Celebrity Cruises will send the Celebrity Edge to Australia and New Zealand for the 2023-24 winter season. It will be the first Edge-class ship to go Down Under. 

The ship will sail cruises of six to 15 days from early December 2023 through April 2024 from both Sydney and Auckland. 

The ship will visit 22 ports in Australia, New Zealand and (on one itinerary) the South Pacific islands of New Caledonia, Vanuatu and Mystery Island. The Edge will do overnight stays in Cairns, Australia; Auckland, New Zealand; and Hobart, Tasmania. 

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Themed itineraries will include “Sun and Beach Escapes,” “Food and Wine Classics,” and “Five Star Getaways,” offering immersion into the region’s culture through enhanced onboard and shoreside programming, Celebrity said.

“We have long-anticipated her arrival to the region,” said Tim Jones, Celebrity’s vice president and managing director of Australia. “This is a moment of real celebration for Australian travelers and Celebrity Cruises.”

Australia cruising still on hold

The news comes as cruise lines continue to cancel their Down Under seasons well into 2022, after Australia earlier this month extended its cruise ban through Dec. 17. 

Princess Cruises this week said it will pause cruise vacations in Australia and New Zealand through Jan. 27 “due to the uncertainty around the return of cruising in the region.”

As a result, Coral Princess cruises are canceled through Jan. 17 and the Royal Princess and Sapphire Princess seasons were canceled through March.

The Carnival Splendor and Carnival Spirit are on hold through Jan. 16.

P&O Cruises Australia also extended its pause in operations for cruises departing from Sydney and Brisbane until mid-January and from Melbourne entirely “to give guests greater confidence in planning their Christmas and New Year holidays.”

“Unfortunately, we are not yet clear on the requirements from governments and public health authorities for a phased return of domestic cruising, but we remain hopeful these conversations will gather pace now there is real momentum around society reopening,” stated P&O Cruises Australia president Sture Myrmell.

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