The Discovery Princess arrived for her maiden season in Sydney during December last year (2025). Discovery Princess will remain until April at which point she sets sail for Canada and Alaska via a repositioning cruise through New Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii and Los Angeles.
This is the biggest Princess Cruise ship to ever sail in Australian waters with 3660 guests and a whopping 145,00 tons. Discovery Princess is a part of the Royal Class cruise fleet and was built in 2022. Some Australians may be familiar with the layout if they have had the chance to sail on Royal Princess.
Discovery Princess offers a combination of staterooms and suites with only 6 premium ocean view cabins and 340 inside cabins available for guests. Most of the cabins onboard have balconies as standard.
I cruised on the short but sweet 3-night Eden cruise. Three-night cruises do not typically offer a port stop in Australian waters and this is the first time I have been on one that does and I loved it.
Cruise Itinerary Name: 3 Night Eden Cruise
Departing From: Sydney
Port of Call: Eden
Cabin Booked: Balcony
Check-in is done through the Princess app which is straightforward and easy to navigate. The medallion, which is the Princess alternative to a keycard, is ordered through the app as a part of the check-in process. In Australia the medallion is picked up at the check-in counter on boarding. It’s a small round plastic device on a lanyard. It has a chip inside it that is coded to your room, and it automatically unlocks your door as you approach.
The staff at the port have the boarding process down to a fine art. They regulate the boarding times with signage and short queues to ensure that those on a 1:30pm boarding time aren’t boarding at 11:30am. It makes a difference and the process take approximately 20 minutes from arriving at the building to boarding the ship.
As I walked onto the Discovery Princess, I was impressed by the grandeur and size. Gorgeous staircases , large chandeliers and an abundance of light greeted me and there was some serious wow factor at work. The Discovery has a luxurious feel with golden wrought décor on doors, modern themed bars and comfortable seating throughout the general areas. There are a variety of complimentary restaurants, meal options in the World Fresh Marketplace (buffet style dining) and the International Café. There is also optional paid dining experiences to ensure passengers get access to culinary delights with recipes from around the world. OceanNow delivery provides a food and beverage service to many places throughout the ship. The medallion has a small tracker embedded into it so you can have food delivered to your location on the ship, or to your room. I love OceanNow and use it on every cruise.
There are five main bars onboard, plus places like O’Malley’s that also includes light bites and the Vista Lounge which has a bar onsite. I was delighted to see that Princess has created a “down under” drinks selection which includes local Beenleigh and Bundaberg distilled gin and rum, plus my favourite ginger beer from the Bundaberg brewery.
After boarding we were directed to complete the mandatory safety briefing. This was quick; watch a video and attend your muster station. After that was done it was time to get acquainted with the ship and grab a bite to eat. We tend to stay area from the buffet areas on the first day purely because of the amount of people pouring into the ship at once. We took a leisurely lunch in the Ketchikan restaurant and spent our time there looking over the options for the day. Fresh rolls, delicious soup and pasta were our picks and we weren’t disappointed. After lunch we walked the decks and then ended up at the international café for some afternoon tea listening to a violin duo in the main piazza. It was a lovely way to start the trip.
We packed in a lot for the short time we were onboard including:
Our room on the ship was a standard balcony, and we were located on deck 12 aft. The room is spacious for two people with a large walk-in wardrobe, compact and clean bathroom, a desk area and the mini fridge with extra storage in the cupboard surrounding it. The bed was large and comfortable, the room décor was modern, and the overall feel was clean and relaxing. Our attendant was friendly and efficient, and provided a morning clean with an afternoon turn down service. I felt the room was perfect for our needs.
Eden was the only port and a highlight for us. Our day included:
We walked at least 11 kms around town and for those that can’t walk up steep hills, of which Eden has plenty, there is a shuttle from the cruise ship to the main street of town and return for $10 per person for an all-day pass, it only takes approximately 5 minutes. For those with mobility issues the main street of Eden is relatively flat, combining a return bus trip from the ship into town is more than manageable.
Princess has a frequent cruiser program called the captain’s circle. Membership is free and is based on a loyalty tier program. Gold status is automatic after your first cruise and after 3 cruises or 30 cruise days members move up to Ruby. Platinum is achieved after 5 cruises or 50 cruise days, and Elite is awarded after 15 cruises or 150 cruise days. Gold and Ruby provide some small perks, but the biggest benefits take effect once you become a Platinum or Elite member with perks like 50% off MedallionNet packages (Wi-Fi), 10% off Lotus Spa treatments and the Photo Gallery, and access to the Platinum and Elite Lounge. If you are an Elite member, you receive all the Platinum benefits plus a complimentary mini-bar set-up, deluxe canapé selection on formal nights , complimentary afternoon tea in stateroom, priority disembarkation, complimentary laundry services and shoe polishing (subject to terms & conditions).
If you would like more information about Princess cruises here in Australia or overseas please reach out.
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