Japan cruises in 2027

Japan by sea in 2027

Japan consistently draws cruisers who want to move between cities without unpacking twice, and 2027 brings a strong range of sailings to choose from. The bulk of what is on sale focuses on Japan itself, with a good spread of transpacific sailings and China-focused itineraries rounding out the programme. Voyages range from short breaks of 4 nights up to grand 49-night odysseys, with a median of around 12 nights — long enough to take in several ports at a relaxed pace. Fares start from A$377 pp*.

Where do Japan cruises go in 2027?

The great majority of sailings are focused squarely on Japan itself. Itineraries thread together the country’s most celebrated ports, giving you a sea-level perspective on a destination that genuinely rewards slow travel. Beyond Japan, a meaningful number of voyages cross the Pacific, linking Japan to ports on the west coast of North America — a wonderful way to make the trip double-duty if you want to see more than one part of the world. A smaller number of sailings focus on China, often combining Japanese ports with stops in Hong Kong or Keelung (Taipei).

Japan itineraries

Japan is the dominant focus of the 2027 programme. Most sailings call at Tokyo or Yokohama (Tokyo) at some point — Tokyo is both the most popular embarkation and disembarkation port on the page — and itineraries from there spread out along the coast, taking in a mix of historic cities, working fishing ports and dramatic volcanic landscapes. Shorter sailings of 4 to 7 nights suit first-time visitors wanting a taster; longer voyages of two weeks or more let you push further and slow down in each port. If you are debating how long to go for, our cruise experts can walk you through the specific ports each itinerary visits and help you match the length to your holiday plans.

Transpacific crossings

A number of sailings in the programme are transpacific crossings, connecting Japan with ports in North America — including departures from Vancouver and Seattle. These are point-to-point voyages that suit travellers who want to combine a North American leg with a Japanese one, or who simply love the deep-sea rhythm of a long ocean crossing. Because these sailings are one-way, a domestic flight at one end links up the journey — and we can book that connection, plus any hotels either side, as part of the same package.

China itineraries

A smaller slice of the programme concentrates on China, with sailings departing from Hong Kong and Shanghai as part of broader Asian itineraries. These routes often blend Chinese ports with stops in Japan and occasionally further into South-East Asia, with Singapore featuring as a starting or finishing point on some of the longer voyages.

Where do these sailings depart from?

The two busiest embarkation ports are Tokyo and Yokohama, which sits just south of the capital and is widely used by major cruise lines as the practical gateway to the Tokyo region. Beyond those, sailings depart from Shanghai, Hong Kong, Vancouver and Singapore, giving you real flexibility about which point of the map you want to start from.

For Australians, almost all of these are reached by an international flight. If you are based in a city close to a domestic connection, the journey is a short hop rather than a long-haul marathon — and once you are on board, you do not need to touch an airport again until the voyage ends. On one-way itineraries, the ship finishes in a different port from where it starts, so a domestic flight at the far end connects you home. CruiseAway handles both legs, along with any pre- or post-cruise hotel nights and transfers, so you arrive rested and nothing falls through the cracks.

Round trips or one-way voyages — which is right for you?

These sailings are a genuine mix of round trips and one-way voyages. A round trip brings you back to the same port you left from, which suits travellers who want a contained holiday with simple logistics. A one-way voyage is a different kind of experience — you start in one city and finish in another, which means you see more of the region but need to plan the return leg. It is worth checking the shape of any sailing before you book, and if you have any doubt our team will confirm it for you. On one-way itineraries we can fold the return flight into the same booking, so the logistics stay with us rather than with you.

Why are Australians choosing Japan cruises in 2027?

Japan has become one of the most sought-after cruise destinations for Australian travellers, and it is not hard to see why. The country packs extraordinary variety into a relatively compact geography — ancient temples and castle towns sit alongside neon-lit cities and quiet fishing harbours, and moving between them by ship means you arrive fresh in each one without a single hotel check-in between. The 2027 season brings a strong and varied line-up of ships from lines that know the region well, and CruiseAway’s cruise experts can help you compare them honestly rather than leaving you to read six different brochures. Add our DreamAway Packages — which bundle flights, hotels and transfers around your cruise — and the whole trip comes together in a single booking.

Japan also suits a wide range of travel styles. If you want a leisurely cultural immersion, a 12-night sailing that overnights in port gives you evenings ashore as well as days. If you want to cross a bucket-list ocean, a transpacific voyage covers serious distance while the ship does the navigating. And if you are drawn to the luxury end — smaller ships, butler service, all meals and drinks included — the 2027 Japan programme has that too.

Which cruise lines sail to Japan in 2027?

Princess Cruises leads the Japan programme in 2027 with the most sailings of any line on the page. Royal Caribbean brings its Asia-built hardware to the region, followed by MSC Cruises and Silversea. Oceania Cruises and Azamara round out the line-up with smaller, more port-intensive ships that suit travellers who want to linger longer in each destination. Each line brings a different style — from family-friendly mega-ships to intimate expedition-style vessels — and our cruise experts can help you match the right one to how you actually like to travel.

Top Japan cruise itineraries and ships

Below are the ships with the most sailings in the 2027 Japan programme, along with what makes each one worth considering.

Diamond Princess — Princess Cruises

Diamond Princess is one of the most fitting ships for a Japan voyage that exists — she carries a genuine Japanese onsen at sea. The Izumi bathhouse gives you a traditional hot-spring bathing ritual on board, something no other Princess ship offers. Evenings bring Broadway-style productions in the Princess Theatre, and Skywalkers Nightclub 15 decks above the waterline is a fine place to end the night. Princess packages combining Japan, Vietnam and Singapore with return flights make the whole trip easy to arrange from Australia.

For cabin choices on Diamond Princess, the range runs from compact to palatial:

• Inside cabin IA (15.6 m², sleeps 4) — positioned on the middle decks for minimal movement and easy lift access, a sensible value choice for travellers who plan to spend their days ashore.
• Premium Ocean-view cabin O5 (18.3 m², sleeps 4) — a bow-facing panoramic window brings natural daylight and a wide forward sea view that inside cabins cannot offer.
• Balcony cabin B2 (25.7 m², sleeps 4) — your own private outdoor space with seating, giving you direct access to fresh sea air and open views as you sail between ports.
• Grand Suite S1 (123.5 m², sleeps 4) — the largest suite aboard at nearly twice the size of the Owner’s Suite; a separate living space and the full suite experience throughout the voyage.

See the full Diamond Princess cabins and deck plans to compare grades, deck positions and layouts before you book.

Sapphire Princess — Princess Cruises

Fresh from a 2025 refit, Sapphire Princess arrives in 2027 with new restaurants, revitalised cabins and a modernised Lotus Spa. The Sanctuary adults-only pool deck — private cabanas, cold towels and serenity stewards — is the place to retreat on a sea day when you want complete quiet. Sapphire Princess sails from Fremantle on some itineraries, which means Australians on the west coast can board without an international flight at all.

Cabin grades on Sapphire Princess follow a similar structure to her sister:

• Inside cabin IA (15.6 m², sleeps 4) — mid-deck, quiet, and stable; the practical base for a port-intensive itinerary.
• Premium Sea-view cabin O5 (18.3 m², sleeps 4) — a large panoramic window with a bow view adds light and outlook without the step up to a balcony price.
• Balcony cabin B2 (25.7 m², sleeps 4) — private outdoor space with direct sea air; the upgrade most repeat Princess cruisers make.
• Grand Suite S1 (123.5 m², sleeps 4) — the largest suite aboard, with a separate living room and dining area and more than twice the floor space of a Penthouse.

Browse the Sapphire Princess cabins and deck plans to see which deck suits you best.

Spectrum of the Seas — Royal Caribbean

Spectrum of the Seas was purpose-built for the Asia market, and it shows. The North Star glass capsule rises 28 storeys above the waterline and rotates to give 360-degree sea views — a genuinely dramatic experience at any speed. The iFLY skydiving simulator is another first-at-sea feature that is hard to replicate anywhere on land. Itineraries call at Shanghai, Tokyo and South Korea, giving you a sweep of North-East Asia’s most vibrant port cities on a single voyage. For cabin and deck details, see the Spectrum of the Seas cabins and deck plans.

MSC Bellissima — MSC Cruises

MSC Bellissima centres on a covered indoor promenade stretching 80 metres beneath a continuous LED sky — every evening the bars, boutiques and entertainment venues along its length come alive. Families with children have the Grand Canyon-themed waterslides to keep them busy; a Cirque du Soleil at-sea show adds a different kind of spectacle entirely. At the top of the grade hierarchy, MSC’s Yacht Club gives you a private enclave with its own pool, a butler available around the clock and fine dining included throughout the voyage.

Cabin grades on MSC Bellissima:

• Deluxe Inside Cabin Fantastica (15 m², sleeps 4) — 5 m² larger than the standard inside grade, with the Fantastica experience perks included.
• Premium Ocean View Fantastica (25 m², sleeps 6) — significantly more spacious than junior ocean-view grades, with a proper sea-facing window and room for a family.
• Balcony Aurea (17 m², sleeps 4) — a private balcony for breakfast at sea or a quiet sundowner, with Aurea wellness perks included.
• Grand Suite Aurea with Terrace and Whirlpool (39 m², sleeps 4) — nearly twice the size of the Premium Suites, with a generous lounge area, separate sleeping space and a private terrace with a whirlpool.
• MSC Yacht Club Duplex Suite with Whirlpool (59 m², sleeps 4) — a two-deck maisonette with separate living and sleeping floors, full Yacht Club access and butler service throughout.

Check the MSC Bellissima cabins and deck plans for full deck layouts and grade availability.

Seabourn Encore — Seabourn

Seabourn Encore sets a very different tone from the larger ships. The design throughout is understated — it carries the feel of a five-star boutique hotel rather than a resort at sea. All dining is complimentary and genuinely elegant, and the service-to-guest ratio means staff know your name and your preferences before the second day. For travellers who want Japan without crowds on board, Seabourn’s small-ship size is a real advantage in port too — the ship fits where larger vessels cannot. See the full Seabourn Encore cabins and deck plans.

Silver Muse — Silversea

Silver Muse represents Silversea’s signature approach: an intimate ship, a high staff-to-guest ratio and a deeply personal level of service that larger vessels simply cannot replicate. Silversea’s fares are all-inclusive — butler-serviced suites, unlimited wines and spirits, gratuities and Wi-Fi are all covered, so you step on board and stop thinking about the bill. For the full range of suite options and layouts, see the Silver Muse cabins and deck plans.

What do the fares include?

What your fare covers depends on the cruise line, and in some cases the specific fare tier you book — so it is worth understanding the differences before you commit.

Princess Cruises fare tiers

Princess offers 2 main tiers for the 2027 Japan programme. The base Princess Standard fare covers the cruise itself; drinks packages, MedallionNet Wi-Fi and pre-paid crew appreciation are available to add on separately. Step up to the Princess Plus fare and you get 4 casual dining meals per voyage, beverages up to A$15 each (with a daily limit of 15 drinks), MedallionNet Max Wi-Fi, pre-paid crew appreciation, unlimited digital photographs plus 3 prints, and reserved theatre seating — a meaningful bundle of extras that simplifies the onboard spend considerably. Our cruise experts can show you the exact breakdown for the specific sailing you are considering.

Royal Caribbean fare tiers

Royal Caribbean offers a range of fare types for its Japan and Asia itineraries, including fare types such as last-minute and early-booking options. A solo traveller option is also available for single occupancy of a stateroom, which is worth knowing if you are travelling alone and want to avoid a solo supplement conversation. Our team can walk you through which fare type best suits your dates and circumstances.

Silversea fare tiers

Silversea’s Japan sailings come under its all-inclusive fare structure. The standard all-inclusive tier covers butler-serviced suites, exceptional dining throughout the voyage, unlimited wines and spirits, onboard gratuities and Wi-Fi. An enhanced all-inclusive Plus tier adds a shore excursion credit based on voyage length and region, plus the flexibility of a fully refundable deposit — a practical option if your plans might change. Either way, the onboard experience is covered from the moment you step aboard.

Are there deals and discounts on Japan cruises in 2027?

Yes — a share of Japan 2027 sailings are currently sailing with a reduced fare. Discounts run up to 44% off that cabin grade’s previously listed price on a small number of departures, though the more typical reduction on discounted sailings is around 9%. The savings are real, but the biggest discounts apply to a very small number of specific dates and grades — so if you see a sailing priced well, it is worth moving on it. Our Best Price Guarantee means that if you find the same cabin cheaper elsewhere after booking with us, we will match it.

All-inclusive fares — where drinks, dining and gratuities are bundled into the headline price — are available across a substantial share of the Japan programme, particularly on Silversea and Seabourn sailings. The total cost of an all-inclusive fare is often closer to a standard fare than the headline numbers suggest once you factor in what is covered.

When is the best time to cruise Japan in 2027?

Japan 2027 sailings are spread across the calendar year, from January through to December. The programme is strongest in the spring and autumn months, when the largest number of ships and itineraries are on the water. Short sailings of 4 to 7 nights appear throughout the year and suit travellers with limited leave; longer voyages of two weeks and upward tend to concentrate in the shoulder seasons, when the itineraries can push further along the coast. Transpacific crossings, which are by nature longer voyages, run in both directions through the year — Japan to North America and back — and suit travellers who want to combine two regions in a single trip.

The right time for your cruise depends on what you want to experience ashore. Our cruise experts can tell you which departures align with the parts of Japan you most want to see, and help you weigh that against fare availability and ship choice.

How to get there

For most Australians, reaching a Japan cruise port means an international flight — usually to Tokyo or Yokohama, though departures from Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore are also served by direct routes from most Australian capitals. The flight is a relatively short haul by Australian standards, and once you are on the ship the geography takes care of itself.

If you are sailing from Fremantle on a Sapphire Princess itinerary, the picture changes completely — you board in your home country without any international travel at all. From Perth that is no flight whatsoever; from the eastern states it is a short domestic hop. Either way, it is the most straightforward embarkation on the page.

For one-way itineraries ending in a different port from where they start — a transpacific voyage finishing in Vancouver, for example, or a Japan sailing finishing in Singapore — we book the return leg as part of the same package. You do not need to arrange it separately; just tell us where home is and we will work out the most sensible routing.

Through our DreamAway Packages, we can add flights, hotels before and after the cruise, transfers between the airport and the ship, tours and travel insurance — all on one booking. That means one call, one itinerary document, and one team to contact if anything changes.

What’s included when you book with CruiseAway?

CruiseAway is a cruise specialist — every booking we make is a cruise or a cruise-inclusive package. Our cruise experts know the ships in detail: the difference between a mid-ship balcony and a forward balcony, which fare tier is genuinely worth paying more for, and which itineraries actually overnight in port versus tender ashore in the dark. That kind of knowledge matters when you are spending a significant amount of money and the details are not obvious from a website listing.

We back every booking with our Best Price Guarantee. If you are ready to book, or you want to talk through the options first, our team is there to help — and we can put the flights, hotels, transfers and insurance around the cruise so the whole holiday sits in one place.

Planning a broader 2027 cruise itinerary? You might also want to look at the Princess Cruises 2026/2027 Australia season, the full Princess Cruises 2027–2028 season launch, or all 2027 sailings across every line and region. If you are weighing up other parts of the world for 2027, Mediterranean cruises in 2027 and Alaska cruises from Vancouver in 2027 are both worth a look — the transpacific crossings connect naturally to Vancouver as a starting or finishing point.

If Princess Cruises is the line you are most interested in, see the dedicated pages for Princess Cruises departing from Sydney in 2027, Princess Cruises from Brisbane in 2027, and Princess cruises around Australia in 2027 — each gives you the line’s full 2027 programme for that departure point. There is also a dedicated page for Princess Full Circle Pacific packages, which connects Japan and the wider Pacific in a single grand itinerary.

Royal Caribbean fans can check Royal Caribbean cruises from Sydney in 2027 and Royal Caribbean from Brisbane in 2027 for the full selection of Australian departure options alongside the Asia programme.

Other years to consider

If your dates are flexible, Japan cruises are available beyond 2027. You can browse Japan cruises in 2026 if you want to travel sooner, or look ahead to Japan cruises in 2028 if you prefer more time to plan. The full Japan cruises page brings together sailings across all years and all lines in one place, and is the best starting point if you have not fixed on a year yet.

For a broader view of what is on sale in 2027 across all destinations, cruises around Australia in 2027 and cruises from Sydney to New Zealand in 2027 are among the most popular alternatives for Australians planning ahead. If you want to start close to home before heading further afield, Princess Cruises to Tasmania in 2027 makes for an excellent short voyage before a longer Japan trip later in the year.

*Prices are per person based on 2 people sharing, and are subject to change. This price is not kept up to date and therefore does not reflect live pricing and availability. Prices and any discounts shown were checked on 14 October 2026.

Where a discount is shown, it is a reduction from the price previously listed for that cabin grade on that sailing, not a comparison between cabin grades or against a brochure rate. Discounts and prices shown are not kept up to date: the reduction available now may be smaller, or may have ended, and prices may have changed.