Following extensive consultation with government authorities and global security experts, Princess Cruises has revised the itineraries for its two 2025 World Cruises.
Due to the current state of affairs in the Red Sea and the surrounding area, the cruises will no longer visit the Middle East or Asia and will instead offer new port stops in Africa and Europe.
“A Princess World Cruise is truly the voyage of a lifetime and after careful consideration with guidance from global security experts and government authorities, we know our guests will understand and appreciate the change to our upcoming 2025 itineraries to avoid certain areas,” said Terry Thornton, chief commercial officer of Princess Cruises.
“These global events beyond our control have necessitated these reroutings but we are pleased to continue to ensure these world cruises retain destination-rich itineraries with incredible stops along the west Africa coast and the Mediterranean,” Thornton continued in a press release.
Related: Princess Cruises Announces 2026 World Cruise
Island Princess World Cruise
The 116-day World Cruise from North America aboard Island Princess offers roundtrip options from both Fort Lauderdale (embarking January 5, 2025) and Los Angeles (embarking January 20, 2025).
During the journey, cruisers will travel over 36,700 nautical miles, visiting 46 destinations in 24 countries and six continents. The Island Princess sailing includes visits to Bar, Montenegro and Taranto, Italy, along with inaugural World Cruise calls to the Greek island of Patmos as well as to Volos for the monasteries of Meteora.
The revised section of the World Cruise itinerary, from February 16 through April 9, departs Sydney and will travel to Melbourne and Perth, then on to South Africa. The cruise then resumes its scheduled itinerary starting in Valletta, Malta on April 9.
Related: 7 Reasons Why Sydney Australia Is One of the Best Cruise Ports in the World
Here is the revised section of the journey:
| Date | Destination |
|---|---|
| Sunday, February 16 | Sydney, Australia (as scheduled) |
| Monday, February 17 | At Sea |
| Tuesday, February 18 | Melbourne, Australia |
| Wednesday, February 19 | At Sea |
| Thursday, February 20 | At Sea |
| Friday, February 21 | At Sea |
| Saturday, February 22 | At Sea |
| Sunday, February 23 | Perth (Fremantle), Australia |
| Monday, February 24 | At Sea |
| Tuesday, February 25 | At Sea |
| Wednesday, February 26 | At Sea |
| Thursday, February 27 | At Sea |
| Friday, February 28 | At Sea |
| Saturday, March 1 | At Sea |
| Sunday, March 2 | At Sea |
| Monday, March 3 | Port Louis, Mauritius |
| Tuesday, March 4 | At Sea |
| Wednesday, March 5 | At Sea |
| Thursday, March 6 | At Sea |
| Friday, March 7 | At Sea |
| Saturday, March 8 | At Sea |
| Sunday, March 9 | Cape Town, South Africa (overnight) |
| Monday, March 10 | Cape Town, South Africa |
| Tuesday, March 11 | At Sea |
| Wednesday, March 12 | Walvis Bay, Namibia |
| Thursday, March 13 | At Sea |
| Friday, March 14 | At Sea |
| Saturday, March 15 | At Sea |
| Sunday, March 16 | At Sea |
| Monday, March 17 | At Sea |
| Tuesday, March 18 | At Sea |
| Wednesday, March 19 | At Sea |
| Thursday, March 20 | Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands |
| Friday, March 21 | At Sea |
| Saturday, March 22 | At Sea |
| Sunday, March 23 | Madeira (Funchal), Portugal |
| Monday, March 24 | At Sea |
| Tuesday, March 25 | Gibraltar |
| Wednesday, March 26 | At Sea |
| Thursday, March 27 | At Sea |
| Friday, March 28 | Siracusa, Italy |
| Saturday, March 29 | At Sea |
| Sunday, March 30 | Athens (Piraeus), Greece |
| Monday, March 31 | Volos, Greece |
| Tuesday, April 1 | Patmos, Greece |
| Wednesday, April 2 | Kuşadasi, Türkiye (for Ephesus) |
| Thursday, April 3 | Rhodes, Greece |
| Friday, April 4 | Crete (Chania), Greece |
| Saturday, April 5 | At Sea |
| Sunday, April 6 | Dubrovnik, Croatia |
| Monday, April 7 | Bar, Montenegro |
| Tuesday, April 8 | Taranto, Italy |
| Wednesday, April 9 | Valletta, Malta (as scheduled) |
Cruisers originally scheduled to depart or join the sailing in Dubai on March 14, 2025, will now embark or disembark four days earlier on March 9 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Booked guests who disembark in Cape Town will receive a refund equal to four days’ worth of their cruise fare, and those who join earlier won’t have to pay an additional fee. Princess has stated that as a goodwill gesture, each of these passengers will also receive a $300 onboard credit.
Crown Princess World Cruise
The largest Princess ship to ever host a World Cruise, Crown Princess will sail on a 113-day adventure visiting 42 destinations in 22 countries, across five continents. The ship is scheduled to depart Auckland, New Zealand on May 31, 2025 and Sydney, Australia on June 4, 2025.
This World Cruise will avoid the Red Sea and the surrounding region, including the originally scheduled transit of the Suez Canal. Crown Princess will sail via Africa instead of the Red Sea and Asia itinerary.
Princess has stated that the fully revised itinerary is currently being finalized and will be communicated shortly. Be sure to subscribe to Should Be Cruising for all the latest updates!
More news about Princess Cruises
- Princess Cruises Announces 2026 World Cruise
- Princess Cruises Revises 2025 World Cruise Itineraries
- Princess Cruises Will Debut New Sanctuary Collection Aboard Sun Princess and Star Princess
- Delivery of Princess Cruises’ Star Princess Will Be Postponed, Nine Sailings Canceled
- Actor Hannah Waddingham Will Serve as Godmother of Sun Princess
- Sun Princess Sets Sail on Inaugural Voyage
Are you booked on a 2025 Princess World Cruise? What are your thoughts about the new itinerary? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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