October 12, 2026 — Crown Princess has arrived at Station Pier in Melbourne as the first ship of Victoria’s 2026/27 cruise season, and Princess Cruises says it will base a ship in Melbourne for the 2028/29 season. Full details of that program come on October 28.
This season
The 3,080-passenger Crown Princess sailed into Port Phillip Bay on a 28-day trip around Australia. Cruise Critic dates the arrival October 11; Seatrade Cruise News says Monday. After Melbourne the ship calls at Adelaide, Albany, Fremantle, Broome, Darwin and Brisbane before returning to Sydney, then crosses the Pacific, transits the Panama Canal and sails the Caribbean.
Princess says it will operate 62 departures on 42 itineraries in the 2026/27 season, from short coastal trips to longer Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific voyages. Royal Princess returns to Sydney for a third Australian season, Grand Princess is set to become Australia’s next year-round Princess ship, and Coral Princess will visit Australia and New Zealand on its world cruise from Fort Lauderdale.
Melbourne homeport in 2028/29
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Ship | Crown Princess (per Seatrade Cruise News) |
| Homeport | Melbourne (Station Pier) |
| Season dates | TBA |
| Full 2028/29 Australian program revealed | October 28, 2026 |
| On sale | November 11, 2026 |
| Estimated economic impact | About $40 million for Victoria, per Princess |
Seatrade calls it the first Princess ship based in Melbourne in several years. Matthew Rutherford, Princess’s vice president for Asia Pacific, said guests in Victoria “value being able to start their holiday closer to home.”
What it means for airline travelers
- Melbourne Airport (MEL) is the gateway for Station Pier in Port Melbourne. From North America or Europe, plan to arrive at least a day or two before sailing; long-haul flights to Australia leave little room for a missed connection.
- If you are flying standby to Australia, the October 28 itinerary release gives you time to pick a 2028/29 sailing that falls outside peak holiday travel, when long-haul flights are fullest.
- Itineraries go on sale November 11, 2026. Dates and fares are not yet published.
- No travel-industry or interline rate changes were mentioned.
Sources
- Seatrade Cruise News: Crown Princess begins 2026/27 Victoria season, returns in 2028/29
- Cruise Critic: Princess Cruises plans Melbourne homeport return in 2028
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