Cruise fans are heartbroken after all sailings of the Princess Cruise ships Sun Princess and Sea Princess for this summer and next year have been cancelled.

Carnival Corp, parent company of Princess Cruises, Costa and Carnival cruise lines announced that the ships are just two of 18 to be sold.

The company did not disclose the buyer for the two ships, but 55 cruises from Australia are now cancelled along with 14 international sailings.

Princess said that passengers booked on the ships would be notified and offered refunds or alternative cruises if they prefer.

"Sun Princess and Sea Princess contributed to significant growth in Australian cruising," said Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz.

"Both ships defined the premium cruise experience with Australians and New Zealanders spending close to 14 million nights aboard these ships. 

While it is never easy to say goodbye to any ship in our fleet, this will allow us to deploy newer ships, enhancing our offerings for Australia cruisers and focus on bringing into service exciting new builds like the upcoming delivery of Enchanted Princess."

Sun Princess launched in 1995 and had the capacity for 2,000 passengers, making it the world's largest cruise ship at the time.

Carnival Corp is the world's largest cruise company and makes up 45 per cent of the market worldwide.