An around Australia circumnavigation sounds like a big number before you’ve even looked it up. And the advertised prices — often the first thing you’ll see — is only part of what you’ll spend. Add drinks, Wi-Fi, shore excursions, and gratuities, and the gap between the brochure price and your final bill can run into the thousands.
What follows breaks down the full around Australia cruise cost in Australian dollars: base prices by cabin type, what the add-ons actually cost over 28–35 nights, and what a realistic total budget looks like for a couple. No guessing, no rounding up to scare you, and no glossing over the bits that catch people out.
How Much Does an Around Australia Cruise Cost? (The Short Version)
Base prices vary a lot depending on the cabin you choose — here’s where the numbers sit for a typical circumnavigation on Princess or Holland America.
Interior Cabin
| Total: A$5,900–$7,800 pp Per night: A$210–$279 pp No window, but on a circumnavigation you’re rarely in the room during the day. |
Oceanview Cabin
| Total: A$7,300–$9,500 pp Per night: A$261–$339 pp Natural light without the balcony price. A solid middle ground. |
Balcony Cabin
| Total: A$8,400–$12,100 pp Per night: A$300–$433 pp The most popular pick for a long voyage. Hard to argue with a private balcony for a month at sea. |
Suite
| Total: A$18,000–$28,000+ pp Per night: A$643–$1,000+ pp Most suites bundle inclusions that change the add-on maths entirely. |
Penthouse & Owner’s Suite
| Total: A$28,000–$45,000+ pp Per night: A$1,000–$1,600+ pp Top-tier cabins on Princess and HAL. Fully inclusive in most cases — drinks, dining, and butler service are typically bundled. |
These are base prices only — accommodation, main dining, and onboard entertainment. Drinks, Wi-Fi, and shore excursions are on top of that.
What’s Actually Included in the Price
On a standard Princess or Holland America price, here’s what you’re working with:
| ✅ Accommodation ✅ Main dining room & buffet meals ✅ Onboard entertainment (shows, movies, lectures) ✅ Port transfers (ship to dock) ✅ Use of pools, gym, and most onboard facilities | ❌ Alcohol & soft drinks ❌ Wi-Fi ❌ Shore excursions ❌ Specialty restaurant dining ❌ Gratuities* ❌ Spa treatments & premium fitness classes |
*Book an Around Australia Cruise with Cruising Australia – Australian passport holder, Australian residents and Permanent Residents, gratuities included within your cruise fare. Book via overseas agents – gratuities are an additional nightly charge.
The bundled packages — Princess Plus in particular — fold some of those ❌ items into a daily rate. Whether that’s worth it depends on how you cruise, and that’s worth working through before you book.
The Add-Ons That Will Blow Your Budget (If You’re Not Ready for Them)
None of these are mandatory — but on a 28–35 night voyage, even the ones you dismiss early tend to creep in. Here’s what each one actually costs.
Drinks Package
| On Princess Cruises… Princess Plus (drinks + WiFi + gratuities): A$79pp/day Princess Premier (unlimited drinks + Wifi + gratuties): A$129pp/day Over 28 nights that’s A$2,212–$3,612pp. The package only makes financial sense if you’re drinking five or more alcoholic drinks a day. If you’re not, skip it and pay as you go. |
WiFi
| On Most Cruises for Australians Standalone: approximately A$25–$35pp/day Over 28 nights: A$700–$980pp Included in Princess Plus and Premier. Worth noting that coverage slows significantly in remote northern and western Australian waters. |
Gratuities
| On Holland America Cruises… Gratuities US$18pp/day (interior, oceanview, balcony) USD 20pp/day Suites, Over 28 nights: approximately US$504pp / US$560pp Automatically charged to your onboard account. Passengers can visit the service desk onboard and have gratuities removed entirely — no questions asked. Many do. |
Shore Excursions
| Typical range: A$80–$350+ per excursion Budget A$1,500–$3,500pp for a full circumnavigation if you’re doing one or two tours per port The Kimberley and Darwin stops tend to be the most expensive. Some ports are easy to explore independently for free. |
Specialty Dining
| Typical cover charge: A$40–$120pp per visit Included (unlimited) in Princess Premier; four casual dining meals in Princess Plus Easy to skip entirely — the main dining room on a long voyage is very good. Most people do one or two specialty dinners as a treat. |
Spa & Fitness
| Spa treatments: A$120–$350+ per session Premium fitness classes: A$15–$30 per class Not included in any standard package. Budget for it only if it’s a priority — the gym and pools are free. |
Standard vs Princess Plus : Does the Bundle Add Up?
Here’s what a typical 28-night circumnavigation looks like for two people in a balcony cabin, comparing a standard cost against Princess Plus.
Princess Standard
| – Base fare (2 people, balcony): A$16,800–$24,200 – Drinks pay as you go (2 people, A$50–$80pp/day x 28 nights): A$2,800–$4,480 – Wi-Fi (2 people, A$38pp/day x 28 nights): A$2,128 Total: A$21,728–$30,808 |
Princess Plus (A$79pp/day)
| – Base fare (2 people, balcony): A$16,800–$24,200 – Plus package (2 people, A$79pp/day x 28 nights): A$4,424 – Drinks, Wi-Fi & gratuities: Included Total: A$21,224–$28,624 |
Princess Plus comes out ahead in almost every scenario for a couple on a long voyage — the maths works because Wi-Fi and a couple of drinks cover the package cost.
The one scenario where Standard wins: if you’re barely drinking, you have your own mobile data plan you’re happy to use in port. In that case, Standard saves you money. But that’s a specific type of traveller — most couples on a 28-night trip will spend more going à la carte.
What to Watch Out For
| The drinks package maths most people get wrong Princess Plus costs A$79pp/day includes drinks, wi-fi, casual dining x 4. The drinks allowance alone is capped at 15 beverages per 24 hours — that includes speciality coffee, soft drinks, bottled water, cocktails and alcohol. If you’re a two-speciality coffee, two-wine-with-dinner type, you’re looking at four drinks a day. The package pays for itself on drinks alone only if you’re consistently hitting 4 cocktails or variety of eight alcoholic (beer, wine, cocktails) drinks daily. Most people aren’t. But, a few drinks plus the Wi-Fi easily reaches your daily total. |
- Onboard prices are higher than pre-cruise prices. The Princess Plus package costs A$79pp/day booked before departure. Buy it onboard and it jumps. Lock it in when you book.
- The solo supplement is brutal. Most cruise lines charge solo travellers 150–200% of the twin share price to occupy a cabin alone. On a 28-night voyage that can add A$8,000–$15,000+ to your trip. Some sailings have dedicated solo cabins — worth checking before you book.
- Specialty dining adds up fast if you’re on Standard. A couple doing three specialty dinners each over 28 nights is looking at A$480–$720 in cover charges on top of everything else. Easy to underestimate when you’re browsing the menus on embarkation day.
- Shore excursion prices vary wildly by port. Kimberley and Darwin tours regularly run A$200–$350 per person. If you’re budgeting A$100 per excursion across the board you’ll be in for a shock at those stops.
- Remote ports mean slow Wi-Fi regardless of your package. The northwest coast and Top End have patchy satellite coverage. Don’t plan on streaming or video calls during those stretches.
What a Realistic Around Australia Cruise Budget Looks Like
All figures below are per couple, based on a 28-night circumnavigation in a balcony cabin on Princess or Holland America.
Lean Budget
| Base Price: A$16,800 Package: Standard (gratuities removed, minimal drinks) Shore excursions: A$1,000 (selective, some independent exploring) Extras: A$500 Total: approx. A$18,300 Interior cabin, pay-as-you-go drinks, independent port exploration. Perfectly doable — just requires discipline onboard. |
Mid-Range Budget
| Base Price: A$20,000 Package: Princess Plus (2 people, 28 nights) Shore excursions: A$3,000 (one or two per port) Extras: A$1,500 (specialty dining, incidentals) Total: approx. A$28,924 Balcony cabin, drinks and Wi-Fi sorted, a decent run of shore excursions. What most couples actually spend. |
Generous Budget
| Base Price: A$28,000+ Package: Princess Premier (2 people, 28 nights) Shore excursions: A$6,000+ (guided tours, premium experiences) Extras: A$3,000+ (spa, specialty dining, shopping) Total: approx. A$44,296+ Suite or penthouse cabin, fully inclusive package, premium excursions at every port. No compromises. |
The mid-range figure is where most couples land after everything’s tallied. The lean budget is achievable but requires saying no to a lot of things on a very long voyage — which gets harder the further you get from Sydney.
Where to Find Current Prices
Prices on circumnavigation cruises move regularly — early bookers typically get the best cabin selection, and prices on popular departures can shift significantly once a sailing fills past a certain point. The opposite is also true: last-minute availability does appear occasionally, particularly on longer voyages where some passengers drop out.
Current prices across Princess, Holland America, and other lines operating around Australia itineraries are listed on our around Australia cruise page — including some pricing not publicly advertised elsewhere.
→ View current around Australia cruise deals
If you’ve already seen a deal somewhere else, it’s worth knowing we offer a price match guarantee.
One practical tip: prices are quoted per person based on twin share. If you’re travelling solo, always ask specifically about solo cabin availability before comparing prices — the supplement on a standard cabin makes the per-night figure look very different.
