Category — Princess Cruises

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Princess Cruises marked Valentine’s Day by unveiling the maiden season itineraries of its highly anticipated Royal Princess debuting in June 2013, as well as some additional features of the ship’s signature, and greatly expanded atrium, the social hub of the ship.

Preceding the ship’s inaugural program of 12-day Grand Mediterranean cruises between Barcelona and Venice beginning on June 23, Royal Princess will sail on her inaugural voyage, a seven-day Iberia cruise from Southampton to Barcelona departing June 16.

The Royal Princess maiden season cruises will open for sale on March 15, 2012. There will also be two three-day preview cruises sailing roundtrip from Southampton on June 10 and 13 that will be available for booking at a later date.

“It’s fitting that our new ship will cruise on our most popular Europe itinerary, the Grand Mediterranean,” said Jan Swartz, executive vice president for Princess Cruises. “And the shorter preview cruises prior to the Mediterranean season certainly offer a unique opportunity to sample the new Royal Princess experience our passengers are eagerly awaiting.” [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Mention “paradise” and most people will conjure up images of pristine beaches and lush, tropical islands. Princess Cruises passengers can make paradise a reality with 10 itinerary choices to the breathtaking islands of Hawaii, Tahiti and the South Pacific between fall 2012 and spring 2013.

New next season, Princess will offer more Hawaii cruises than ever before, with four ships sailing roundtrip to the islands from both Los Angeles and San Francisco. In addition, the renovated Grand Princess will make her debut voyages to Hawaii as part of her first West Coast season.

In total, eight Princess ships will sail on 56 voyages throughout the Pacific, including favorite itineraries such as the 10-day Tahiti & Polynesia route that sails roundtrip from Papeete, Tahiti to some of the most gorgeous islands of French Polynesia. An 11-day Hawaii & Tahiti itinerary offers the best of both the Hawaiian Islands, as well as the highlights of French Polynesia. And the cruise line’s 28-day Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa itinerary that debuted last season returns with two sailings roundtrip from Los Angeles to American Samoa, taking in Hawaii and Tahiti along the way. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Sea Princess has been honored by the Port of San Francisco with its annual “Cruise Ship Environmental Award.” This distinction was earned for the ship’s outstanding record in San Francisco during the 2010 season for air emissions reduction, advanced wastewater management, and recycling and disposal programs. This is the sixth year Princess Cruises has earned this prestigious accolade.

 Sea Princess is able to “plug in” at the Port of San Francisco since the port’s new shore power facility launched in 2010. The cruise ship terminal enables Sea Princess, and other equipped vessels, to use power from the city’s grid instead of the engines to power the ship’s onboard services — reducing emissions when docked in San Francisco. The port became the fourth in the world where Princess Cruises’ ships can take advantage of this innovative technology (Princess Cruises also utilizes shore power in Juneau, Seattle and Vancouver). [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

The “Islands of Aloha” have a special appeal as a cruise destination, and Princess Cruises is offering a choice of more than 50 sailings to the Hawaiian Islands in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. These culture-filled cruises depart from both Los Angeles and San Francisco, offering time to relax on the open ocean combined with visits to each of the major four islands in Hawaii.

While at sea, passengers will experience a special “Aloha Spirit” program with Hawaii-themed activities, parties, menu items and learning opportunities. Whether they choose to enjoy an Aloha sailaway party, learn about local wildlife and volcanoes, or simply want to relax and enjoy the poolside Hawaiian melodies or an island-themed Movies Under the Stars selection, cruisers will find numerous ways to feel the Hawaiian spirit.

Included in the program are a number of hands-on ways for passengers to immerse them [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Following the most extensive drydock in Princess Cruises history, today the first passengers set sail aboard the completely transformed Grand Princess in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The ship’s remarkable 24-day drydock that transformed it from top to bottom also made the vessel a media star with daily video updates that attracted more than a half million views.

The Grand Princess Drydock Journal captured the dramatic process with 26 video updates plus more than 300 photos of the daily progress at the shipyard in the Bahamas, including the unforgettable removal of Skywalkers nightclub from the ship’s stern and the complete demolition and rebuilding of the atrium to create the new Piazza. Hosted by Grand Princess Cruise Director Martyn Moss, the video series delved behind the scenes with reports on all aspects of the drydock process. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

The highly anticipated Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be televised live on Princess ships on April 29. Passengers will be able to follow along with full coverage of the pomp and majesty of the historic wedding through BBC World’s broadcast of the event.

Not only can passengers follow along as the future princess walks down the aisle, but they’ll enjoy viewing parties on board as they watch the most extensive coverage of this royal event. BBC is the official wedding broadcaster and has exclusive access inside Westminster Abbey during the ceremony. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Princess Cruises passengers will have a variety of opportunities to sail with best-selling maritime author and popular public speaker John Maxtone-Graham as he makes appearances on a number of sailings to South America and Europe in 2011.

Maxtone-Graham is well-known to cruise enthusiasts as he has chronicled the full history of ocean travel from the early days of passenger shipping to today’s modern cruise vacation. Among his many books are The Only Way to Cross, a bible for ship buffs that has been in print for more than 35 years; and Titanic Survivor. His most recent book is about the famed SS Normandie. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Most relaxing Americans put a priority on having fun rather than sleeping while they are vacationing, according to a recent relaxation survey commissioned by Princess Cruises. With the busy holiday travel season upon us, many Americans may be looking for a little rest and relaxation in between, which, according to the survey findings, means different things to different people. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Island Princess helped inaugurate the Port of San Francisco’s new shore power facility by “plugging in” to electric power from shore.

The new shore power technology at the Port of San Francisco cruise ship terminal enables Princess Cruises’ ships, and other equipped vessels, to use power from the city’s grid instead of the engines to power the ship’s onboard services–reducing emissions when docked in San Francisco.

The port becomes the fourth in the world where Princess Cruises’ ships can take advantage of this innovative technology. The new shore power installation in San Francisco is a cooperative effort by the Port of San Francisco, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, the Environmental Protection Agency, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises. [Read more →]

Courtesy of Princess Cruises.

Princess Cruises will offer adventurous passengers two opportunities in 2011 and 2012 to experience one of travel’s most grand voyages — the World Cruise. Sailing to multiple continents and encompassing dozens of the globe’s treasured places, these fascinating itineraries will give travelers the unique opportunity to experience the world while enjoying Princess’ famed style and service.

Just announced, the intimate Pacific Princess will sail on a 107-day journey from Ft. Lauderdale to Venice, departing January 13, 2012, offering the line’s popular small-ship cruising experience. For an Australian-style world cruise, Dawn Princess will sail roundtrip from Sydney on May 25, 2011.

Travelers on these voyages will be able to experience numerous UNESCO World Heritage Sites — such as Fiordland National Park in New Zealand, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, and historic Cairo — and can opt to travel beyond the ports in some locations with overland excursions to such must-see destinations as the Great Wall of China and Angkor Wat, Cambodia. Pacific Princess will also introduce three new ports for Princess — Santa Marta, Colombia; Puerto Quepos, Costa Rica; and Manama, Bahrain. [Read more →]