The size of your ship and the length of the cruise will determine the variety and number of ports you will visit, as will the type of itinerary and the embarkation point. Loop cruises begin and end at the same point and usually call on ports in close proximity; most Tahiti cruises are round-trip; one-way cruises start at one point and end at another, spanning greater distances, like most cruises between Australia and New Zealand; cruises that combine Australia with New Zealand are also usually one-way.

A typical one-week Tahiti cruise begins in Papeete, Tahiti, where the major airport is located. After a day docked there for sightseeing, ships then make a loop through the islands with day-long stops at Moorea, Huahine, Raiatea, and Bora Bora. Some ports might include an overnight stay. Regent Seven Seas' Paul Gauguin and Star Clipper's Star Flyer include a day at Taha'a, a secluded motu that shares a common lagoon with Raiatea. Longer cruises of ten- and eleven-nights are occasionally scheduled, with the addition of such ports as Fakarava and Rangiroa in the Tuamotus Islands; however, the Tahitian Princess offers year-round ten-night cruises that include Rarotonga in the Cook Islands and two days at sea. Ships on repositioning cruises and world cruises sometimes include port calls in Tahiti on their itineraries. Occasionally these itineraries will be expanded to include Australia as well.

Cruises to the lands down under tend to be longer voyages of twelve to sixteen days in duration and include both countries. Embarkations usually alternate between Sydney, Australia, and Auckland, New Zealand, for these one-way sailings. In addition to the major cities of both countries, itineraries may include Tauranga, Napier, Dunedin, or Christchurch -- all in New Zealand -- as well as Hobart or Burnie, Tasmania, in Australia, and from four to six days at sea. Occasionally offered are cruises between Sydney and Perth, Australia, which call on ports such as Adelaide on the south coast and bypass New Zealand altogether. Some ships on world cruises include port calls "down under" on their itineraries.