Damen Replaces Engine on Regal Princess

Damen Replaces Engine on Regal Princess

Regal Princess in the historic port of Liverpool, photo credit Spacejunkie2 Flickr Account.

The Regal Princess had an engine block replacement during its recent stay at Damen Shiprepair in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

According to an update shared by the facility, the project was part of a repair operation that took place in late April.

“The Regal Princess is a Royal-class cruise ship that has four diesel generators. The main reason it came into our drydock is that it had an engine failure and needed it replaced,” said Alexander Stijlaart, project manager at Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam.

“We facilitated this engine exchange together with our sister company, Damen Harbour & Voyage,” he added.

“They did all the preparation work before the ship came into drydock. They already went onboard a couple of weeks prior.”

One of three Princess ships that underwent drydocks earlier this year, the Regal Princess arrived at the Damen shipyard on April 25, 2025.

After undergoing the repairs, the 2014-built ship welcomed guests back on May 9, kicking off a summer program in Northern Europe.

“When the ship came into drydock, we had to execute the scope, which meant we had to pump water out of the dock, cut the shell plate out, cut the internal bulkhead out, then put the skidding tracks in, jack the engine up and out,” Stijlaart explained.

The shipyard then reversed the process to install the new engines before painting the hull, he continued.

According to Damen, the engine replacement is a rare event that only happens once or twice in a decade.

“We had to make sure that everything that was obstructing the path of the engine was cleared, so we removed all piping, pumps and walkways,” added Remco Trouerbach, project manager at Damen Shiprepair Harbour & Voyage.

“The unique part of the work that we did onboard before and after the drydock is that the vessel was still in operation and therefore passengers were onboard enjoying their lovely cruises around the world.”

Trouerbach also highlighted the collaboration with Damen Shiprepair Rotterdam, noting that the companies have an “easy cooperation.”

“We are basically colleagues with each other; therefore, issues you’re facing during the project can be easily worked out.”

Three Princess Ships to Undergo Drydocks in April

Three Princess Ships to Undergo Drydocks in April

Three Princess Cruises ships are set to undergo drydocks in April: the Emerald Princess, the Grand Princess and the Regal Princess.

The first ship to enter dry dock was the Emerald Princess, which recently arrived at the Fincantieri shipyard in Palermo, Italy.

After repositioning to Europe earlier this month, the 2007-built vessel arrived at the facility for scheduled maintenance, in addition to class inspections and technical work.

Set to spend the upcoming summer season sailing from Southampton, the Emerald Princess will resume service on April 29, 2025.

Before kicking off a summer deployment in Alaska and Canada, the Grand Princess is also undergoing a dry dock.

The 1998-built ship arrived at the Vigor Shipyard in Portland in mid-April and is now going through regular maintenance.

Before welcoming guests back in early May, the Grand Princess is also scheduled to undergo class inspections, as well as upkeep and minor updates to public areas and staterooms.

A third Princess ship is undergoing a dry dock later this month, the Regal Princess.

Currently sailing in Northern Europe, the vessel is set to arrive at the Damen Shiprepair Yard in Rotterdam on April 25, 2025.

The 3,600-guest ship is expected to undergo technical work and general maintenance before resuming service in early May.

Sailing from Southampton, the Regal Princess is set to offer 12-night cruises to the British Isles during the summer of 2025.

Earlier this year, the Majestic Princess also visited a shipyard in Europe, emerging from dry dock with new venues and reimagined spaces.

According to Princess, the 2017-built vessel saw the addition of new bars and restaurants, including O’Malley’s Irish Pub, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria and Good Spirits at Sea.

Sailing in Europe for the first time in eight years, the ship is currently offering itineraries in the Mediterranean.

Regal Princess Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Regal Princess Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Regal Princess in the Famous city of Liverpool, Photo credit  Spacejunkie2 Flickr -29/062023

The Regal Princess is completing its 10th year of service this month. Built for Princess Cruises at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the vessel officially debuted on May 20, 2014.

A sister to the 2013-built Royal Princess, the ship is the second in a series of six Royal-class ships for Princess Cruises.

For its maiden voyage, the Regal Princess offered a seven-night cruise to Italy, Turkey and Greece. Built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard, the vessel departed from Venice on an open-jaw cruise to Athens.

Sailing through the Eastern Mediterranean, the itinerary featured visits to Corfu and Mykonos, in addition to a two-day stop in Istanbul.

Throughout the summer of 2014, the Regal Princess offered Princess Cruises’ signature Grand Mediterranean cruises, with different seven- to 12-night itinerary choices.

In October 2014, the 3,600-guest ship crossed the Atlantic for the first time ahead of a winter season in the Caribbean.

Sailing from Port Everglades on Sundays, the Regal offered week-long cruises to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and the Bahamas during its inaugural program in the region.

The Princess ship is spending another summer in Europe in 2024.

Sailing from Southampton, the vessel is offering a series of 12-night cruises to the British Isles that feature visits to Ireland, Scotland, Northern Ireland and England. Some itineraries also include stops in Wales, France and the Shetland Isles.

In early October the Regal Princess is scheduled to return to North America for a winter season in the Caribbean.

Now sailing from Galveston, the ship will offer six- to 11-night cruises to the Western Caribbean, featuring calls to ports in Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica, Belize and Grand Cayman.

 

Regal Princess Arrives in Galveston

Regal Princess Arrives in Galveston

Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess arrived in Galveston on November 5, marking a milestone as the largest Princess cruise ship ever to homeport in Texas.

The Regal Princess will operate roundtrip sailings to the Western Caribbean from now through March 24 with an anticipated 75,000 passengers sailing aboard the ship.

To celebrate the milestone event, a traditional maritime plaque exchange took place in the presence of Princess Cruises Chief Commercial Officer Terry Thornton, Regal Princess Captain Aldo Traverso and Celebrations Ambassador Jill Whelan and Galveston Wharves Board Vice Chairman Jeff Patterson. The event started with a festive performance by Galveston’s local Ball High School Drill Team Tornettes and school mascot Tuffy.

“We first started sailing out of Galveston nearly 20 years ago. Princess loves Texas and we know Texans enjoy the convenience of having the Love Boat so close by offering a hassle-free drive or convenient fly option to enjoy the beautiful destinations in the Western Caribbean,” said Thornton.

“As we celebrate the arrival of Regal Princess, we extend our deep appreciation to the Port of Galveston for their ongoing partnership, and we’re excited to welcome aboard the only premium cruise experience from Galveston.”

The Regal Princess will sail a total of 21 voyages from Galveston, ranging in length from seven to 12 days, with calls in Cozumel, Costa Maya and Roatan, among other destinations. Guests can also choose special holiday sailings for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s. The ship will also offer a “Love and Romance Celebration” themed cruise with Love Ambassador and bridal fashion icon Randy Fenoli, departing on December 3. Fenoli will host special events, share his personal success story, offer tips on how to choose the right wedding dress and even debut the “Randy” cocktail.

“Princess Cruises is an iconic cruise line and we’re delighted to welcome guests from Regal Princess, the largest Love Boat to ever sail from Galveston,” said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO. “Regal Princess will visit beautiful ports throughout the western Caribbean while expanding the array of attractive and enticing cruise vacation choices from Galveston, America’s fourth most popular homeport.”

 

Enchanted Opens Princess’ 2023 Summer Program in Europe

Enchanted Opens Princess’ 2023 Summer Program in Europe

The Enchanted Princess is launching Princess Cruises’ 2023 summer program in Europe today.

After crossing the Atlantic, the vessel is in Barcelona to start the first cruise of the season: a six-night voyage to the Western Mediterranean.

Cruising roundtrip from the Spanish port, the itinerary sails to France and Gibraltar. In addition to the UK port in the Iberian Peninsula, the cruise features visits to Ajaccio and Marseille, as well as two full days at sea.

Following a routine drydock, the Enchanted Princess continues its European summer program in mid-April, offering additional itineraries in both the Western and Eastern Mediterranean.

The series of seven-to 21-night cruises include different destinations across the Greek Islands, France, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Montenegro and more.

Fifth in a series of six ships known as Royal Class, the Enchanted Princess first entered service in November 2021.

Built-in Italy by the Fincantieri shipyard, the 3,660-guest ship offers more than 25 dining venues and bars onboard, including the new such as La Mer, a French Bistro that debuted on the Majestic Princess.

The ship also offers varied entertainment options, as well as unique Sky Suites. According to Princess, the balconies of the staterooms – which measure over 90 square meters – are among the biggest in the entire cruise industry.

In addition to the Enchanted Princess, three other Princess Cruises vessels are cruising in Europe during the 2023 summer: the Sky Princess, the Regal Princess and the Island Princess.

Mostly sailing in Northern Europe, the ships will offer different itineraries between March and early December.

Based out of the UK, the Sky Princess is sailing a series of four- to 24-night cruises to Scandinavia, Iceland, Norway, the Canaries, the Baltic and the Mediterranean departing from Southampton.

Also sailing from the English port, the Regal Princess is poised to sail a program of ten- and 12-night itineraries to the British Islands.

Completing the local offering, the Island Princess sails in Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, offering longer cruises departing from Southampton, Copenhagen, Civitavecchia and more.

Princess Cruises has reported its "biggest ever" booking day

Bookings were up by 13% compared to the line’s previous strongest booking day in 2019. The line saw strong demand for its 2023 roundtrip Southampton cruises on Sky Princess alongside an increase in demand for fly-Mediterranean voyages and long-haul destinations such as Alaska, the Caribbean and Australia.

 

Eithne Williamson, vice president of Princess Cruises UK and Europe, thanked the company’s agent partners for helping the line achieve its record-breaking day.

 

"It is thanks to their unwavering commitment and hard work that we were able to surpass our previous best booking day and we’re extremely grateful for their continued support," she added.

 

"The demand for cruise holidays is evidently back and better than ever and we are sure agents will agree that it is fantastic to see holidaymakers once again being able to plan ahead for future holidays in destinations both close to home and further afield."

Princess Cruises: Eight Ships Now in Service in North America

Princess Cruises first welcomed passengers back in July 2021 offering Alaska cruises with the Majestic Princess and local domestic cruising in England with the Regal Princess.

Six months after the restart, Princess Cruises has added a total of eight ships back in service, including the new Enchanted Princess, which welcomed its first guests in November.

Back in Action in the Caribbean, West Coast and Hawaii

Pursuing a phased restart plan, Princess grew its active fleet to eight ships in the past six months.

The premium brand is now offering cruises in the Caribbean, West Coast and Hawaii, sailing from three different homeports.

Here are the details:

Majestic Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since July 25, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera

Regal Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since July 31, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 5 to 7 nights
Itinerary: Eastern and Western Caribbean

Sky Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since August 30, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Western and Eastern Caribbean  

Grand Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: In service since September 25, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 10 to 15 nights
Itinerary: Mexican Riviera, Sea of Cortez and Hawaii

Emerald Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,100
Date: In service since October 15, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Los Angeles and Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 14 and 15 nights
Itinerary: Panama Canal and Southern Caribbean

Ruby Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,070
Date: In service since October 31, 2021
Region: West Coast
Homeport: San Francisco (United States)
Length: 15 nights
Itinerary: Hawaii and Panama Canal    

Enchanted Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: In service since November 10, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 10 nights
Itinerary: Southern and Eastern Caribbean    

Caribbean Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,100
Date: In service since November 28, 2021
Region: Caribbean
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale (United States)
Length: 7 nights
Itinerary: Western and Eastern Caribbean

Most of the Fleet Set to Return by May

As Princess returns to additional destinations in 2022, more vessels are resuming service. According to the company’s current restart plans, most of the fleet is set to be sailing again in May, in time for summer seasons in Alaska and Asia.

Here are the planned service resumption dates:

Discovery Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,660
Date: March 27, 2022
Region: West Coast
Homeport: Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 7 nights
First itinerary: Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta

Island Princess
Capacity at 100%: 1,950
Date: April 27, 2022
Region: Panama Canal
Homeport: Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles (United States)
Length: 14 nights
First itinerary: Cartagena, Panama Canal (old locks), Puntarenas, San Juan del Sur, Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta

Diamond Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: April 28, 2022
Region: Asia
Homeport: Yokohama (Japan)
Length: 6 nights
First itinerary: Nagasaki, Busan and Kagoshima

Royal Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,600
Date: May 2, 2022
Region: Alaska
Homeport: Vancouver (Canada)
Length: 12 nights
First itinerary: Juneau, Skagway, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, Ketchikan and Victoria      

Crown Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,070
Date: May 7, 2022
Region: Alaska
Homeport: Seattle (United States)
Length: 7 nights
First itinerary: Juneau, Glacier Bay Park, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria

Sapphire Princess
Capacity at 100%: 2,600
Date: August 28, 2022
Region: Asia
Homeport: Hong Kong to Fremantle (Australia)
Length: 12 nights
First itinerary: Nha Trang, Phu My, Singapore and Lombok

Coral Princess
Capacity at 100%: 1,950
Date: September 3, 2022
Region: Australia
Homeport: Sydney (Australia)
Length: 35 nights
First itinerary: New Zealand, Hawaii, Tahiti and South Pacific

hird Princess Ship Resumes Service as Sky Princess to Sail From Southampton

Third Princess Ship Resumes Service as Sky Princess to Sail From Southampton

The Sky Princess is the third Princess Cruises ship to resume revenue service.

Based in the United Kingdom, the vessel is departing Southampton today, starting its “Summer Seacation” program.

The Sky Princess is offering a four-night cruise the first in a series of domestic UK cruises, which will run through late September. Along with the Regal Princess, the Sky Princess is now offering scenic voyages and regular cruises around the country, ranging from three to seven nights.

The itineraries include stops in ports such as Liverpool, in England; Belfast, in Northern Ireland; Greenock, in Scotland; and more.

After the UK program, the vessel is set to return to Port Everglades. Starting in November, the ship is sailing three-, five-, seven- and 14-day cruises to the Eastern and Western Caribbean.

A Royal-class ship, the Sky Princess entered service in 2019 and was said to be an evolution to the platform used for previous Royal-class ships, the Royal, Regal and Majestic Princess.

The new and enhanced features include a digitally enhanced escape room called the Phantom Bridge and the Wakeview pool located on the ship’s aft decks. Other changes are a new café, redesigned lounges, additional Jacuzzis, and the new Sky Suites.

Featuring the largest continuous private balconies at sea ever offered by any cruise line, the two Sky Suites have a sleeping capacity for five guests and are located on one of the ship’s highest decks.

The 143,700 ton, 3,660-guest ship was also the first in the fleet to be built from the ground up with the Ocean Guest Experience Platform, powered by Princess’s MedallionClass technology. 

With the Sky Princess now in service, three Princess Cruises vessels have resumed guest operations. The first ship to welcome passengers back was the Majestic Princess, which launched a series of Alaska cruises on July 25.

A few days later, on July 31, the Regal Princess started to offer domestic sailings in the UK.

Princess is now preparing its return to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera, Hawaii the California Coast. By November 28, a total of eight ships will be sailing to those destinations from Port Everglades, Los Angeles and San Francisco.  

New Discovery Princess Floats Out at Fincantieri

The Discovery Princess, the sixth Royal-class ship built Princess Cruises, floated out today at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone.

Interior fittings will now begin, leading the vessel to delivery, scheduled next year for Princess, which is owned by Carnival Corporation.

The 145,000-ton ship is a sister vessel to the Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess, Sky Princess and Enchanted Princess, which were all built and delivered in the same shipyard starting from 2013.

The partnership between the Monfalcone yard and Princess Cruises will continue with two next-generation cruise ships. These will be the largest built so far in Italy with a gross-tonnage of 175,000 tons, will accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and will be the first of the ship owner’s fleet to be dual-fuel powered primarily by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). Deliveries are scheduled for 2023 and 2025.

Enchanted Princess ‘first ship to be completed in the time of Covid’

New-build Enchanted Princess has been delivered to Princess Cruises at a shipyard handover ceremony in Italy.

The 145,000-ton, 3,660-passenger vessel expands the Carnival Corporation-owned line’s global fleet of high-technology MedallionClass vessels.

The finalisation of Enchanted Princess marks the first ship to be completed during the time of Covid.

The ship is due to arrive in North America in December for a season of Caribbean cruises provided US health officials to lift a ban on sailings imposed due to the pandemic.

The new addition to the fleet will sail in the Mediterranean next summer, bringing the number of Royal-class ships based in Europe to three.

Enchanted Princess will spend May to September operating a series of new seven and 14-night itineraries from the port for Rome before sailing between Rome and Barcelona on a series of 11-night cruises.

Sky Princess is replacing Crown Princess in Southampton from April to September 2021, running eight and 12-night British Isles cruises and a series of 12-night Scandinavia and Russia voyages.

Regal Princess will also be based in Southampton, sailing a number of itineraries ranging from four to 24 nights to destinations including Iceland and Norway, the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, the Baltic and Canada and New England.

Enchanted Princess represents an evolution of a design platform used for sister ships Regal Princess, Royal Princess, Majestic Princess and the most recently introduced Sky Princess

Enchanted Princess is the 100th cruise ship built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. Crown Princess was the first ship to launch Fincantieri into the modern passenger shipbuilding business when it was delivered in 1990.

Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz said: “The heart and soul of the ship are always its teams, and I know she is in good hands with our dedicated crew watching over her with great care and pride.

“We look forward to brighter days ahead when we can officially welcome the first Enchanted Princess guests to enjoy all this beautiful ship has to offer.”

Enchanted Princess to sail in the Mediterranean next summer

Princess Cruises’ newest ship Enchanted Princess will sail in the Mediterranean next summer, bringing the number of Royal-class ships based in Europe to three.

Enchanted Princess is due to join the Princess fleet later this year, and will spend May to September operating a series of new round-trip seven and 14-night itineraries from Rome before sailing between Rome and Barcelona on a series of 11-night cruises.

Earlier this month, the line announced that new ship Sky Princess would replace Crown Princess in Southampton from April to September. The ship will sail eight and twelve-night British Isles cruises and a series of 12-night Scandinavia and Russia voyages.

Regal Princess will also be based in Southampton, sailing a number of itineraries ranging from four to 24 nights to destinations including Iceland and Norway, the Mediterranean, Canary Islands, the Baltic and Canada & New England.

All Europe 2021 voyages onboard Regal Princess and Baltic sailings on Sky Princess are now available to book. The new roundtrip Rome departures onboard Enchanted Princess and British Isles sailings on Sky Princess will be available to book in early October.

Tony Roberts, vice-president UK and Europe said: “Having three Royal-class ships sailing in Europe next year including two based in Southampton is testament to our commitment to offering UK holidaymakers an enhanced Medallion Class service, new onboard experiences and a wealth of holiday options without the need to travel too far from home. We truly are so excited for every guest to experience these voyages.”

He added: “The addition of the new itineraries gives UK guests the opportunity to visit more destinations from Southampton than ever before, as well as the ease of travelling roundtrip from Rome for those who prefer to take a short flight straight out to the sunshine.”

All voyages in the new line-up are included as part of Princess’ latest stateroom upgrade offer, meaning that all customers booking these voyages before November 23 can upgrade for free from an inside stateroom to a balcony.

Top Cruise Photos from Oceanliner Pictures

With the global cruise fleet in a temporary and extended service pause, take a look at these top cruise photos from expert photographer Oceanliner Pictures (by Oliver Asmussen), which is the largest cruise ship photo archive for photos of cruise ships, interior photos and maritime travel, currently with over 780,000 photos.

Queen Mary 2 cruising on the Elbe River

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The MS Hamburg against the Garibaldi Glacier 

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AIDAdiva leaves the port of Warnemuende

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The Regal Princess outbound

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MS Amera in Rendsburger Hochbrücke

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The Nieuw Statendam after her maiden call in Kiel

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Sunset over the Astor, sailing for Transocean

Princess Plans for Florida Fleet: Anchorages and Princess Cays Visits

With six ships sailing from South Florida, Princess Cruises has put together a detailed plan for what to do with its ships and crew during its temporary suspension of service, according to crew aboard the ships.

The Caribbean Princess, Sky Princess, Regal Princess, Emerald Princess, Crown Princess and Island Princess are in the Caribbean sailing from South Florida and will spend the immediate future at anchorages in the Bahamas with weekly calls into Princess Cays, the brand's private island.

A substitute port could be Port Everglades, according to a company document. 

Calling it an immediate, low-cost layup proposal, the plan keeps the ships ready to return to service on short notice and defers repositioning decisions, according to a letter sent to crew aboard the ships.

The company plans to have the ships stay at Great Isaac Anchorage.

Crew disembarkation plans are pending, and the company plans to have each ship call at Princess Cays once a week, where the crew will be able to use the island.

In its letter sent to the crew, the company also notes operations at Princess Cays will include making space for operations from Carnival Cruise Line vessels. 

Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria Bought by CMV

Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria Bought by CMV

Pacific Aria in her new livery for CMV, (Ex Holland American Line Ryndam)

Cruise & Maritime Voyages today confirmed it purchased the Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria from Carnival Corporation.

A sales price for the 1994-built Pacific Aria, with capacity for 1,258 guests, and the 1991-built Pacific Dawn, with capacity for 2,020 guests, was not announced.

The ships will join the Pacific Eden, the Aria's sister, at CMV, along with other ex-Carnival Corp. vessels the Columbus and the Magellan. 

CMV will take delivery of P&O Australia’s Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria in Singapore on the March 2 and May 2, 2021, respectively, increasing lower bed fleet capacity to 9,000 berths and passenger capacity by 30 per cent in 2021.

Pacific Dawn in her new livery (Ex Regal Princess - Princess cruise)

The duo will be officially re-named in summer 2021 following a drydocking, some minor upgrade and re-livery works in Singapore before embarking on CMV maiden positioning voyages via the Suez Canal to Northern Europe.

The Pacific Dawn will be deployed for the UK market year-round from Tilbury, while the Pacific Area will sail for the TransOcean brand targeting the German market, cruising alongside the Vasco da Gama (the former Pacific Eden) and replacing the 580 passenger Astor. She is being re-named Jules Verne and will be re-deployed to the French market in May 2021.

Christian Verhounig, CEO commented: “The introduction of two more ships to the global ocean fleet is the next exciting chapter of our strategic growth objectives. This will enable us to service increasing market demand for our traditional brand of cruising generated by our expanding international network of in-house sales offices and developing source markets. We have now acquired five cruise ships in just five years and are firmly on course in carrying 200,000 passengers in 2021."

Chris Coates, Group Commercial Director added, “As the CMV brand continues to evolve, the growing popularity of our traditional product, classic ships and destination-focused cruise programs has encouraged us to accelerate plans to add capacity to the two top European cruise markets in the UK and Germany, which represent 85 per cent of our business.

"These two fine cruise ships perfectly complement our existing fleet providing trade partners and consumers alike with much needed extra capacity. For 2020, we expect close to 70 per cent of capacity to be sold by the year-end, in line with expectations. This provides an ideal platform for the early introduction of new tonnage and opportunities for summer 2021 with the focus very much on higher yield business.

Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria to Leave P&O Australia Fleet in 2021

The Pacific Dawn (Ex-Regal Princess (1991–2007))

P&O Cruises Australia has announced that the Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria will leave the fleet in 2021 as the Pacific Encounter will join the company; the ship is currently sailing as the Star Princess.

Buyers for the 1994-built Pacific Aria, with capacity for 1,258 guests, and the 1991-built Pacific Dawn, with capacity for 2,020 guests, were not named.

In 2020, the Golden Princess will move to P&O Australia and become the Pacific Adventure.

In late 2021, the Pacific Explorer, Pacific Adventure and Pacific Encounter will comprise the new look P&O fleet with a total capacity of about 9,000 guests — equivalent to the brand’s capacity when the fleet consisted of five smaller ships, the company said. 

In announcing the farewell of Pacific Dawn and Pacific Aria, P&O said the ships would not leave the fleet until February and April 2021 respectively.

“We have a clear picture of the P&O fleet of the future and it is a very exciting prospect with the brand well-positioned to continue to lead in this dynamic market,” said P&O Cruises Australia President Sture Myrmell. 

“When we embarked on this transformation two years ago, we committed to refresh the fleet over time and to set the brand up for continued success.

“P&O’s Pacific Adventure will be introduced with our distinctive look and feel along with some new onboard features that means P&O Cruises remains the driving force for cruising in Australia and New Zealand.

“For all of us at P&O, the announcement that Pacific Encounter will be the next ship to join the fleet in 2021 is another exciting moment in the evolution of our cruise line.

“It is always sad to farewell much-loved ships. Both ships are close to our hearts with Pacific Dawn particularly special to us and the many thousands of guests who have sailed on her.”

P&O wants to give guests every opportunity to sail on Pacific Dawn's final cruise as the ship will depart Melbourne on February 8, 2021 sailing to Singapore via Brisbane. There are three great options for guests to farewell the ship:

• Option One -- a fantastic short break cruise from Melbourne to Brisbane.
• Option Two -- the Asia and Explorer cruise from Brisbane to Singapore.
• Option Three -- the 'full farewell’, a combined 17-nights voyage from Melbourne right through to Singapore.

The Pacific Aria will depart Melbourne on April 9, 2021 sailing to Singapore via Fremantle with three options:

• Option One -- a fantastic six-night 'Southern Discovery' cruise from Melbourne to Fremantle calling at Esperance and Albany
• Option Two -- the Asia and Australia Explorer 12-night cruise from Fremantle to Singapore
• Option Three -- the 'full farewell’, a combined 18-nights voyage from Melbourne right through to Singapore via Fremantle.

New Princess ship to be called Discovery Princess

Princess Cruises said its sixth Royal-class ship due in November 2021 will be named the Discovery Princess and will be the first new ship in Princess history to be homeported in Los Angeles.

Cruises open for sale Oct. 8, with itineraries set in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and South America before Discovery Princess arrives for its West Coast debut sailing to Mexico and the California Coast on March 1, 2022.

The 143,700-gross-ton, 3,660-passenger Discovery Princess is under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. 

Princess' repeat guests are eligible for a special promotion when booking early. A reduced deposit of 10% is available through Feb. 29, 2020. Guests booking the 50-day South America Connoisseur voyage will receive onboard credit, complimentary gratuities and complimentary WiFi. 

Princess Cruises reveals the name of fifth Royal-class ship

Princess Cruises reveals the name of fifth Royal-class ship

Princess Cruises has revealed its fifth Royal-class ship will be named Enchanted Princess.

Due to launch on June 15 2020, Enchanted Princess will operate European voyages and will be a sister ship to Royal Princess, Regal Princess, Majestic Princess and Sky Princess.

Enchanted Princess’ maiden season sailings will be available to book from November 8 this year.

Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises’ president, said: “The name Enchanted Princess is captivating and conveys the elegance and grace of our new ship which will introduce more travellers to the pleasures and value of cruising.

“We are certain Enchanted Princess will exceed the expectations of our guests, ensuring they have the most memorable cruise.”

Enchanted Princess will be followed by the debut of the sixth Royal-Class ship for Princess Cruises in 2021.

The cruise line also has two new Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) powered ships on order to be delivered in late 2023 and spring 2025, bringing its new ship order to five ships in six years.

Construction of the 143,700-tonne, 3,660-guest Enchanted Princess will take place in the Fincantieri Monfalcone shipyard with the ship set to feature an evolution of the design platform used for the cruise line’s existing Royal-Class ships.

Princess Cruises currently operates a fleet of 17 modern cruise ships, sailing to more than 380 destinations across every continent.

Carnival Corp. demonstrates Medallion's bandwidth potential

Carnival Corp. staged a live teleconference from the decks of the Regal Princess, demonstrating the new Medallion technology's bandwidth and connectivity.

The ship is the first to implement Medallion, part of which is a faster and more reliable internet connection.

During the demonstration in the Bahamas, Carnival attempted to harness 1.5 gigabytes per second of bandwidth to show that connectivity is a rapidly fading concern on ships. Carnival showed that games and video streaming ran adequately on the Medallion internet.

John Padgett, Carnival's chief experience and innovation officer, presided over the demonstration and said that the largest bandwidth reported to date by a cruise ship had been 580 megabytes per second.

Unlike homes, cell phones or most hospitality venues, cruise ships at sea are out of touch with the usual transmission networks for Internet signals and must rely on satellites. Until recently that service has suffered from slowness, unreliability and expense.

"There's always been a liability associated with cruising and that has been connectivity," Padgett said.

He said he hoped the stress test would prove that cruise ships now have the same technical capacity as land resorts for connectivity.

"Once we dispel the myth that connectivity is a problem, we'll open up the cruise market to new demand," Padgett said.

To gain better connectivity, Carnival has partnered with SES Networks, which has an array of high and mid-earth orbit satellites, which can shorten the time that signals travel back and forth in the atmosphere, improving connectivity.

Steve Collar, CEO of SES Networks, said on the conference call that the quality of Internet service is affected by the distance to the satellite and by the amount of bandwidth devoted to the transmission.

He compared earlier service on cruise ships to a four-lane highway, and said the bandwidth in the demonstration is more like a 50 or 100 lane highway. The precise amount of bandwidth in use during the call will be subject to later verification.

"Now it's about making that bandwidth affordable, and seamless and efficient," Collar said.

Padgett said the super-fast Internet for now is available only on the Regal Princess and he declined to give a timetable for its implementation on other Princess or Carnival Corp. ships. But he said there's been much progress in making the Internet service faster and more reliable.

"All of our ships have connectivity, and we've made a dramatic improvement across the fleet over the past few years," Padgett said.