In the near future, do you have plans to travel to Australia?
Think of tacking on a cruise.
In an ironic turn of events, two of North America's largest cruise lines, Princess Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Line are offering the best discounts on cruises right now for voyages to Australia, halfway around the world.
Both carriers had three-night itineraries to Australia available as of Thursday morning for as little as $38 per day.
It costs less per day than any other brief trip offered by either of the brands, even typically affordable Bahamas sailings.
Longer Australia cruises were even more affordable at Carnival on a per-day basis.
The company was selling seven-night Australia cruises on Thursday morning for as little as $204, or just $29 per day.
Princess' seven-night voyages to Australia began at $397, or roughly $57 each day.
The cheap rates coincide with the commencement of cruise ships' return to Australia following a nearly three-year absence due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which has caused a boom in cabin supply.
Even though their largest operations are closer to home, both Carnival and Princess have long had a presence in the Australian cruise sector.
The majority of Carnival's fleet takes passengers on voyages from American ports to the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and the Mexican Riviera.
Despite having a presence in many countries throughout the world, Princess is likely best known for its sailings to Alaska, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Keep in mind that the cheapest prices currently offered for Australia cruises are typically for upcoming departures.
In order to benefit from them, you'll have to visit Australia shortly.
If you can change your travel dates and itinerary, the sailings will frequently work best as an add-on to an already scheduled Australia trip.
The deals
Early on Thursday, Carnival and Princess had the following offers for the most enticing Australia cruises:
• A seven-night voyage on the Carnival Luminosa departing from Brisbane on February 5 starts at $204, or roughly $29 per day.
Additional departures begin from $211 to $244, or roughly $30 to $35 per day, on the following dates: February 12, March 5, March 12, and March 26.
• A three-night voyage on Grand Princess departing from Melbourne on March 28 starts at $114, or roughly $38 per day.
• A three-night trip on the Carnival Luminosa departing from Brisbane on February 2 starts at $113, or roughly $38 per day.
Additional departures begin at $137 and $194, respectively, on March 2 and March 23.
• A five-night voyage on the Carnival Luminosa departing from Sydney on Jan. 28 starts at $296, or roughly $59 per day.
Later in the year, additional departures begin at $317, or around $63 per day.
Also available at reasonable prices are longer sailings on both lines.
For $430, or roughly $48 per day, Carnival, for example, is offering a nine-night trip from Sydney departing on June 21.
Just $432, or around $31 per day, maybe spent on a 14-night Royal Princess voyage from Melbourne on March 8.
There are also lengthy Royal Princess voyages from Sydney to New Zealand, however, they are slightly more expensive.
These itineraries for Australia frequently cater to the domestic Australian market.
However, they accept reservations from people all over the world.
The shorter voyages are frequently "cruises to nowhere" with no stops or they stop at coastal locations close to their ports of departure.
The longer voyages visit some of the most well-known locations in Australia as well as well-known locations in New Zealand.
Cruisers can visit Australia's renowned Great Barrier Reef on the nine-night Carnival voyage that departs from Sydney, for instance.
The 14-night Princess voyage departing from Melbourne concentrates on some of New Zealand's most well-known locations, including Fiordland National Park.
The fine print.
Notably, only windowless internal cabins, the lowest grade of cabins on any of the ships, are eligible for any of the steeply discounted tickets mentioned above.
On some of the cruises, though, the companies also offer inexpensive rates for cabins with balconies and ocean views.
On the three-night Carnival Luminosa cruise leaving on February 2, cabins with an ocean view were priced at $155 on Thursday morning or $42 more than a cabin without a window.
On the cruise, balconies were available at $197.
For a balcony cabin, that comes out to roughly $66 per day.
Keep in mind that all of the prices are per-person estimates based on two passengers sharing a cabin.
Solo passengers cannot use them.
Apart from lodging, dining, and entertainment, the fares do not include port taxes and fees, which range from a reasonable $68 for Carnival's brief sailings to Brisbane to a significant $393 for the 14-night Princess sailing to New Zealand.
Port taxes and fees are often not included in the advertised prices by cruise lines, but they are added to final invoices at check-out.
Australia cruises now appear at the top of the list when sorting sailings by price point on the websites for both Carnival and Princess, which is a pretty uncommon occurrence.
Short Bahamas sailings often have Carnival's lowest prices, both in terms of the total cost and the cost per day.
The cheapest Princess sailings are frequently those that travel to the Mexican Riviera and along California's west coast.
The least expensive three-night Bahamas sailing on offer on the Carnival website as of Thursday started at $168, which is nearly 49% more expensive than the line's most affordable three-night Australia voyage.
As mentioned, the most affordable departures for these Australian sailings are for ports that are close by, which may be challenging for Americans to access on short notice.
However, there are also some affordable rates available for later in the year departing Australia sailings.
A 13-night Princess voyage from Sydney to New Zealand, for instance, begins on November 19 and starts at $717, or about $55 per day.
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