Just cruising into 2026 on Phillip Island

THE 2025-26 cruise ship season continued on Phillip Island in recent days with the boutique luxury ship the Seven Seas Explorer arriving in Western Port Bay at 7am on Thursday, January 1, 2026.

But there wasn’t even time for any of the 746 passengers (capacity) to attend the world-famous Phillip Island Penguin Parade which is usually the aim of weighing anchor locally.

The ship, which set up off Rhyll, providing a spectacular backdrop for a busy Cowes front beach, was set to sail out at 7pm on Thursday night.

The Seven Seas Explorer is stunning inside and out, with art by Pablo Picasso on the walls and a vivid cobalt-blue glass installation on the ceiling of the elegant restaurant Compass Rose.

It has capacity for 746 guests and a crew of 548 with 373 suites, 10 decks and dimensions of 224 metres length, 31m width and a tonnage of 55,254.

As an example of the entry cost for passengers you can book on the Northern Pacific Journey, from Tokyo to Vancouver departing on May 3, 2026, for 17 nights at an outlay of $19,457 each.

In a reduced sailing season this year, there won’t be another cruise ship in Western Port until Saturday April 4 when the 2640-passenger Carnival Adventure ship arrives for a nine-hour stay.

The first cruise ship of the 2025-26 season, the Noordam, arrived at Phillip Island on Tuesday, December 23, 2025.

Moored off Rhyll it had capacity for 1972 passengers and crew, many of whom came ashore for the day.