September cruises 2027up to -47%

Where do September cruises go?

September 2027 is one of the broadest months on the cruise calendar. The cruises available span the Mediterranean Sea, the Alaskan coast, Polynesia, Japan, Southeast Asia and beyond — with sailings running from a compact 4-night break right up to a 79-night grand voyage, and a median length of 10 nights. Whether you want a fortnight in European waters or a longer journey through the Pacific, the mix of itineraries this month is genuinely varied.

Close to home — Polynesia and South East Asia

For Australians who want to cruise without a long-haul flight first, September brings a solid spread of sailings across the South Pacific and Southeast Asia.

Polynesia

Polynesian sailings this month take you out into the deep Pacific, weaving between island groups with a rhythm that’s hard to replicate on land. These round-trip voyages are well suited to travellers who want warmth, colour and time at sea. If you’re based in a city with a direct domestic connection to your departure port, this is one of the more accessible options on the page. Sailings from Sydney are available — if you’re flying in from another state, a short domestic hop gets you there.

Australia and Transpacific

A handful of sailings hug the Australian coast or cross the Pacific entirely. Transpacific voyages tend to be longer — a natural choice if you’re happy to swap days at destinations for days at sea, arriving somewhere fundamentally different at the other end. These are often one-way itineraries, finishing at a port on the other side of the ocean; a domestic or short international flight connects the two ends, and we can book that alongside the cruise.

Japan and South East Asia

Japan sailings in September call at ports across the country’s main islands and are particularly popular with Australian travellers combining the cruise with time ashore. We can arrange pre- or post-cruise hotel nights and transfers in Japan so the trip doesn’t feel rushed at either end. Southeast Asian sailings — covering the region’s coastlines and port cities — also feature, offering a genuine mix of culture and ocean time.

The long haul — Mediterranean, Alaska, Japan and beyond

The majority of September 2027 sailings are in European and North American waters. This is where the month’s cruising is most concentrated, and where the widest range of ships and cruise lines is on offer.

Mediterranean Sea and Western Mediterranean

The Mediterranean is the standout region this month, with more sailings here than anywhere else in the programme. Itineraries range from round-trips that return to the same port to one-way sailings that finish in a different city — a practical option if you’re planning a wider European trip around the cruise. Key disembarkation ports include Civitavecchia (Rome), Barcelona and Trieste. If you’re flying in from Australia, we can put flights, a hotel the night before boarding, and transfers together as one booking — so there’s nothing to organise separately. All-inclusive Mediterranean options are also available for those who prefer everything settled before they leave.

Alaska and West Canada

Alaska is the second-biggest draw in September, with sailings operating along the west coast of North America. Vancouver is a primary departure and disembarkation point for this region. Many Alaska itineraries are one-way — the voyage typically starts at one end of the coast and finishes at the other, so you’d fly into one city and home from another. Vancouver to Alaska cruises are covered in detail on their own page. We can arrange both legs of the travel, including the domestic or trans-Pacific flights, so neither end of the trip is left to chance.

Norway and England

Norwegian fjord sailings operate from European ports, with ships often departing from or arriving into Southampton. England also features as a sailing region in its own right, covering British coastal itineraries. For Australian travellers, these sit naturally inside a longer European trip — fly into one end, cruise, and either fly home from the other or add extra nights ashore.

Which cruise lines sail in September 2027?

September 2027 draws a wide range of cruise lines, from large resort-style ships to intimate luxury vessels and dedicated river cruise operators. Below are the lines most represented this month, in the order they appear in the programme.

• Viking River Cruises — the most widely available line this month, with river itineraries across Europe’s classic waterways.
• MSC Cruises — a strong Mediterranean presence, with large ships and a broad range of cabin grades and fare options.
• Royal Caribbean — ocean sailings across multiple regions, with a wide variety of fare tiers including last-minute and early-booking options.
• Carnival Cruise Lines — Carnival’s Australian sailings make them a popular choice for cruisers closer to home.
• Princess Cruises — well represented across both the Pacific and European waters, with multiple fare packages to suit different budgets. The Princess 2027–2028 season is now fully on sale.
• AmaWaterways — river cruises through Europe, well suited to travellers who want an intimate, destination-focused journey.

Also sailing this month: Norwegian Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Celebrity Cruises, Viking Cruises and others, covering everything from contemporary ocean ships to small luxury vessels.

It’s worth noting that a small share of September sailings are river cruises. If you’re searching for an ocean voyage specifically, filtering by ship type will narrow things down quickly — or call our team and they’ll do it for you.

Ships to consider for September 2027

Several well-regarded ships have sailings this month. Here’s a closer look at the ones worth knowing about, including what makes each one distinctive.

Sun Princess — Princess Cruises

Sun Princess is a new addition to the Princess fleet, having entered service in 2024. As the largest Princess ship ever built at 177,882 GT, she is the line’s Sphere class flagship and brings a genuinely different experience to Princess regulars. The centrepiece is The Dome — a multi-level, glass-enclosed deck space that works as a daytime pool area and transforms into a South Beach-style evening venue after dark. For cabin choices, see the Sun Princess cabins and deck plans.

Enchanted Princess — Princess Cruises

Enchanted Princess carries one of the most talked-about dining concepts at sea: 360: An Extraordinary Experience, a 7-course immersive dinner that combines storytelling, visuals and technology into something that doesn’t exist on other Princess ships. Up on deck, the SeaWalk is a glass-floor walkway that extends over the open ocean, with the cantilevered SeaView Bar beside it — both genuinely worth a look. The MedallionClass OceanNow® wearable lets you order food, drinks or services from anywhere on board, instantly. Cabin grades on Enchanted Princess run from compact interiors to a spacious suite:

• Inside cabin IA — 15.4 m², sleeps 4. Positioned on middle to upper decks, with central lift access to restaurants and entertainment areas.
• Premium Sea-view cabin O6 — 16.0 m², sleeps 4. Floor-to-ceiling panoramic window brings in natural daylight and open-sea views that an inside cabin can’t offer.
• Deluxe Balcony cabin DA — 23.4 m², sleeps 4. An extended corner balcony gives you more outdoor space than a standard balcony, useful for a longer voyage when you want somewhere to sit outside.
• Sky Suite S0 — 160.4 m², sleeps 5. Two separate bedrooms, each with its own bathroom — the only suite on the ship that gives each couple or generation its own space.

Full cabin details and deck layouts are on the Enchanted Princess cabins and deck plans page.

MSC Magnifica — MSC Cruises

MSC Magnifica is a mid-size ocean liner with a particularly strong wellness offer: the MSC Aurea Spa includes a salt grotto and Kneipp circuit that you won’t find on many ships in this class. For entertainment, the Royal Theatre seats 1,200 guests for Broadway-calibre productions, and there’s a 4D cinema for those who prefer something more intimate. At the top of the experience, the MSC Yacht Club operates as a ship within a ship — with an exclusive sundeck, private pool, dedicated restaurant and 24/7 butler service that makes it a genuinely different product to the rest of the ship. Cabin grades on MSC Magnifica include:

• Inside cabin Bella I1 — 13.0 m², sleeps 4. Slightly larger than standard inside grades on the ship.
• Ocean-view cabin O1 — 14.0 m², sleeps 4. A sea-view window and a touch more space than the inside grades.
• Super Family cabin FLA — 30.0 m², sleeps 5. At 30 m², this is roughly twice the size of a standard balcony cabin, giving families genuine room to spread out.
• Suite Aurea SP3 — 35.0 m², sleeps 4. The largest suite in this category on the ship, with a balcony and room for real privacy.
• MSC Yacht Club Executive & Family Suite with Balcony — 32.0 m² plus a 12 m² balcony, sleeps 4. Access to all MSC Yacht Club facilities, including the private pool and butler service.

Explore the full range on the MSC Magnifica cabins and deck plans page.

Queen Mary 2 — Cunard

Queen Mary 2 occupies a category of her own: she is the world’s only true ocean liner, purpose-built with a reinforced hull for the open North Atlantic rather than adapted from a cruise ship design. On board, the Illuminations planetarium — the only one at sea — projects star shows as you cross the world’s oceans. The Royal Court Theatre hosts nightly productions, the Queens Room is the setting for ballroom dancing, and six speciality restaurants round out the dining. For cabin grades and deck layouts, see the Queen Mary 2 cabins and deck plans.

Queen Elizabeth — Cunard

Queen Elizabeth carries Cunard’s Art Deco interiors throughout — chandeliers, a grand lobby and fittings that reference the golden age of ocean travel without feeling like a museum. Dining is arranged by cabin grade, with three separate restaurants: Britannia, Princess Grill and Queens Grill, each with its own dedicated White Star Service. The Royal Court Theatre, nightly ballroom dancing in the Queens Room and deck croquet are Cunard traditions that travel with the ship on every voyage. Cabin options are detailed on the Queen Elizabeth cabins and deck plans page.

Seabourn Ovation — Seabourn

Seabourn Ovation is a small-ship luxury experience: fewer guests, more space, and elegant dining included in the fare as standard. The flagship cabin is the Grand Wintergarden Suite — approximately 115 m², with a private hot tub, a separate bedroom, a generous living area and a full kitchen with bar. At that size, it’s nearly twice the footprint of the Owner’s Suites. For the complete picture, the Seabourn Ovation cabins and deck plans page has all grades listed. Also sailing this month from Holland America Line is the Nieuw Statendam — cabin and deck details are on the Nieuw Statendam cabins and deck plans page.

MSC also has MSC Splendida and MSC Sinfonia sailing this month — cabin options for both are on their respective MSC Splendida deck plans and MSC Sinfonia deck plans pages.

What fare options are available in September?

Different cruise lines structure their fares very differently, and September 2027 has a wide mix on offer. Understanding what’s included before you book can make a significant difference to your overall cost.

Royal Caribbean fare tiers

Royal Caribbean offers several fare structures for September sailings, including a base cruise fare, a Solo/Single fare for guests travelling alone, and fare types such as last-minute offers and early-booking bonuses that include onboard credit. The specific combinations available depend on the sailing; our team can walk you through what’s currently on offer for a given departure.

Princess Cruises fare tiers

Princess Cruises September sailings are available in two main formats. The Princess Standard fare covers the cruise itself, with extras available to add. The Princess Plus package, where available, adds 4 casual dining meals per voyage, beverages up to A$15 each (with a daily limit of 15 drinks), MedallionNet® Max Wi-Fi, pre-paid crew appreciation, unlimited digital photographs plus 3 prints, and reserved theatre seating — a meaningful bundle if you’d otherwise be paying for these separately. Promotional fare types such as Drop N Go also appear on select sailings.

Norwegian Cruise Line fare tiers

Norwegian Cruise Line offers a base fare (cruise only), and bundled packages that add speciality dining, a premium beverage package, Wi-Fi and shore excursion credits at select ports. A further tier adds the premium beverage package, dining and internet for all guests on the booking. The right choice depends on how much you’d spend on those items individually — again, our team can help you compare.

All-inclusive sailings

A significant portion of September sailings come as all-inclusive fares, where key extras are built into the price rather than charged on board. If you prefer to know your total cost before you leave, filtering for all-inclusive options is a practical starting point. For Mediterranean all-inclusive options specifically, see the dedicated all-inclusive 2027 Mediterranean cruises page.

One-way versus round-trip sailings in September

Among the sample of September 2027 sailings, one-way itineraries make up a meaningful share alongside round-trips. This matters for how you plan your travel.

A round-trip sailing returns you to the same port where you boarded — straightforward to book and easy to build flights around. A one-way sailing ends at a different port to where it started, which means you’ll need a flight (or other connection) from the disembarkation city back to Australia, or onward to wherever you’re going next. The disembark ports listed for September include Civitavecchia (Rome), Vancouver, Barcelona, Southampton and Sydney, among others — so the combinations vary considerably.

We handle both. If your cruise ends in a different city to where you fly home from, we can arrange that connection — flights, any overnight hotel you need and the transfer — as part of the same booking. It’s one of the practical advantages of booking with a specialist rather than direct with the cruise line, which typically handles only the ship portion.

Cruises in September 2026 — planning ahead?

If you’re looking further back, September 2026 sailings are still a popular research point for travellers planning their next trip or checking what sailed previously. For departure-port specific options, cruises from Sydney in September 2026 and cruises from Brisbane in September 2026 have their own dedicated pages. These are useful reference points if you’re weighing up a September sailing and want to understand the typical shape of what’s available from Australian departure ports.

Why choose a September cruise?

September sits in a sweet spot on the cruise calendar for Australian travellers. European itineraries are running at full pace, Alaska sailings are in their final weeks, and the Pacific routes are picking up momentum heading into the southern spring. The range of regions, ship types and durations available this month is wider than most.

For those planning a longer European trip around a cruise, September fits naturally — the voyage can anchor the middle of a two- or three-week journey, with hotel nights either side. For those focused on the Pacific or Southeast Asia, the month works just as well for a more straightforward fly-and-cruise.

Benefits of cruising in September

• A wide spread of regions means you’re not limited to one part of the world.
• Sailings range from 4 to 79 nights, so the month suits both short breaks and extended journeys.
• Alaska sailings in September represent a late-season option before the region’s cruise programme winds down.
• The Mediterranean is operating its full programme, with a broad range of ships and itineraries on offer.
• All-inclusive fares are available on a large portion of sailings, making budgeting more predictable.

Departing from Sydney or Brisbane in September 2027?

If you’re based in New South Wales or Queensland, or planning to depart from an Australian port, there are dedicated pages covering cruises from Sydney in September 2027 and cruises from Brisbane in September 2027. These narrow the options down to sailings that leave from those specific ports, which is helpful if you’d rather not fly to join the ship.

It’s worth noting that only a very small share of September 2027 sailings depart from Australian ports — the large majority begin overseas, in Europe, North America or Asia. If you’re open to flying first, the range of itineraries available expands considerably. We can package the international flights, a pre-cruise hotel night and transfers alongside the cruise itself, so the whole trip is on one booking.

For travellers in other states, a short domestic flight to Sydney or Brisbane — or to an international hub for the longer-haul routes — is typically the most practical approach. We can book that domestic connection too, as part of a Cruise1st Package.

Princess Cruises in September 2027

Princess Cruises is one of the more popular choices for Australian travellers this month, with sailings across the Pacific and in European waters. The Princess 2027–2028 season is fully on sale, and the line’s Australia itineraries for 2027 are worth exploring if you’d prefer to stay closer to home. The Full Circle Pacific sector sailings are also available for those interested in a longer Pacific journey with Princess. September promotional fare types — such as the Princess Plus package — are available on select sailings; see the fare section above for what that covers.

Royal Caribbean in September 2027

Royal Caribbean sails across multiple regions in September, with a broad mix of ship sizes and itinerary lengths. If you’re considering Royal Caribbean for a holiday that also takes in Australia, the Royal Caribbean Australia options give a sense of what the line offers in this part of the world. The Royal Beach Club Lelepa sailings are a newer option worth looking at if you’re planning a Pacific itinerary. Full Royal Caribbean deals and sailing options are on the Royal Caribbean cruise deals page.

South Pacific sailings in September

For travellers specifically interested in the South Pacific, September sailings cover Polynesia and broader Pacific routes. South Pacific cruises from Sydney in 2027 have a dedicated page, and the Princess Australia season includes South Pacific options alongside the line’s domestic sailings. Easter cruises from Sydney earlier in 2027 are also on sale if you’re planning multiple trips across the year.

Top alternatives to September sailings

If your dates are flexible, the months either side of September offer a similar range of regions and cruise lines. August cruises cover much of the same European and Alaskan programme at an earlier point in the season. October cruises pick up where September leaves off — Mediterranean sailings continue, and the Caribbean and Pacific tend to grow in volume as the year moves on.

For October specifically, cruises from Sydney in October 2026 give a useful reference point for the kind of itineraries available from that port in the adjacent month. And if you’re thinking about spring cruising more broadly, the spring cruises page covers the full season across all months.

Make it a holiday

Cruise1st is a cruise specialist — everything we sell is a cruise or a cruise-inclusive package. For most September 2027 sailings, you’ll need a flight from Australia to join the ship, and often a hotel night at the departure port before boarding. We can arrange all of it: flights, hotels before and after the cruise, transfers to and from the port, tours ashore, and travel insurance, either as a Cruise1st Package or built to suit your specific plans.

Our Australian cruise experts are available seven days a week — before you book, not just after. They can help you compare cabin grades, work through the fare tiers, and find the combination that suits your budget and travel style. And with our Best Price Guarantee, if you find the same sailing cheaper elsewhere, we’ll match it.

For a broader look at what’s on sale across all months and regions, the cruise deals page and the Australian cruise deals hub are good starting points.

September 2027 is a strong month. Call our team, pick the right ship, and let us handle the rest.

*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.