For New Zealand travellers looking forward to seeing the world again, the 2022 Princess Cruises 107 night World Cruise from Auckland (return) will be an iconic voyage.
As cruise lines cancel 2020 sailings in response to Covid-19, social distancing requirements remain and ports close, the industries' attention has turned to 2022 and 2023 cruise holidays. For Princess Cruises this includes the Coral Princess and its 2022 World Cruise from Auckland. Sales open as follows:
There is no avoiding the reality that Covid-19 has put travellers firmly into two camps when it comes to cruise holidays (and incidentally these camps existed prior to Covid-19):
Camp 1 = You're joking right? I'd never set foot on a floating petri dish!
Camp 2 = I love cruises and I can't wait to get back onboard a ship.
The release of the Princess Cruises 2022 World Cruise itinerary is an opportunity for those in the second camp to start thinking and planning ahead. After months of lockdown and travel restrictions, May 2022 could be an opportunity to explore the world again.
With options to join a 107 day round trip voyage from Auckland (departing 14 May 22), Sydney (18 May 22) or Brisbane (20 May 22) highlights of the voyage include:
In addition to the 107 day itinerary, shorter World Cruise sectors will also be available. Download the official flyer which includes details of ports (based on the Sydney departure), special offers and terms and conditions.
Guests who book the Coral Princess World Cruise by 30 April, 2021 will receive perks such as:
Apart from the special offers, the key reason to plan ahead for a World Cruise is to get your choice of suite or stateroom (read more in our blog on the Pros and Cons of Last Minute Cruise Specials). 107 days is a long time at sea and if taking a world cruise has been on your bucket list, being stuck in a smaller cabin than you would like is not going to add to the experience.
Generally only a deposit is required to secure a cabin at this stage and therefore it isn't a big commitment to achieve this peace of mind.
Princess Cruises openly states in the downloadable flyer (above) that Covid-19 could still affect a May 2022 departure and includes the following statement:
We are currently assessing enhanced safety protocols in light of Covid-19 and how they may impact our future offerings. Our actual offerings may vary from what is displayed or described here.
Covid-19 (and future pandemics) will continue to impact the cruise industry. Given the significance of the impact to date, we are encouraged that Princess Cruises, and the industry as a whole, are reacting with enhanced safety protocols.
At the time of paying a deposit, Princess will provide the most up to date cancellation and flexibility policy that should be reviewed and understood before a deposit is paid.
An aspect of our service that our clients benefited from during the peak travel cancellations during Covid-19 was the ability to contact their Fine Travel Consultant to change or cancel their plans. An email or a phone call put them directly in touch with the person who booked their flights, cruise, accommodation or other activities and that person could make the changes.
Direct access to the Fine Travel Consultant who booked their itinerary meant that our clients avoided the additional stress of waiting on hold with an overseas call centre and then having to explain their circumstances to someone not familiar with them, or their itinerary. And if a supplier made a mistake, or a hastily compiled policy didn't make sense, we were available, independent from the supplier, to hold them to account.