Q: Cruising has enjoyed a record season in Australia. Why do you think Aussies have embraced cruising so enthusiastically?
A: Australian travellers appreciate the beauty of exploring the world in luxury.
We love to travel by sea, whether that’s visiting close to home to discover near neighbouring countries like New Zealand, sailing north into Asia or adventuring further abroad to exotic destinations.
Cruising is also an easy way to see the world. We have already taken care of the planning with our carefully curated itineraries and we offer guests the highest quality immersive shore excursions allowing them to really enjoy their time in port.
Q: It seems that the average age of cruise passengers is slowly dropping. Is this something you’ve noticed and what do you put this down to?
A: It doesn’t matter what age you are – travellers appreciate the ease of luxury cruising – it is a wonderful way to explore the world and visit multiple destinations and you only have to unpack once.
In addition to the incredible experiences that can be had ashore, Regent guests appreciate our opulent all-suite, all-balcony ships.
Many of our guests tell us how much they welcome sea days so they can relax onboard, enjoying our enriching guest lecturers, pampering themselves with a luxurious spa treatment, or playing a game of pickle ball.
Q: Does Australia remain a key market for Regent?
A: Australia is not only a key market but a growing market for Regent. Demand for luxury cruising is on the rise since the same time last year. We are very excited to witness a significant increase of “first time Regent” guests.
Our Australian cruisers are upgrading from premium and upper premium cruise lines to Regent’s ultra-luxury offering to enjoy unrivalled experiences and to mark milestone moments like birthdays and anniversaries.
Part of the demand is due to us keeping our cruises unique and exciting. We are constantly innovating at Regent – you will never see us standing still!
Q: Despite all the positivity we have seen some cruise lines cancel their presence in Australia. Is this a worry for the cruise industry Down Under?
A: We’re seeing a re-shaping of the cruise industry in Australia with Government and cruise associations planning together on what’s needed for the future.
Q: You’ve just launched your 2026-2027 Voyage Collection. Are you sailing to any new ports and if so, how do you select them?
A: Our new Voyage Collection offers 173 new itineraries, including four new Grand Voyages, two of which disembark in Sydney.
We have also introduced 144 overnight port stays across the collection and dozens of new shore excursions, allowing more time to discover the world.
We have 16 exciting maiden ports of call in the collection across Asia, Africa, Mediterranean, North America and Northern Europe. Among my favourites are Mombasa, Kenya; Zanzibar, Tanzania; Kanazawa, Japan; beautiful Lombok (Lembar), Indonesia and Melaka, Malaysia.
Q: Are there any standout itineraries in the collection for you?
A: We have a beautiful new 20-night Seattle to Tokyo sailing (departs September 30, 2026), which journeys around Alaska and across the Pacific Ocean before calling into six ports in Japan and overnighting in Tokyo.
We also have a Seattle roundtrip which takes in the best of Alaska – departing September 20, 2026 – and a new 10-night roundtrip Sydney festive season cruise, which departs December 26.
I am a huge fan of our new Immersive Overnights itineraries. We have eight in our new season launch. They are all spectacular and offer our guests a unique opportunity to further immerse themselves in the magnificent destinations we sail to.
Q: What trends have you noticed and how does this new season reflect those trends?
A: Australian travellers are booking sometimes two or even three consecutive cruises at once, bookending sailings together to extend their cruise holiday.
Close-to-home sailings remain incredibly popular among Australian guests, particularly the Sydney to Auckland and reverse voyages. We have many exciting itineraries over the next two to three years to satisfy that demand.
At Regent, we’re seeing strong forward bookings for the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and Alaska. In these locales, destination-immersion is still a key desire for discerning luxury travellers.
We’re committed to providing guests with true immersive experiences. Catering to this trend, we have revealed eight new Immersive Overnights sailings in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe to add to our existing collection. This takes our Immersive Overnights collection to a total of 15 unique voyages from 2024 through to 2027.
Dozens of new shore excursions have been created, allowing luxury travellers to see another side of fascinating locales with special evening shoreside experiences and in-port stays exclusively crafted to make each overnight a memorable part of the journey.
New land programs have also been added to these voyages, so guests can enjoy the added benefit of even more destination-immersion pre- or post-cruise.
Images: ©RSSC
