Princess Cruises has confirmed Grand Princess will arrive in Brisbane in just over 100 days, becoming the cruise line’s next year-round ship in Australia as it marks 50 years of cruising Down Under.
The Grand Class vessel will homeport in Australia year-round, sailing itineraries around Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, alongside longer voyages including a 79-day Circle Pacific taking in Hawaii, Alaska, Japan and Southeast Asia.
Her return gives Australian travellers a mid-sized ship option in a market increasingly dominated by mega-ships, with the vessel able to access ports larger ships cannot reach.
Select sailings depart from Brisbane, with bonus onboard spending and 2027 sale offers attached to bookings made this week.
What advisors can sell
Grand Princess covers the core Australian outbound cruise markets from a single ship: New Zealand and South Pacific sailings for the mainstream cruiser, plus the marathon 79-day Circle Pacific for the retiree and long-haul market chasing Hawaii, Alaska, Japan and Southeast Asia in one unpack, tapping into the same appetite for Asia that saw the line unveil its largest-ever Japan and Southeast Asia season for 2027–2028.
The ship’s mid-sized footprint is a genuine selling point for clients wanting smaller-port access and traditional cruise touches without giving up the dining and entertainment of a big-ship product.
Why Grand Princess still stands out
When Grand Princess debuted in 1998, she was one of the largest and most expensive passenger ships ever built, and the first of the line’s Grand Class, a design that shaped Princess ships for years afterwards.
The ship was christened by Academy Award-winning actress Olivia de Havilland, and more than 25 years on, Princess says she remains one of the most recognisable vessels in the fleet.
Since entering service, Grand Princess has sailed almost 3 million nautical miles, the equivalent of circling the globe around 130 times, across Alaska, the Mediterranean, Australia and New Zealand.
Life aboard a floating city
The galley delivers more than 10,000 meals a day, with menus planned over a year in advance. A typical seven-day cruise gets through 20 tonnes of fresh fruit and vegetables, 3,000 pizzas, 5,000 cups of coffee, 2,000 lobster tails and almost 30,000 eggs.
For the Australian sailings, that also means more than 100 jars of Vegemite each week.
“Few ships in our fleet embody the history and traditions of Princess Cruises quite like Grand Princess. As we celebrate 50 years in Australia, it’s fitting a ship so closely connected to our heritage will be welcoming guests year-round to some of the world’s most spectacular destinations,” Princess Cruises vice president Asia Pacific Matthew Rutherford said.
“Australians have always had a strong affinity for Grand Princess because she delivers the timeless cruise experience that first made so many people fall in love with cruising.”
KARRYON UNPACKS: A year-round mid-sized ship gives advisors a versatile Princess option that pairs short New Zealand and South Pacific runs with a genuine bucket-list 79-day Circle Pacific. With the 50th anniversary as a hook and Brisbane departures on the table, it’s a story that suits both first-time cruisers and the loyal long-haul retiree market.
