Explore the Pacific and beyond on luxurious cruises departing from New Zealand in 2024-2025. Photo / Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Explore the Pacific and beyond on luxurious cruises departing from New Zealand in 2024-2025. Photo / Regent Seven Seas Cruises
If you’re planning on sailing from New Zealand in 2024 or 2025, why not do it in style? Set your sights on a line where adventure and luxury go hand-in-hand, and you could discover Australia’s rugged coastline, cruise around New Zealand, or explore Pacific Ocean archipelagos on your way to the United States. The following cruise lines are offering journeys from Auckland, Bluff, Dunedin, Milford Sound, and Queenstown in the next few years, so get on board and indulge your love of luxury holidays.
On-shore adventures abound on Regent Seven Seas Cruises, with complimentary pre- or post-land programmes for guests staying in concierge-level suites and above, and unlimited shore excursions for all. Seven Seas Explorer and Seven Seas Voyager are both departing from Auckland and cater to just 700 passengers. Onboard, you’ll find specialty restaurants serving gourmet cuisine, a complimentary mini-bar in your room, and bars where the drinks are free, thanks to Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ all-inclusive fare. Unlimited WiFi, valet laundry service, and pre-paid gratuities are also included. If you splurge on a penthouse suite or above (yes, there are even better rooms than the penthouse), you’ll have access to a personal butler who can make your cruise even more luxurious.
The chandelier hanging in the lobby of the Regent Seven Seas Explorer is one of 473. Photo / Regent Seven Seas Cruises®
Azamara Cruises
A luxurious cruise without any formal clothing or fuss is what you’ll find on Azamara Pursuit and Azamara Onward when they’re sailing from Auckland in 2024 and 2025. Azamara Cruises’ ships are compact and easy to get around and tend to attract mature and active travellers who appreciate the relaxed onboard atmosphere. The line’s focus is firmly on destination immersion and overnight stays, although you’ll need to pay extra for excursions. The exception to this is the AzAmazing Evening event that happens on each cruise and is complimentary, with a concert or performance at a unique venue, usually accompanied by complimentary snacks and drinks. This is an exceptionally friendly cruise experience with fellow passengers who value good conversation over flashy onboard shows.
azamara.com
Azamara Pursuit, one of the world's newest luxury cruise ships. Photo / Rebecca Adler Rotenberg
Seabourn
With tuxedoed waiters handing out champagne and accommodation that looks more like a plush hotel suite than a cruise ship cabin, sailing on Seabourn Quest from Auckland will appeal to those seeking a high-end cruise experience on a ship with less than 500 passengers. Seabourn cruises have an intimate atmosphere and are all-inclusive, so you can drink champagne and eat caviar all day (and night) long. Or have a multi-course dinner from one of the restaurants delivered to your room course-by-course at no additional charge if you fancy a relaxing night in. The dress code at the restaurants has been relaxed in recent years and is now elegantly casual, aside from one formal night. If you can’t be bothered bringing formal wear, simply order room service that night.
Dine your way around our region and beyond on Oceania Cruises’ sailings from Auckland with a choice of three ships carrying less than 700 passengers: Regatta, Nautica and Insignia. Onboard, you’ll experience some of the best cuisine at sea with no need to pay extra for any of the ship’s specialty restaurants or drinks. Culinary tours are also available for in-depth exploration of the local food and wine scene. There is a smart casual dress code and no formal nights, so you can choose whether or not you want to dress up. The friendly service provided by the line’s attentive staff adds yet another reason to try this relaxed, high-end cruise experience where sparkling chandeliers, fine wines and unlimited lobster are the order of the day.
oceaniacruises.com
Oceania’s ships are smaller compared to mega-ships, carrying fewer than 700 passengers on vessels like Regatta, Nautica, and Insignia. This smaller size allows for a more intimate and less crowded experience. Photo / Oceania Cruises
Viking Ocean
New Zealanders can sail from Auckland on one of Viking Ocean’s contemporary adults-only cruises in 2024 and 2025. Viking Orion and Viking Venus are both virtually identical, so you can choose the itinerary that appeals the most without worrying about which ship you’ll be sailing on. Both offer stylish decor and a friendly, relaxed onboard atmosphere that’s a hit with the sophisticated, active passengers onboard, many of whom are repeat Viking cruisers. All of the ship’s restaurants, wine with lunch and dinner, and a complimentary shore excursion at each port are included in the fare. The Nordic-style thermal suite, which costs nothing to use, includes a thalassotherapy pool with massaging jets and soothing spouts, a bracing bucket shower, a steam sauna, a hot tub and a snow grotto for a bracing cool down if you’re game.
vikingcruises.com.au
Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours
Scenic Eclipse II is departing from New Zealand for the first time this year, with itineraries covering destinations including Antarctica, South East Asia, Japan, South Korea and around New Zealand. One of the biggest advantages of this small 228-passenger ship is its ability to tuck into small bays. Scenic ocean cruises are all-inclusive, aside from excursions in the ship’s two on-board helicopters and electric submersible, which cost extra. Freechoice Excursions help you make the most of each destination when you’re not enjoying the all-inclusive dining experiences, luxurious accommodation, and one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio onboard. Sailings are available from Auckland, Dunedin and Queenstown, with boarding in Bluff or Milford Sound after an overnight stay in New Zealand’s adventure capital.
scenic.com.au
Scenic Eclipse II includes two onboard helicopters and an electric submersible for unique excursions. Photo / Scenic
Silversea
If you’re a foodie, Silversea’s Salt (sea and land taste) culinary programme could tempt you onboard one of the line’s sailings from Auckland, with activities ranging from cooking classes to food tours led by local experts. Dishes made from local ingredients selected by Silversea’s chefs when the ship is in port are another unique feature offered by this upmarket line. Choose from sailings on Silver Muse or the newer Silver Nova, which launched last year and uses liquefied natural gas (LNG) as its main fuel source. Everyone gets a butler on Silversea and the same standard of personalised service. With less than 600 passengers onboard both ships, this luxury cruise experience is intimate and upmarket.
silversea.com
Silversea offers culinary tours and cooking classes led by local experts. Photo / Silversea
PONANT
There’s plenty of choice when it comes to PONANT cruises departing from New Zealand in 2024 and 2025, with Le Soleal and Le Jacques-Cartier offering sailings from Lyttelton, Auckland and Dunedin. European flair abounds on this dual-language line, which attracts a French and English-speaking clientele. Both ships offer a slightly different cruise experience, with the larger Le Soleal which launched in 2013, carrying 264 passengers and a fleet of zodiacs for shore excursions. If you want to experience the line’s ground-breaking ‘Blue Eye’, a multi-sensorial underwater lounge with hydrophones that retransmit the natural symphony of deep water, the Le Jacques-Cartier Explorer class luxury expedition ship with accommodation for up to 184 guests is the one for you.
