You’ll never guess where you can find the cheapest Carnival and Princess cruises right now
Plan a trip to Australia in the coming months? Consider taking an excursion.
With a twist, the best deals on cruises right now from two of North America’s largest cruise lines — Festival cruise line and Princess Cruise — for trips around the world in Land Down Under.
As of Thursday morning, both routes offer three-night trips in Australia for as little as $38 per day. That’s less on a per-day basis than any other short itineraries offered at either brand – including the usual cheap Bahamas trips.
On a per-day basis, longer excursions in Australia are for sale even cheaper at Carnival. The line on Thursday morning offered seven-night trips in Australia for as little as $204 – or just $29 per day.
Seven-night Australia trips at Princess start at $397 — or about $57 a day.
Low prices appear when cruise ships finally return to Australia in earnest after nearly three years of absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating an increase in cabin supply.
Both Carnival and Princess have long been on the Australian yachting market, although their biggest operations are closer to home.
The majority of Carnival’s fleet operates voyages from US ports to the Bahamas, the Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera. The princess is perhaps best known for her trips to Alaska, Europe and the Caribbean but is also present in many parts of the world.
Related: 5 best destinations you can visit on the Princess ship
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Note that, for the most part, the best fares available for cruises in Australia are for trips that are about to depart. That means you will need to arrive in Australia soon to take advantage of them. In many cases, trips will work best as a complement to a pre-planned Australia trip, if you can adjust your travel dates and itinerary.
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The hottest Australian travel deals available from Carnival and Princess as of early Tuesday include:
- A seven-night trip out of Brisbane on Carnival Luminosa starting February 5 starts at $204 — or about $29 a day. Additional departures on February 12, March 5, March 12, and March 26 start at $211 to $244 — or about $30 to $35 a day.
- A three-night trip out of Melbourne on the Grand Princess starts March 28 with prices starting at $114 — or about $38 a day.
- A three-night trip out of Brisbane into the Luminosa Carnival starts February 2 with prices starting at $113 — or about $38 a day. Additional departures on March 2 and March 23 start at $137 and $194, respectively.
- A five-night trip out of Sydney on Carnival Luminosa starts January 28 with prices starting at $296 — or about $59 a day. Additional year-end departures start at $317 — or about $63 a day.
Both routes also offer longer trips at relatively low rates. For instance, Carnival offers a nine-night trip out of Sydney departing June 21 with prices starting at $430 — or about $48 a day.
A 14-night trip out of Melbourne on the Royal Princess starting March 8 starts at just $432 — or about $31 a day. Longer trips to New Zealand beyond Sydney on the Royal Princess are also available at slightly higher rates.
In many cases, these Australian itineraries target the local Australian market. However, they are open to bookings from anyone in the world.
Shorter voyages often visit coastal areas near their ports of departure or are “journeys to nowhere” with no stops. Longer trips will take you to some of Australia’s most popular destinations, as well as iconic New Zealand locations.
Related: The Ultimate Guide to Carnival Cruise Line
The nine-night Carnival, for instance, out of Sydney, takes cruisers to Australia’s famous Great Barrier Reef. The 14-night Princess out of Melbourne focuses on some of New Zealand’s most popular sites, including Fiordland National Park.
Good print
Notably, all of the deeply discounted rates above apply only to windowless interior compartments, which are the lowest class cabins on each ship.
However, the routes also offer low rates for cabins with balconies and sea views on some trips.
Ocean-view cabins (that is, cabins with windows) on the three-night Carnival Luminosa cruise departing February 5 were listed on Carnival’s website Thursday morning for $155 – only $42 more than a cabin without windows.
The balcony cabin on the boat is listed for $197. Work out about $66 a day for a balcony cabin.
Related: 6 ways to get a deal on a cruise
Note that all fares are per person based on two people staying in the cabin. They are not available to solo travelers.
Plus, while rates include accommodation, meals and entertainment, they don’t include taxes and port fees, ranging from a modest $68 for Carnival’s short Brisbane rides to a whopping $393. dollars for the Princess’ 14-night trip to New Zealand.
Cruise lines often advertise their fares excluding taxes and port charges but add these costs to the final bill at the time of checkout.
On both Carnival and Princess websites, Australian cruises now show up at the top of the list when sorting trips by price, which is relatively unusual.
At Carnival, the lowest fares are usually for short trips in the Bahamas, on both an absolute basis and a per-day basis. The lowest priced Princess cruises are usually for trips along the west coast of California and up to the Mexican coast.
As of Thursday, the lowest-priced three-night trip in the Bahamas available on Carnival’s website starts at $168 – about 49 percent more than the airline’s lowest-priced three-night trip in Australia.
As noted, the best rates for these trips to Australia are for very close departures, which can be difficult for Americans to achieve in the short term.
However, there are also some low fares on Australian trips scheduled to depart later in the year. For example, a 13-night Princess from Sydney to New Zealand departs on November 19 and starts at $717 — or just $55 a day.
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