Princess Cruises is known for introducing innovative features, amenities and programs. Just like a restaurant at home, its Anytime Dining program gives passengers the freedom to dine when and with whom they wish between 5:30 and 10 p.m. And the program just keeps getting better. Diamond Princess, for example, features one traditional style dining room with set seating times, three smaller dining rooms that feature Anytime Dining and a fourth that is often used for both -- a traditional early seating, with Anytime Dining offered later in the evening.
Anytime Dining is available on all ships except for Royal, Tahitian and Pacific Princess.
The cruise line can also take credit for an array of alternative eateries; the Bayou Cafe & Steakhouse, available on Coral Princess and Island Princess, is the industry's first New Orleans-style restaurant featuring Cajun and Creole cuisine as well as premium steaks. Crown and Emerald Princess, meanwhile, hold bragging rights to Crown Grill, a real showplace with an open, theater-style kitchen where chefs custom-prepare seafood and cooked-to-order steaks and chops.
Another popular concept is the "Chef's Table". The program is available fleetwide except on the trio of former R ships. It costs $75 per person and gives passengers the chance to enjoy hors d'oevoures and champagne in the galley, followed by a multi-course tasting menu at the Chef's VIP table in the dining room. It also includes wine pairing. This can only be booked once you are onboard.
Another innovation is Princess Cruises' ScholarShip@Sea program. Available fleetwide, the program features numerous learning experiences in areas ranging from cooking to digital photography to ceramics. Computers@sea is another program offered -- and it does what it says on the tin -- for $25 a session you can learn how to master Photoshop, HTML and Web design. (Plus, Internet cafes are in place on all ships.)
Passengers have given a big thumbs-up to the line's Movies Under the Stars, which debuted on Caribbean Princess and features movies on a giant LED screen above the main pool. With the popularity of the offering, Princess has decided to install M.U.T.S aboard Golden Princess (May 2009), Dawn Princess (June 2009), Coral Princess (October 2009), Sun Princess (April 2010), Island Princess (October 2010), Diamond Princess (November 2010) and Sapphire Princess (2011).
Princess is also the first cruise line to bring Nintendo's highly coveted Wii Fit system onboard; on ships equipped with a Movies Under the Stars screen, Wii tournaments are shown on the giant poolside screens.
Finally, Princess Cruises is the first line to bring back a "ye olde" tradition: cruise travelers can once again invite friends and relatives to visit them onboard before sailaway and see them off on their grand voyage. Via the new program, called the "Bon Voyage Experience," passengers' guests can join them onboard for approximately four hours, including lunch and a tour. The line is charging $39 per person -- and banking on the fact that you will get enough of a taste that you'll come back for a real cruise (with or without grandma). If you bite, Princess is willing to apply the $39 toward a future cruise booking.
Fellow Passengers
Ships cruising to, from or within Australia in 2012-13
(SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA) Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita,California in the United States.[1] Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & plc and accounts for approximately 19% share of its revenue.[2] Being based in America, executive control of Princess Cruises was transferred to Carnival Corporation's American division following the merger between Carnival and P&O Princess in 2002, however Carnival UK is responsible for sales and marketing of the company in the United Kingdom. The company was made famous by The Love Boat TV series, in which two of its ships, the Island Princess and Pacific Princesswere featured. In May 2013, the brand new Royal Princess will become the flagship of Princess Cruises.
THE LOVE BOAT(S) Britain's Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) which by 1960 was the world's largest shipping company with 320 ocean going vessels acquired Princess Cruise Lines in 1974 and their Spirit of London (originally to have been Norwegian Cruise Line's Seaward) was transferred to the Princess fleet, becoming the first Sun Princess.[3]
The two ships that were to be featured heavily in the television series The Love Boat were built in 1971 at Nordseewerke for Flagship Cruises and originally named the Sea Venture (for the original Sea Venture, the 1609 wreck of which resulted in the settlement of Bermuda) and Island Venture. In 1974, P&O purchased them for their Princess division, and they served as theIsland Princess and Pacific Princess respectively.
On October 23, 2000, the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company (P&O) demerged its passenger division to form an independent company, P&O Princess Cruises.[5] The company subsequently merged with Carnival Corporation on April 17, 2003, to form the world's largest cruise operating company in a deal worth US$5.4 billion.[6]
As a result of the merger, Carnival Corporation and P&O Princess were integrated to form Carnival Corporation & plc, with a portfolio of eleven cruise ship brands.
On February 17, 2010, Carnival Corporation & plc and Fincantieri builders reached an agreement for the construction of 2 new cruise ships for Princess Cruises. These ships are scheduled to enter service in Spring 2013 and 2014.[8]
Grand class
| Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Princess | Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Princess | 1998 | Fincantieri | 1998–Present | 109,000 tons |  Bermuda | Largest and most expensive ship built in 1998 - Last Refurbished in May 2011 | _IMO_9104005,_in_Split,_2011-10-13.jpg) |
| Golden Princess | 2001 | Fincantieri | 2001–Present | 109,000 tons | Bermuda | Last refurbished in 2009 [10] |  |
| Star Princess | 2002 | Fincantieri | 2002–Present | 109,000 tons | Bermuda | Fire swept through berths in 2006 | Last Refurbished in 2008[11] |  |
| Diamond Princess | 2004 | Mitsubishi | 2004–Present | 116,000 tons | Bermuda | Originally named Sapphire Princess |  |
| Sapphire Princess | 2004 | Mitsubishi | 2004–Present | 116,000 tons | Bermuda | Originally named Diamond Princess |  |
| Caribbean Princess | 2004 | Fincantieri | 2004–Present | 112,894 tons | Bermuda | Last refurbished in 2011 [12] |  |
| Crown Princess | 2006 | Fincantieri | 2006–Present | 113,000 tons | Bermuda |  | |
| Emerald Princess | 2007 | Fincantieri | 2007–Present | 113,000 tons | Bermuda |  | |
| Ruby Princess | 2008 | Fincantieri | 2008–Present | 113,000 tons | Bermuda |  |
[edit]Sun class
| Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Princess | Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun Princess | 1995 | Fincantieri | 1995–Present | 77,000 tons | Bermuda | Last Refurbished in 2010[13] |  |
| Dawn Princess | 1997 | Fincantieri | 1997–Present | 77,000 tons | Bermuda | Last Refurbished in 2009[14] |  |
| Sea Princess | 1998 | Fincantieri | 1998–Present | 77,000 tons | Bermuda | Previously Adonia |  |
| Coral Princess | 2002 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2002–Present | 92,000 tons | Bermuda | Panamax-type | .jpg) |
| Island Princess | 2003 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2003–Present | 92,000 tons | Bermuda | Panamax-type |  |
[edit]Explorer Class
| Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Princess | Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ocean Princess | 1999 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2002–Present | 30,277 tons | Bermuda | Previously R Four andTahitian Princess |  |
| Pacific Princess | 1999 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2003–Present | 30,277 tons | Bermuda | Previously R Three |  |
[edit]Future ships
| Ship | Builder | Delivery | Gross Tonnage | Registry | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Princess | Fincanteri | June 2013 | 141,000 | Bermuda | Princess Cruises' largest ship ever built |
| unnamed | Fincanteri | 2014 | 141,000 | Bermuda | Sister to Royal Princess |
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