Majestic Princess Sets 2027–28 South America, Antarctica Season

Princess Cruises has outlined plans for Majestic Princess to deploy to South America for the 2027–28 season, featuring six departures between October 2027 and January 2028 that will take guests to 19 destinations across 10 countries, including scenic cruising in Antarctica.

New South America Program Centers on Majestic Princess

Publicly available information indicates that Majestic Princess will anchor Princess Cruises’ South America program in late 2027 and early 2028, following the line’s ongoing focus on the region in earlier seasons. The 2027–28 deployment builds on existing South America and Antarctica offerings in 2026–27, extending the brand’s presence around Cape Horn and the Southern Ocean.

According to recently released deployment materials and trade coverage, the season is scheduled to run from October 2027 through January 2028, with six voyages planned on Majestic Princess. The itineraries are designed as longer, destination-intensive journeys, generally ranging from two weeks to more than three weeks at sea, to accommodate the distances involved in rounding South America and reaching Antarctic waters.

Majestic Princess, a Royal-class ship with capacity for more than 3,500 guests, has previously operated extended South America and Patagonia programs, as well as long “Grand Adventure” voyages that link multiple segments into a single extended itinerary. The 2027–28 season continues that pattern, positioning the ship for multi-week sailings that highlight both marquee cities and remote wilderness areas.

Industry marketing materials emphasize that the South America and Antarctica program is being promoted as an opportunity to combine iconic metropolitan ports, such as Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro, with scenic cruising days in glacial fjords, around Cape Horn and along the Antarctic Peninsula.

19 Destinations and 10 Countries Across the Continent

Princess Cruises’ at-a-glance flyers for South America and Antarctica indicate that the broader program built around Majestic Princess will encompass 19 destinations in 10 countries. While specific port lists for each individual 2027–28 departure are still being refined, the collection draws heavily on patterns already visible in the published 2026–27 season.

Key South American gateway cities highlighted in current materials include Buenos Aires in Argentina, Montevideo in Uruguay, and Rio de Janeiro and Fortaleza in Brazil. On the Pacific side, San Antonio for Santiago and Puerto Montt in Chile feature as entry points to the Chilean fjords and Patagonia. These ports serve as start, end or major call points on various itineraries, giving guests access to both Atlantic and Pacific coasts.

Beyond the major cities, the deployment continues to emphasize remote and wildlife-focused destinations. Punta Arenas in Chile and Ushuaia in Argentina act as springboards to Cape Horn and the Beagle Channel, while calls to the Falkland Islands, listed as Stanley, introduce guests to sub-Antarctic landscapes and penguin colonies. Scenic cruising areas such as Glacier Alley and the Beagle Channel are treated as core experiences rather than simple transit routes.

The portfolio of destinations also reflects growing interest in itineraries that combine South America with segments in the Caribbean or transoceanic routes. Some materials for the surrounding seasons show Majestic Princess linking North American ports such as Fort Lauderdale with South America via island calls in the Lesser Antilles, suggesting that selected 2027–28 voyages may be structured to connect regional markets with the Antarctic-bound departures.

Antarctica Scenic Cruising as a Signature Feature

A central selling point of the 2027–28 season is scenic cruising in Antarctica, which has become a signature element of Princess Cruises’ South America program. Current brochures for earlier seasons outline Antarctic Peninsula scenic days that reference locations such as Elephant Island, Antarctic Sound, Deception Island, Gerlache Strait, Neumayer Channel, the South Shetland Islands and Admiralty Bay.

While the 2027–28 detailed day-by-day routings have not been fully released, the line is expected to follow a similar framework, positioning Majestic Princess for multiple days of slow-speed cruising among ice-dotted channels rather than landings ashore. This approach allows a large oceangoing ship to comply with prevailing environmental and operational guidelines while still bringing guests into view of towering ice cliffs, glaciers and wildlife.

The Antarctica segments are packaged within longer itineraries that typically begin and end in Buenos Aires, combining the Southern Ocean experience with time in Patagonia, Cape Horn and the Falkland Islands. Marketing descriptions underscore the contrast between the tango culture and historic districts of Buenos Aires and the stark, windswept scenery encountered farther south.

Cruise industry observers note that Antarctica scenic cruising has become an important differentiator in a competitive long-haul market, and the decision to feature it prominently during the 2027–28 season suggests that Princess Cruises aims to maintain a visible presence in this niche alongside expedition-focused brands and other mainstream lines offering occasional Antarctic sailings.

Longer Voyages, Grand Adventures and UNESCO Highlights

Published deployment summaries for South America and Antarctica emphasize that the program is built around longer sailings, with several itineraries of 15 days or more and options to combine voyages into so-called Grand Adventures exceeding 30 days. Similar combinations in earlier seasons have linked a Cape Horn and Patagonia segment with a Brazilian coastal itinerary, creating extended journeys that span Santiago, the Strait of Magellan, Antarctica, Rio de Janeiro and the Caribbean.

The 2027–28 period is expected to follow a comparable pattern, giving travelers the option either to join one focused itinerary or to book back-to-back sailings for a more comprehensive exploration of the region. This model caters both to first-time visitors seeking headline sights and to repeat cruisers interested in revisiting South America with a deeper or more varied route.

Princess Cruises’ marketing for South America highlights access to multiple UNESCO World Heritage Sites across the portfolio of destinations, with recent promotional flyers citing 10 such sites reachable on the broader South America and Antarctica program. Examples from current and prior years include the historic centers of Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires, as well as natural sites like the Antarctic Peninsula and certain protected areas in Patagonia.

Travel trade coverage suggests that the line will continue to package cruise-only sailings with optional pre- or post-cruise land programs in the wider region, such as visits to Iguazu Falls or Machu Picchu, although detailed 2027–28 cruisetour offerings have yet to be fully listed. Such combinations are typically marketed as a way to extend the South America cruise into a broader land-and-sea holiday.

Positioning Within the Wider South America Cruise Market

The confirmation of a dedicated 2027–28 South America and Antarctica season for Majestic Princess comes against a backdrop of shifting deployment strategies among major cruise lines. Recent seasons have seen some brands scale back or adjust their presence in South America, citing operational complexity and a relatively short window of favorable weather compared with year-round regions such as the Caribbean or Mediterranean.

In that context, Princess Cruises’ decision to maintain a multi-month program that includes Antarctica scenic cruising signals an ongoing commitment to the region. Industry commentators point to the line’s history of operating long South America voyages and world-cruise segments as evidence that it views the continent and surrounding waters as central pillars of its long-haul portfolio.

For ports across southern South America, the arrival of a large vessel like Majestic Princess during the 2027–28 season is expected to support local tourism economies that rely heavily on cruise calls in the austral summer. Destinations such as Ushuaia, Punta Arenas and Stanley typically see a concentration of ship visits between November and March, and a scheduled program of multiple departures can provide an anchor for tour operators and port services planning several years out.

For travelers, the newly outlined season adds another option in a market where long-haul cruise offerings can sell out well in advance. With the 2027–28 itineraries now visible in forward-looking deployment materials, prospective guests and travel advisors are beginning to compare routes, departure dates and Antarctica scenic components as they plan bucket-list journeys to the far south.