Type | Subsidiary |
---|---|
Industry | Travel |
Founded | 1965 |
Headquarters | Santa Clarita, California |
Key people | Alan Buckelew, CEO |
Products | Cruises |
Parent | Carnival Corporation & PLC |
Website | Princess.com |
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 PLC, 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 Princess were featured. In May 2013, the brand new Royal Princess will become the flagship of Princess Cruises.
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Princess Cruises began in 1965, when founder Stanley McDonald chartered Canadian Pacific Limited's Alaska cruise ship Princess Patricia for Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles during a time when she would have usually been laid up for the winter.[3] However, Princess Pat, as she was fondly called, had never been designed for tropical cruising, lacking air-conditioning, and Princess ended her charter in favor of a more purpose-built cruise ship Italia.
The Italia had originally been ordered in 1963 and was one of the first to implement modern design elements, such as lifeboats mounted lower on the ship, allowing for uncluttered upperdecks, and engines placed far in the rear, allowing for spacious public rooms amidships. Gustavo Finali and Romano Boico had designed the ship's interiors, designers whose résumés included such ships as the Augustus and Raffaello (of Italian Line) and the Oceanic and Homeric (of Home Lines).
Construction proceeded slowly, and accordingly, the Italia was not launched until the spring of 1965, and during the fitting out, both the owners and the builder were declared bankrupt. The Italia was passed onto a bank who created a company to charter or sell the ship, and consequently, the company chartered the Italia to Princess.
Princess, who marketed the ship as Princess Italia but never officially renamed her, used the ship to inaugurate their Mexican Riviera cruises out of Los Angeles, and did not even receive the Princess logo on her funnel until 1967.[3]
In 1969, the Princess Italia was used on Alaskan cruises from San Francisco, but by 1973, the charter was canceled, and the Italia returned to Europe on charter to Costa Cruise Line.[3]
Princess's third charter ship was none other than Costa's Carla C. Originally, Compagnie Générale Transatlantique's Flandre, the ship had been purchased by Costa in the late sixties and given a major rebuilding. Almost immediately after completion, the ship was chartered to Princess, and it was on board the ship, which was marketed as, but again not officially renamed, Princess Carla, that Jeraldine Saunders wrote the first chapters of her nonfiction book The Love Boats.
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 the Island Princess and Pacific Princess respectively.
A part time addition to the Princess fleet was the former Swedish transatlantic liner Kungsholm, purchased by P&O from Flagship Cruises in 1978, and then restyled and rebuilt in Bremen as the Sea Princess. She was initially based in Australia as a P&O ship until 1981 when her role there was taken over by the Oriana. After that, she alternated between P&O and Princess colours as she moved between fleets. The Sea Princess returned to the P&O UK fleet permanently and in 1995 and was renamed Victoria to allow a then new Princess ship to be named Sea Princess.
The first P&O Princess Cruises purpose-built cruise ship was the Royal Princess in 1984, the largest new British passenger ship in a decade, and one of the first, if not the first, ships to completely dispense with interior cabins.[3] The ship now serves in P&O Cruises fleet as the Artemis. The Swan Helenic Cruiseship Minerva II, originally built as the Renaissance Cruises R8 was renamed Royal Princess in 2007 after an extensive refit during a drydock in Gibraltar.
In 1986, P&O Princess Cruises acquired Tour Alaska, which operated on the Alaska Railroad. Based in Anchorage, Alaska, Princess Tours now operates ten luxury railcars with full-service scenic tours of Mount McKinley and can accommodate over 700 passengers per day.
P&O Princess Cruises acquired Sitmar Line in 1988 and transferred all of its major tonnage to Princess, including three cruise ships then under construction.[3] The Dawn Princess and Fair Princess were both ex-Cunarders, and the former Sitmar Fairsky became Princess's Sky Princess. The first of the three new Sitmar ships came into the Princess brand in 1989 as the Star Princess, the largest British exclusively cruising ship. Two 70,000 grt cruise ships entered service in 1990 as the Crown Princess and Regal Princess, bringing Princess's fleet up to ten deluxe cruise ships.[3]
Princess Cruises was involved in litigation with GE in 1998 over consequential damages and lost profits resulting from a contract the two parties entered into. GE was to provide inspection and repair services upon the SS Sky Princess. Upon noticing surface rust on the rotor, the vessel was brought ashore for cleaning and balancing, but good metal was unintentionally removed. This destabilized the rotor, forcing Princess Cruises to cancel two 10-day cruises while additional work was performed. Princess originally prevailed, being awarded nearly $4.6 million. On appeal, however, the judgment was reversed in favor of GE, and Princess Cruises only recovered the price of the contract, less than $232,000.[4]
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 PLC.[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. It is a dual listed company, registered in both the United States and the United Kingdom, with the former P&O Princess PLC being relisted as Carnival PLC, more commonly known as Carnival UK. As an American based company, executive control of Princess Cruises was transferred to Carnival's American operations, with Carnival UK taking control of Southampton based Cunard Line. Princess and Cunard have offices at Carnival's head offices in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
On April 3, 2008 Micky Arison, the chairman of Carnival Corporation & plc, stated that due to the low value of the US dollar, inflation and high shipbuilding costs, the company would not be ordering any new ships for their US-based brands (Princess, Carnival Cruise Lines and Holland America Line) before the economic situation improves.[7]
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]
On May 4, 2010, Carnival Corporation & plc finalized the contract for the two new ships.[9]
In early 2010, Fincantieri and Carnival Corporation & plc reached an agreement to build two ships for Princess Cruises. The agreement is subject to the execution of a definitive contract, financing and other customary conditions.[8]
The contract was then finalized on May 4th, 2010.[9] While in the midst of Economic downturn, Princess managed to finalize the contract with the help of Italian Export Credit Companies, particularly SACE S.p.A.[9]
The two ships are designed to have a tonnage of 141,000-GT, with a passenger capacity of 3,600. The new ships are predicted to enter service in Spring 2013 and 2014 and will be the largest newbuilds to date for Princess Cruises.[8] The ship's design will be evolutionary, from the current Princess fleet and will offer new innovations in the fleet. 100% of its outside staterooms will have balconies, which will comprise the 80% of all staterooms.[9] The signature Piazza atrium will have an expansion.[9] Other innovations is yet to be unveiled in the upcoming months.
Royal Princess left the Princess fleet in May 2011 when it joins P&O Cruises as MS Adonia.
In mid-March 2011, Princess released a video of their new Royal Princess, planned to debut in spring 2013.[10] New features include a cantilevered walkway and bar on the top deck, an enlarged Sanctuary bar, an adult-only pool and the largest Movies Under The Stars screen Princess has built so far.
Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Princess |
Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Grand Princess | 1998 | Fincantieri | 1998 – Present | 109,000 tons | Bermuda | Largest and most expensive ship built in 1998 - Last Refurbished in May 2011 |
Golden Princess | 2001 | Fincantieri | 2001 – Present | 109,000 tons | Bermuda | Last refurbished in 2009 [11] |
Star Princess | 2002 | Fincantieri | 2002 – Present | 109,000 tons | Bermuda | Fire swept through berths in 2006 | Last Refurbished in 2008[12] |
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 | 113, 000 tons | Bermuda | Last refurbished in 2009 [13] |
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 | 116,000 tons | Bermuda |
Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Princess |
Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sun Princess | 1995 | Fincantieri | 1995 – Present | 77,000 tons | Bermuda | Last Refurbished in 2010[14] |
Dawn Princess | 1997 | Fincantieri | 1997 – Present | 77,000 tons | Bermuda | Last Refurbished in 2009[15] |
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 |
Island Princess | 2003 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2003 – Present | 92,000 tons | Bermuda | Panamax-type |
Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service for Princess |
Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ocean Princess | 1999 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2002 – Present | 30,277 tons | Bermuda | Previously R Four and Tahitian Princess |
Pacific Princess | 1999 | Chantiers de l'Atlantique | 2003 – Present | 30,277 tons | Bermuda | Previously R Three |
Ship | Builder | Delivery | Gross Tonnage | Registry | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Royal Princess | Fincanteri | 2013 | 141,000 | Bermuda | Princess Cruises' largest ship ever built |
unnamed | Fincanteri | 2014 | 141,000 | Bermuda | Sister to largest Princess ship ever built |
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