Coral Princess will depart Auckland in 2024 on its longest ever sailing. Photo / Supplied
Coral Princess will depart Auckland in 2024 on its longest ever sailing. Photo / Supplied
The Princess Cruises' longest 'round the world' cruise is set to depart Auckland in late April 2024.
Scheduled for the end of what is hoped will be a busy 2023/24 season, this might sound like a long way off, but the 2000 berth Coral Princess will come around in notime following the long pause in international cruising.
Princess say that the decision to begin it's record sailing in Australia and New Zealand is a reflection of "strong demand" for the "bucket list destinations".
With 47 ports of call across 32 countries the 110-night cruise will be the headline event. These include seven previously unvisited destinations, including Corsica, Kristiansand in Norway and Bar Harbour on the US East Coast in Maine.
Highlights of the almost four month sailing include destinations as far flung as Lima, New York and St Petersburg.
"We know our guests are looking forward to being onboard our beautiful ships again and enjoy all the comforts of a cruise holiday as they travel to ports around our region and the world," says Princess Cruises' sales and marketing director Nick Ferguson.
"This latest program is packed with some fantastic itineraries designed to inspire our New Zealand guests as we prepare to cruise together again."
While the maritime border order has closed New Zealand's ports to cruise traffic for over 18 months, the cruise line hopes that the raft of new itineraries will bring Kiwis back on board.
The early release of the 2023/24 program was made following positive long-term booking trends and signs that New Zealand and Australia's border restrictions were easing.
For New Zealanders not ready to commit to the marathon Round the World sailing, there will be a chance to join the Coral Princess on a 31-day sailing of the South Pacific from March 2024 and seven, separate New Zealand and Australia sailings calling at Sydney Hobart and Fiordland, ranging from 4 to 17 nights.
The Medallion Class ships will allow guests to sail from port to port while enjoying views from the Sea Walk glass walkway and the cruise line's largest top-deck swimming pool.
The cruise line is opening bookings 11 months ahead of schedule.
International cruise lovers will be eager to book a place after almost two years without calling into a New Zealand or Australian port following the introduction of Coronavirus travel restrictions and the Ruby Princess outbreak. It is unclear if the maritime border order will be further extended, however it is hoped that news of easing border restrictions is a sign that travellers will soon be able to return to sea on cruise ships.
