Guests Cruising Australia and New Zealand in December set to soar 27%

Princess Cruises

, the leading cruise line in Australia and New Zealand*, is preparing for the festive season with bookings now open for December sailings.

With the 2019/2020 cruise season set to be the largest in Princess Cruises history, over 51,000 people are expected to cruise Australia and New Zealand across four Princess ships this December, an almost 30 per cent increase in guests who sailed the region at the same time last year.

“Cruising over the December holidays is fast becoming one of the most popular times to sail,” said Princess Cruises Sales and Marketing Director, Nick Ferguson.

“Looking at the traditional booking window for Princess guests, we are encouraging people who are thinking about taking a cruise over the Christmas period to book now to avoid missing out. Cruising is a fantastic way to bring the family together for the holidays – being at sea allows guests time to rest and recharge and spend quality time with loved ones. Best of all no one needs to worry about the grocery shopping or washing up.”

Ships sailing Australia and New Zealand in December include the 113,561 ton 3,080 guest Ruby Princess, the 143,700 ton 3,560 guest Majestic Princess, Golden Princess, and Sea Princess which collectively will make 14 voyages on itineraries from Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland. Highlights include:

  • 12-night Australia and New Zealand cruise on Majestic Princess sailing Sydney to Auckland departing 15 December 2019.
  • 14-night Australia and New Zealand cruise on Ruby Princess sailing Auckland to Sydney departing 30 December 2019.
  • 8-night Tasmania cruise on Majestic Princess sailing roundtrip from Sydney departing 7 December 2019.
  • 13-night New Zealand cruise on Golden Princess sailing roundtrip from Melbourne departing 7 December 2019.
  • 14-night New Zealand cruise on Sea Princess sailing roundtrip from Brisbane departing 29 December 2019.

In addition, Sea Princess will embark on a 10-night Papua New Guinea cruise roundtrip from Brisbane on 8 December as well as a 9-night New Caledonia and Vanuatu cruise departing 19 December. Sun Princess will sail on a 14-night Indonesia cruise roundtrip from Perth (Freemantle) departing 23 December.

A fleetwide installation of Christmas decorations will be complete ahead of holiday departures. Onboard Majestic Princess more than 1780 Christmas stockings will deck guest areas. Across each voyage guests will feast on 450 kilograms of ham, 1000 kilograms of turkey, 144 gingerbread houses, 8000 puddings, 3000 bottles of Champagne and more than 120 litres of eggnog.

Princess ships will also host a series of special events throughout the holiday period, including gingerbread house decorating contests and Christmas card making for the kids, as well as turkey carving demonstrations and kids’ carols shows for the adults.

Children onboard will enjoy a surprise visit from the ship’s resident Santa Claus – and on Christmas Eve can leave out cookies and carrots for the big man in red and his reindeer.

/Public Release. View in full here.