef” voyage from Singapore on November 24, 2020. Ports of call will include Darwin, Cairns (Yorkey’s Knob), Airlie Beach, Newcastle and Sydney. At Cairns, cruisers can head out to overnight on the Great Barrier Reef or go rafting in the rainforest. On February 4, 2021, Celebrity Solstice’s eight-night “Australia and Tasmania” voyage will sail roundtrip from Sydney to Adelaide (overnight) and Hobart.with several days at sea. During the two days in Adelaide, wine lovers can opt for the “Taste of Barossa”.
Norwegian Cruise Line’s winter 2020/2021 itineraries include voyages on the recently revitalized 2,376-passenger Norwegian Jewel, with bow-to-stern enhancements; it will begin sailing Australia and New Zealand cruises starting October 9. On February 14, 2020, the vessel will sail from Sydney to Wellington, New Zealand, on a 14-night itinerary calling at Burnie and Melbourne, plus many New Zealand ports.
Royal Caribbean International will offer four-night and five-night “Tasmania Cruises” spend one port day in Hobart, or alternatively a day in Hobart and another in Port Arthur, plus the line has many longer voyages too. Ships include Ovation of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas. A 10-night “Queensland Cruise” will depart roundtrip from Sydney on Serenade of the Seas. Departing October 20, 2020, the ship will call at Brisbane, Cairns (Yorkeys Knob), Airlie Beach and Newcastle.
Carnival Cruise Line also will operate three-day sampler voyages roundtrip from Sydney on multiple dates through 2021. Also, the 2,680-passenger Carnival Spirit sails a 10-day “Great Barrier Reef” itinerary that will call at Gladstone, Airlie Beach, Cairns (Yorkeys Knob), and Port Douglas, along with scenic Willis Island cruising.
With price points from a few hundred dollars per person, to tens of thousands, the choices can be overwhelming – that is why we are here! We would be happy to visit, by phone or person to discuss which cruise would be the best fit for you, based on your travel budget in both time and dollars. Midwest Travel Solutions is the regions only Aussie, Kiwi and South Pacific Specialists, we are experts at putting together customer itineraries, both land and sea to give you the trip of a lifetime. Midwest Travel Solutions puts an end to travel drama, leaving only travel dreams.
