Princess Cruises’ San Juan Deployment Results in Replacements Elsewhere

Princess Cruises has announced the cancellation of all scheduled Australian voyages for the Grand Princess starting in October 2025, as the ship will be relocated to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The transition, revealed on May 7, will commence on October 12, 2025, directly impacting passengers booked for the 2025-2026 summer season in Australian waters.

“At times, circumstances and operational considerations arise that require us to make changes to bookings and itineraries,” Princess Cruises said in a letter to passengers. “Unfortunately, due to an upcoming redeployment, we must regrettably cancel the cruise you have planned.”

The redeployment of the 2,610-passenger Grand Princess has led to the cancellation of several scheduled voyages in Australia, beginning with a 2-night “seacation” from Sydney to Brisbane on October 16, 2025, as well as several Tasmania, Queensland, and New Zealand voyages through March 2026.

In response, Princess Cruises has arranged for affected passengers to be rebooked on alternative voyages aboard Crown Princess and Discovery Princess. Both will now serve the Australian region with amended and new voyages.

“We are pleased to automatically rebook you on a replacement voyage that offers a similar itinerary,” said the cruise line, noting that full details and booking confirmation would be emailed to passengers by May 31.

Guests affected by these changes will be automatically rebooked, receiving any adjustments to their fare to match what they originally paid, and the cruise line will cover any higher fare difference in an expression of goodwill for the inconvenience.

Cancellations and Rebookings on Princess Cruises

Discovery Princess, which holds 3,660 passengers, is currently not scheduled to sail in Australia in October, December, or January 2025 and is traveling between Australia and Asia in November. Its first Australian cruise launches from Sydney on February 28, 2026. In March, Discovery Princess is also slated to provide a seacation and Queensland voyage.

Conversely, the 3,090-passenger Crown Princess is not scheduled in Australian waters until December 2025, when it launches on a Southern Australia voyage. Departing from Fremantle, Australia, on December 10, the ship is slated to call in Margaret River, Albany, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Hobart before arriving in Sydney. From there, Crown Princess will begin offering various cruise lengths between Sydney and Brisbane.

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The cruise line, however, may change Crown Princess and Discovery Princess cruises to accommodate itinerary changes caused by the cancelation of Grand Princess. In its statement, it hinted additional cancellations would arise on both ships.

Besides the automatic rebookings, pre-booked shore excursions, spa, and dining reservations are also automatically canceled, with costs refunded back to passengers via the original form of payment. 

For passengers on the 37-night Tahiti, Hawaii, and South Pacific cruise originally scheduled to depart from Sydney on October 16 and Brisbane on October 18, 2025, $250 additional onboard credit is being offered. To receive the compensation, passengers must rebook onto the 28-night Round Australia cruise from Sydney on November 23, 2024, or a similar 25-night voyage from Brisbane on November 26, 2025.

Guests on the 11-night Fiji holiday from Brisbane on December 24, 2025, will receive $200 EZair credit per person toward flights if rebooked on the 14-day sailing from Sydney on December 21, or a 3-night seacation on March 18, 2026.