Cruise1st Packages: cruise holidays with everything included

What is a Cruise1st Package?

A Cruise1st Package is a cruise holiday where we bundle the cruise itself with the extras that would otherwise take hours to organise separately. That might mean international flights to your embarkation port, a hotel the night before you board, transfers between airport and ship, and insurance — or any combination of those. Every package is built around your cruise, your departure city and your travel dates, so nothing is off-the-shelf.

Sailings run from 12 nights to 117 nights, with most sitting around 19 nights — long enough to reach Europe or cross an ocean, but not so long that only retirees apply. The mix leans heavily toward one-way voyages, which means many of these itineraries take you somewhere and leave you there, connecting two cities rather than circling back. Where that is the case, a domestic flight links the 2 ends, and we can book that too.

Where do Cruise1st Packages go?

Close to home — Australia, Southeast Asia and Polynesia

If you want to keep things straightforward, a handful of these packages sail from Sydney itself, which means no international flight and no long-haul transit. If you live elsewhere in Australia, a short domestic hop gets you to the port — still far simpler than flying to Europe or North America. Australian waters suit first-time cruisers and those who want to keep costs down without sacrificing itinerary quality, and Carnival sailings around Australia are a solid entry point.

Southeast Asia is the region with the most movement from Singapore, a natural hub for longer voyages that thread through island chains and coastal cities across the region. If you are flying to board, Singapore is one of the most connected airports in the world, and we book that leg alongside the cruise.

Polynesia rounds out the closer options for those after something more remote — longer crossings that take you deep into the Pacific, usually as part of a transpacific repositioning.

The long haul — Europe, Japan and across the Pacific

The largest share of packages here head for Europe, and the western Mediterranean and broader Mediterranean Sea region together account for the biggest slice of sailings. Embarkation ports include Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Trieste on the western side, and Southampton and Amsterdam for longer northern European sailings. The eastern Mediterranean adds Athens — the port of Piraeus is one of the busiest embarkation points across this whole collection — with sailings fanning out across Greek islands and beyond. For all of these, we book the flights from Australia, any pre-cruise nights you need, and the transfers from airport to ship.

Norway is well represented, with sailings that take in the fjord coastline from ports including Amsterdam and Southampton. These tend to be longer voyages that make the most of the sailing time — worth every hour of the flight to reach them.

Japan itineraries depart from Yokohama (Tokyo), making them a natural add-on to a wider Japan trip. We can build a package that puts a few nights in Japan at either end of the cruise so none of the travel time is wasted. Japan cruises are growing in popularity from Australia and availability moves quickly.

Transpacific crossings connect Australia and the Americas — often one-way, often spectacular, and a genuinely different experience from a loop itinerary. Transatlantic sailings do the same between the Americas and Europe. On both, the voyage is very much the destination.

Which ships sail on Cruise1st Packages?

The ships on these packages range from well-established mid-size vessels to some of the most technologically inventive ships currently at sea. Here is what to expect from the key ships:

Quantum of the Seas — Royal Caribbean

Quantum of the Seas is the ship that changed expectations about what cruise ships could do. The RipCord by iFLY skydiving simulator, North Star observation pod and Laser Tag battles give it a theme-park energy that no amount of reading quite prepares you for. Two70° — a space at the stern with floor-to-ceiling glass and robotic performance technology — is unlike anything else at sea. If you want to explore the cabin grades and deck plans on Quantum of the Seas, those are worth a look before you choose your grade.

Enchanted Princess — Princess Cruises

Enchanted Princess suits those who want their technology to work quietly in the background rather than shout at them. The MedallionClass OceanNow® wearable platform lets you order food, drinks or services from anywhere on board — your sunlounger, your cabin, the top deck — without queuing. The SeaWalk glass-floor walkway extends over open ocean, and the 360: An Extraordinary Experience is a 7-course immersive dining concept that uses storytelling and visual technology to make dinner genuinely theatrical. See the Enchanted Princess cabins and deck plans for cabin sizes and grade details.

Cabin grades on Enchanted Princess run from compact to generous:

• Inside cabin IA — 15.4 m², sleeps 4, positioned on middle to upper decks with central lift access to restaurants and entertainment
• Premium Sea-view cabin O6 — 16.0 m², sleeps 4, with floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows for natural daylight and open sea views
• Deluxe Balcony cabin DA — 23.4 m², sleeps 4, with an extended corner balcony that gives more outdoor space than a standard balcony
• Sky suite S0 — 160.4 m², sleeps 5, with 2 separate bedrooms each with its own bathroom for maximum privacy

Grand Princess — Princess Cruises

Grand Princess carries the same MedallionClass OceanNow technology as Enchanted Princess, alongside Crown Grill — rated by USA Today as best cruise steakhouse — and Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria. The Movies Under the Stars® poolside screen is a genuine pleasure on longer evenings at sea: free popcorn, blankets and a film under open sky. Review the Grand Princess cabin grades and deck plans if you are comparing options between the 2 Princess ships.

Norwegian Spirit — Norwegian Cruise Line

Norwegian Spirit’s Spice H2O adults-only open-air beach club brings an Ibiza-style atmosphere to sea — this is NCL’s signature outdoor entertainment deck and it is best experienced on a warm-weather itinerary. A 2020 refurbishment added Onda by Scarpetta for modern Italian dining alongside the long-running Cagney’s Steakhouse. The Stardust Theatre runs original productions nightly. Norwegian Spirit cabin grades and deck plans cover every grade from family inside to the flagship suite.

Norwegian Spirit cabin grades:

• Family Inside cabin I4 — 13.8 m², sleeps 4, designed for larger groups with flexibility a standard twin does not offer
• Deluxe Sea-view cabin O3 — 26.7 m², sleeps 3, the largest sea-view grade on the ship at nearly twice the floor space of a standard ocean-view cabin
• Balcony cabin BA — 15.9 m², sleeps 3, with a private sea-view balcony
• Owner’s Suite SB — 56.2 m², sleeps 2, with a separate bedroom, distinct living and dining area, and a private aft balcony — the most spacious suite on board

Carnival Sunshine — Carnival Cruise Line

Carnival Sunshine carries a 3-deck adults-only Serenity Retreat for those who want a quieter corner of the ship away from the main-pool energy, alongside Speedway Splash waterslide and a wide range of sport activities on deck. It is a strong choice for groups with mixed interests who need a ship that genuinely serves everyone. The Carnival Sunshine cabin and deck plans page has full grade details. Also worth checking are Carnival cruises from Sydney if you are weighing a no-fly departure.

Nieuw Statendam — Holland America Line

Nieuw Statendam is a Pinnacle-class ship designed by Adam D. Tihany and Bjørn Storbraaten, and the interior design is noticeably more considered than most ships in this price range — the two-storey Wine Tower anchoring the main dining room is a talking point that does not get old. Music Walk runs three dedicated live-music clubs on a single deck: Lincoln Center Stage for classical, B.B. King’s Blues Club for blues and soul, and Billboard Onboard for chart hits. Tamarind, the ship’s pan-Asian restaurant, has its own 7-seat sushi bar. See the Nieuw Statendam cabins and deck plans for grade-by-grade detail.

More ships

Additional ships sailing as part of Cruise1st Packages include Navigator of the Seas, Westerdam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Valiant Lady. Cabin and deck details are available for each: Westerdam cabins and decks, Nieuw Amsterdam cabins and decks, Navigator of the Seas cabins and decks, and Valiant Lady cabins and decks.

Where do these packages embark?

The most-used embarkation ports across Cruise1st Packages are:

• Sydney, Australia — the largest departure base; no international flight needed if you are local, or a short domestic hop from other states. Browse all cruises from Sydney, or Sydney round-trip sailings if you want to start and finish in the same city.
• Athens (Piraeus), Greece — the main gateway for eastern Mediterranean and Greek island itineraries
• Singapore — the hub for Southeast Asia sailings; we book the flights and any pre-cruise hotel as part of your package. See all cruise deals from Singapore.
• Southampton, England — the jumping-off point for Norway and longer northern European voyages; cruises from Southampton suit those who want to combine the cruise with a longer UK trip.
• Barcelona, Spain — a popular start for western Mediterranean itineraries; Barcelona cruise departures pair naturally with a few nights in the city beforehand.
• Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan — the departure point for Japan-based itineraries; Yokohama cruises work well as the centrepiece of a longer Japan holiday.

What does “all-inclusive” mean on these sailings?

A small number of these packages are priced on an all-inclusive fare — meaning drinks, gratuities and sometimes dining are bundled into the headline price rather than billed on board. The majority are not all-inclusive, which means on-board spending is separate. Our team will tell you exactly what your chosen fare covers before you book, so there are no surprises at the end of the voyage. Fare types such as early-saver offers and last-minute deals also appear across the collection — worth asking about when you call.

Make it a complete holiday

We are cruise specialists — every offer here is a cruise or a cruise-inclusive package. That said, a cruise from Barcelona or Athens or Yokohama does not have to start and end at the gangway. Our team can add international and domestic flights, hotel nights before and after, transfers between airport and ship, tours, and insurance, either as a bundle or as a fully custom holiday built around your dates and budget. If your cruise is one-way, we connect the two ends so the return leg is as sorted as the outbound.

For ready-made combinations, browse our fly-cruise packages — flights included, departing from Australia. If timing is tight, last-minute packages departing within 90 days are worth a look too.

All Cruise1st Packages come with our Best Price Guarantee and the backing of our Australian cruise experts, available seven days a week by phone or online.

Also worth considering

If you are still working out the right part of the world, a few more specific pages may help you narrow it down. All-inclusive 2027 Mediterranean cruises suit those who want one price that covers everything on board. Royal Caribbean Christmas cruises in Australia for 2026 are a popular choice for the holiday season. For those who want to explore closer to home first, cruises around Australia, Princess Cruises around Australia in 2027 and Princess Cruises around Australia in 2026 are all strong options. Cheap cruises from Sydney and Easter 2027 cruises from Sydney round out the Sydney-focused collection for those who prefer to sail from home.

You can also browse all available sailings across the full cruises collection.

*Prices are per person based on 2 people sharing, and are subject to change. This price is not kept up to date and therefore does not reflect live pricing and availability. Prices and any discounts shown were checked on 14 October 2026.