Summer cruise season heats up with new ships and younger travellers onboard
Plus, three other things Explore is loving this week.
Summer is coming, and along with it yet another bumper cruise season. According to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), 63 ships will be operating in local waters between October and April, including Princess Cruises' Discovery Princess, Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas and Aurora Expeditions' brand-new Douglas Mawson, which will all be making their Down Under debuts this season. "The popularity of cruising continues to grow worldwide," says CLIA's managing director in Australasia Joel Katz. "Internationally, the average age of a cruise guest is now just 46.5 years, and more than a third of cruisers are aged under 40. Gen X and millennials are now the most enthusiastic cruisers. We are also seeing increasing numbers of new-to-cruise guests - about 31 per cent of cruisers over the past two years have been first-time guests, up from 24 per cent in 2019."
After-dark escapades in Europe
Cruise ships are well known for daytime excursions, but with the launch of its After Dark program in 2026, Avalon Waterways is dialling up the post-sunset fun factor. Cocktails in a ruin bar - perhaps with views of a lit-up Buda Castle - in Budapest; a classical concert in Vienna followed by a midnight serve of Sachertorte; and a wander along Amsterdam's canals, culminating at a candlelit jazz bar are just some of the moments you can expect on Avalon's European river itineraries. avalonwaterways.com.au
More to the westside story
Australian small-ship cruise line Coral Expeditions is expanding its operations in Western Australia, with 54 departures in 2026 and 56 in 2027. The enhanced WA program will allow travellers to explore the state's unparalleled beauty and hard-to-reach locations such as the Abrolhos islands (pictured), Ningaloo, the Kimberley and Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve near Albany. coralexpeditions.com
A new palace on the Nile
There'll soon be a new way to explore Egypt's storied waterway, the Nile, when A&K Sanctuary's Nile Seray sets sail in 2026. A&K is calling it a "palace on the Nile", and thanks to just 32 suites (from 33 square metres), each with a Juliet balcony and a spacious ensuite, we think the pharaohs would agree. abercrombiekent.com
Akash is the Deputy Travel Editor for Australian Community Media. He has lived and worked in four cities around the world – Sydney, London, New Delhi and New York – and, at last count, travelled to 42 countries.
My all-time favourite destination is ... New York. You can drop a pin anywhere in Manhattan and start walking in any direction, and the sights and sounds of the city that never stops will begin to stimulate all your senses in an instant.
Next on my bucket list is … Scandinavia - at the peak of summer, when the sun almost never sets.
My top travel tip is … If you’re flying to Sydney from anywhere in the world, pick a window seat far from the wing on the left-hand-side of the aeroplane. If the weather gods and flight path align, you’ll have the most incredible views of the Sydney Harbour and Opera House.
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