Photo: Princess Cruises' Royal Princess

Princess Cruises is revising the itineraries for its two 2025 World Cruises, which will no longer visit the Middle East or Asia, and now instead, will offer new port stops in Africa and Europe.

The cruise line says the decision is based on the ongoing situation in the Red Sea and surrounding area, and follows extensive consultation with global security experts and government authorities.

Island Princess World Cruise

Sailing from North America on Island Princess, the 116-day World Cruise offers two roundtrip options with departures from both Ft. Lauderdale, embarking January 5, 2025, and Los Angeles on January 20, 2025, and ends in Los Angeles on May 17, 2025.

The revised World Cruise itinerary, from February 16-April 9, departs Sydney and will travel to Melbourne and Perth, then on to South Africa. From there, the cruise resumes the scheduled itinerary starting in Valletta, Malta on April 9.

Passengers scheduled to originally depart or join the cruise from Dubai on March 14, 2025, will now embark or disembark four days earlier on March 9, in Cape Town, South Africa. Booked guests disembarking in Cape Town will be refunded the amount equivalent to four days of the cruise fare and those joining earlier will not incur an added cost to their cruise fare. All these guests will also receive a $300 onboard credit as a gesture of good will.

Crown Princess World Cruise

Crown Princess – the largest ship to ever host a World Cruise – is scheduled to depart Auckland May 31, 2025; and Sydney June 4, 2025; and sail on a 113-day adventure visiting 42 destinations in 22 countries, across five continents.

This cruise will also bypass the Red Sea and surrounding region, including the transit of the Suez Canal. The ship will travel via Africa instead of the Red Sea and Asia itinerary. According to Princess, the fully revised itinerary is currently being finalized and will be communicated shortly.

More information about World Cruise itineraries, plus shorter World Cruise segment options, can be found at princess.com/worldcruise.

Source: Travelweek