Luxury Cruises in Australasia

More options, better prices this summer.

“As Cruise Lines International of Australasia has reported in its latest figures, the small ship cruise market has expanded robustly, the demand for a small ship, boutique, expedition, and ultra-luxury cruises has, clearly, never been higher, driven by travellers’ desire to travel with fewer people to more unique destinations on more immersive itineraries.”

“Clients are moving more towards this type of cruising to see new places, experience new things, and have more focus on them. They’re not getting lost in the buffet on board or lost in the hallways trying to find their rooms.

“Luxury and small ship cruises have proved that focusing more on personalized experiences, catering to individual preferences and offering bespoke services that enhance the overall experience.”

Before you go diving in and join the luxury wave yourself, a key point to understanding how luxury cruising works in Australia is to know about Australia’s Kimberley season.

The Kimberley, Australia

One of the most sought after areas to cruise

One of the most sought-after areas to cruise in Australia is The Kimberley. Up in the far north of Western Australia, it’s one of Australia’s most spectacular regions, where the outback meets wild orange cliff faces and bright coral reefs.

Kimberley itineraries generally run between Darwin and Broome, and given that only smaller ships can access the most stunning parts, they generally take place on smaller ships of a couple of hundred passengers maximum.

The important thing to note is that the peak of the Kimberley season runs from April to September. This is in contrast to Australia’s main cruise season, which runs from about September to March. Cruise lines that you can trust for a Kimberley experience including Seabourn, Coral Expeditions, Ponant, Silversea, True North and more.

Therefore, if you’re looking for a summer cruise, the Kimblerey won’t be your move, but it’s worth considering when planning out your next cruise, as it remains the expedition cruise hub of Australia.

Why make the leap to luxury

If you’re a constant cruiser and you feel like itineraries are getting stale, luxury cruises can take you to completely new and fresh destinations.
While the fare is generally a lot more than other cruises, there are also lots more inclusions, with things like drinks, wifi, shore excursions and more often rolled into the price. If you find yourself spending a lot onboard already, you might be surprised to find out that luxury doesn’t come as much more as you’d think.
Get a completely new take on what it means to cruise, and the amount of space and attention to detail you can experience at sea.
Forget about itemising and carefully budgeting your cruise, enjoying having everything truly included.

Oceania Cruises

Best Cuisine at Sea

Oceania Cruises doesn’t quite have the inclusions or intimacy of the very top luxury lines, but it offers a significant step up in luxury, dining and personal service than the larger family ships. Oceania Riviera and Oceania Regatta will both be paying a visit to Australia this summer.

The best deal: This long 24-day voyage from French Polynesia to Bali starts from around AU$8100, less than AU$340 per night.

Azamara Cruises

Award Winning

Azamara offers the bridge between premium cruise lines such as Celebrity Cruises and more luxury cruise lines such as Silversea. While deals are thinner on the ground than usual due to strong bookings for the season ahead, Azamara is a great option to get your first taste of luxury, without breaking the bank.

They combine cruising with golf with Perry Golf, on many of their cruises.

The best deal: This 16-night sailing out of Melbourne on Azamara Pursuit offers a more comfortable and intimate way to see New Zealand, starting from around AU$7200 or around AU$450 a night.

Silversea

Luxury & Adventure

Silversea is perfect for those who want to reach for those upper tiers of luxury, but also want to keep adventure at the core of their travels. Silversea is known for having great expedition teams that show you new ways to connect with your destination. This season we’ll see Silver Nova, Silver Moon and Silver Dawn come past our shores.

The best deal: This 16-day Melbourne to New Zealand sailing starts from about AU$9500, around AU$600 a night.

Viking Cruises

Elegance & Comfort

Viking Cruises are often preferred by, well, Viking cruisers. The reliability of the experience draws a lot of repeat customers who are familiar with and enjoy the Viking experience. It’s a great option for something focused around elegance and comfort, and is constantly top-rated by guests. Viking Venus and Viking Orion will be joining Australia this summer.

The best deal: This 16-day Bali to Sydney sailing starts from AU$10,500, around AU$650 a night.

Crystal Cruises

Ultra Luxury

Crystal Cruises’ Crystal Serenity will make her way to Australia this season, bringing Crystal’s known brand of ultra-luxury and elegance, but with a slightly more adventurous touch than Crystal Cruises used to carry.

The best deal: This short but sweet eight-night sailing from Auckland to Melbourne starts from around AU$8150, or just over AU$1000 per night.

Seabourn

Intimacy of carefully crafted service

Seabourn is right up there as far as luxury goes, combining the intimacy of carefully crafted service, entertainment and dining, with expedition equipment and offerings. This summer we’ll see Seabourn Pursuit, Seabourn Quest and Seabourn Encore.

The best deal: This epic 16-day sailing from Bali to Sydney starts from about AU$15,000, or about AU$930 a night.

Regent Seven Seas

Five-star All-inclusive cruising

“Seven Seas Navigator will visit Sydney in January 2026 sailing from Singapore, to then also cruise to Auckland and onto Bali in March.

“Seven Seas Mariner” will be sailing from Auckland on 6 March, arriving in Sydney on 10 March, where she will dock overnight, before departing the following day to sail north to Cairns and onto Bali. The sailing, Kiwi Charm and Aussie delights, is 18 nights in duration with up to 30 shore excursions included.” This season we’ll see Seven Seas Explorer, Seven Seas Navigator and Seven Seas Mariner drop past our shores.

The best deal: This 18-night Auckland to Bali sailing starts from AU$9370 (approx), offering about AU$500 per night for pure luxury at sea.

Scenic Eclipse

Six-star Luxury

Scenic aims to combine truly six-star luxury with a deep and immersive expedition experience, with zodiac teams carrying all the latest equipment, even submarines. Scenic Eclipse promises an unforgettable experience.

The best deal: This massive 20-day sailing from Papeete through to Panama starts from about AU$24,500, or about AU$1250 a night.

Coral Expeditions

Small-ship Luxury

Coral Expeditions is Aussie owned and operated. It’s known for the small-ship luxury experience and particularly exploratory itineraries, often cruising to places you wouldn’t have even thought of visiting.

The best deal: Get a totally new take on Tasmania with this 10-night sailing from AU$8870, or about AU$880 per night.

In the upcoming 2025/26 cruise season, Australia & New Zealand will be hoping to have its biggest cruise season yet. It it does hit those heights or at least get near, it’ll be largely thanks to a boom in luxury season that Australia & New Zealand is seeing.

More luxury ships coming to our shores than ever.
Luxury cruising can offer more value than you think, due to the inclusions.
Here’s a rundown on luxury cruises in Australia and some suggested deals worth exploring.

Cruise Passenger called this rise previously, noting that more and more Aussies & Kiwis were opting for the more intimate service and more exotic itineraries that only luxury and small ship cruising can offer.

Research estimating 6.6 million potential luxury cruise customers globally, with about half a million in Australasia and that in the coming years, there will be many new ships entering the market; about a third of new ships are expected to cater to smaller-guest experiences.

The luxury cruise segment is expected to grow at 10 % as the overall cruise market expands.

This is a summary of an article – The Rich List: why this season has more luxury vessels in Australia than ever before, by Tallis Boerne Marcus, Journalist, 26 September 2025

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