Luxury ocean cruise linesup to -50%

Luxury ocean cruises cover an enormous range — from intimate, all-suite ships carrying fewer than 500 guests to grand ocean liners with multiple restaurants and nightly ballroom dancing. Voyages in this collection run from short getaways of around 5 nights to extended journeys of up to 91 nights, with a median of 17 nights. Most itineraries in the mix are one-way, so you board at one port and step off somewhere quite different — worth knowing when you plan your flights. Cruise1st can connect both ends of the journey for you.

Why choose a luxury cruise?

The difference between a mainstream cruise and a luxury one shows up in the details: more crew per guest, more space per person, dining that feels like a restaurant rather than a canteen, and an itinerary that lingers longer in port. Luxury ships tend to call at smaller harbours that larger vessels cannot reach, and all-inclusive fares mean you spend less time watching a drinks bill add up.

Over half the sailings in this collection include some form of all-inclusive fare, so it is worth comparing what each tier actually covers before you book. Our exclusive cruise deals page is a good place to start if you want to filter by value.

Which luxury cruise lines are featured?

The 4 cruise lines configured for this page — Cunard, Seabourn, Holland America Line and Azamara Cruises — each occupy a distinct corner of the luxury market. Here is what sets them apart.

Cunard

Cunard is the line that invented the ocean liner as a concept, and it still does things the way no other cruise brand does. Queen Elizabeth carries Art Deco interiors throughout — chandeliers, a grand lobby and opulent fittings that evoke the golden age of ocean travel. Your restaurant depends on your cabin grade: Britannia guests dine in the main dining room, while Princess Grill and Queens Grill guests each have their own dedicated restaurant and White Star Service. The Royal Court Theatre, nightly ballroom dancing in the Queens Room and deck croquet are Cunard traditions on every voyage, not seasonal extras.

Queen Mary 2 is the only true ocean liner sailing today — purpose-built with reinforced hull plating for the open North Atlantic, not adapted from a cruise ship. It is also the only ship at sea with a Planetarium: Illuminations projects star shows across the hull of the ship’s dome. You can check Queen Mary 2’s cabins and deck plans to compare grades before you book, and the same detail is available for Queen Elizabeth’s cabins and deck plans.

The newest addition to the fleet, Queen Anne, carries the Cunard heritage forward in a contemporary hull — see Queen Anne’s cabins and deck plans for the full grade breakdown.

Seabourn

Seabourn Quest carries just 450 guests and operates with a near 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio. Every suite has a private balcony, butler service and all fine wines and spirits included as standard — not as an upgrade. The Seabourn Square social hub replaces the traditional cruise desk with an open, café-style lounge at the heart of the ship, which gives the whole vessel a different atmosphere from larger ships. See the full Seabourn Quest cabins and deck plans if you are comparing suite grades.

Seabourn Ovation offers the same ultra-luxury philosophy in an equally small ship. The Grand Wintergarden Suite reaches approximately 115 m², with a separate bedroom, generous living area, full kitchen with bar and a private hot tub — see the Seabourn Ovation cabins and deck plans for every grade.

Holland America Line

Nieuw Statendam was designed by Adam D. Tihany and Bjørn Storbraaten, and the detail shows: a dramatic 2-storey Wine Tower anchors the main dining room, while the Tamarind pan-Asian restaurant integrates a 7-seat sushi bar — Holland America’s signature Asian dining venue. The Music Walk features Lincoln Center Stage, B.B. King’s Blues Club and Billboard Onboard in 3 dedicated live music clubs. The Nieuw Statendam cabins and deck plans cover everything from a 13 m² inside cabin to the 120 m² Pinnacle Suite with hot tub on Deck 7.

Rotterdam honours five legendary ships that carried the same name before her, making her HAL’s newest Pinnacle-class flagship with 150 years of heritage behind the name. Her Music Walk brings together the Billboard Piano Bar, Rolling Stone Rock Room and BB King Blues Club under one roof, and the Tamarind restaurant serves the same authentic Southeast Asian cuisine the line is known for. Check the Rotterdam cabins and deck plans for the full grade list, or the Zuiderdam cabins and deck plans if you are considering that ship.

Azamara Cruises

Azamara builds itineraries around longer port stays and overnight calls — the idea being that you spend more time in a place rather than ticking it off a list. Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest are small ships, which means access to harbours that larger vessels bypass. See the Azamara Journey cabins and deck plans and the Azamara Quest cabins and deck plans for the full grade breakdown on each.

Cabin grades: what does each level get you?

Luxury ships grade their cabins more finely than mainstream lines, and the difference between grades is often substantial. The Queen Elizabeth grades below illustrate the range — see the full Queen Elizabeth cabins and deck plans for every option:

• Britannia Inside cabin Deluxe GB — approximately 19.2 m², around 5 m² more than a standard inside cabin, sleeping 2.
• Britannia Ocean-view cabin EB — approximately 18.3 m² with a window bringing natural daylight and sea views that inside cabins do not offer, sleeping 2.
• Britannia Club Balcony cabin A1 — approximately 24 m² with your own private balcony, sleeping 2.
• Queens Grill Grand Suite Q1 — approximately 127.7 m² in total, with a private balcony of approximately 90 m², sleeping 2, and access to the exclusive Queens Grill restaurant.

What do the fares include?

Fare inclusions vary considerably across these lines, so it pays to read what you are buying.

Princess Cruises offers a base Standard fare that covers the cruise itself, with the Princess Plus package available to add — that brings 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 with 3 prints, and reserved theatre seating. Fare types such as tactical and last-minute offers are also available on select sailings.

Royal Caribbean fares range from a standard cruise fare through to promotional fare types such as last-minute offers and multi-guest promotions. Royal Caribbean sailings are also on the broader cruises page if you want to compare across more lines.

Our Australian cruise experts can explain exactly what each fare tier covers for any sailing — that is the conversation worth having before you book, not after.

Where do luxury ocean cruises go?

The sailings in this collection cover a wide spread of the world. Here is how the destinations break down, in rough order of how much is sailing.

Close to home — Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia

For Australians who prefer a short domestic flight or no flight at all, Australian coastal itineraries and Australia and New Zealand voyages offer genuine convenience. If you are local to the embarkation port, you can drive to the pier; from another state, it is a domestic hop rather than a long-haul flight. Cruises from Sydney are the most common Australian departure point — Easter 2027 sailings from Sydney are worth checking if the timing suits you. Christmas cruise deals for Australia in 2026 are also available for those planning the festive period ahead.

Southeast Asia sailings are well represented in this collection, with departures and arrivals at ports including Singapore and Hong Kong. These are mostly one-way itineraries, so it is common to fly into one port and home from another — we can book both flights as part of the same package.

The long haul — Europe, the Americas and beyond

The British Isles is the single most active region in this collection. Southampton is the primary embarkation port for Cunard sailings from the UK, and these voyages suit Australian travellers who want to combine a European stay with a luxury cruise — we can arrange the flights, hotels either side and transfers as one booking. Europe ocean cruises cover more of the continent if you want to extend the trip.

South America is strongly represented, with Buenos Aires and San Antonio, Chile among the ports used. These are often longer voyages and a natural fit for a fly-cruise arrangement. Transpacific crossings connect Australia and the Americas directly — a long voyage that removes the need for a separate cruise and a separate flight in the same direction. The western Mediterranean and the broader Central America region round out the global picture, along with sailings to Portugal.

For the Mediterranean specifically, all-inclusive 2027 Mediterranean cruises are worth a look if you want everything bundled in from the start.

Which ports do these luxury cruises sail from?

Southampton is the leading embarkation port for this collection, followed by Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) in Florida, Rotterdam, Athens (Piraeus), Rome (Civitavecchia) and Barcelona. Most sailings depart from ports in Europe or the Americas, which means a flight from Australia is the first step for the majority of passengers — and the point at which a Cruise1st Package saves the most effort.

If you are considering a Florida departure, note that Miami and Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades) are about half an hour apart, so a Florida trip can sail from either — worth checking both for dates and prices.

Luxury ship cruises: what makes the ships different?

On a luxury ship, the ratio of crew to guests is higher, the public spaces feel less crowded, and the dining venues are smaller and more considered. Queen Mary 2’s Planetarium is a feature no other ship has. Seabourn Quest’s near 1:1 crew-to-guest ratio means you are rarely waiting for anything. Nieuw Statendam’s 3 live music clubs on the Music Walk mean there is always something on in the evening without needing to book a show weeks in advance. These are structural differences, not seasonal programmes, so they are there on every voyage.

If a smaller ship appeals, the small ship cruises page covers ships from lines including Silversea and Celebrity Cruises.

Make it a holiday

Cruise1st can add flights, hotels, tours, transfers and insurance around your cruise — as a bundle or a fully custom holiday. Australian cruise experts are available 7 days a week, and every booking is backed by our Best Price Guarantee. Whether you are combining a Sydney departure with a coastal voyage, or flying to Southampton for a Cunard transatlantic, we put the whole trip on one booking so nothing falls through the gaps.

You might also want to explore the Princess 2027–2028 season launch for upcoming itineraries, cruises around Australia for a closer-to-home option, or Princess Cruises around Australia in 2027 specifically. The luxury cruises page covers the full range if you want to browse more broadly.