The long-awaited and stunningly designed newest cruise ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, Enchanted Princess, finally begins sailing with guests from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on her long-awaited maiden voyage today, November 10.
The ship will be sailing the Caribbean for the next six months until she repositions to Europe in April of next year. Enchanted Princess offers guests a fully updated and modernized Medallion-class experience, ample dining and relaxation options, including 25 bars and restaurants.
Enchanted Princess Sails on First of 15 Caribbean Cruises
With some of the most extended Caribbean cruises on offer, guests sailing on Enchanted Princess will experience the best the region offers without being squeezed for time.
The ship sails for the first time today on an itinerary that will take guests on the first of fifteen 10-day cruises from Fort Lauderdale. These cruises can also be combined to longer 20-day voyages, which call in 12 different Caribbean ports.
The 145,000 gross ton, 3,660-guest ship’s first port of call on this voyage will be in Princess Cays in the Bahamas, the cruise line’s private island. Next up are Saint Thomas Island, Dominica, Curacao, and Aruba, before heading back to Fort Lauderdale on November 20.
“Introducing our newest ship โ Enchanted Princess โ is a significant milestone for Princess and we look forward to the first guests experiencing all this gorgeous ship has to offer,” said John Padgett, Princess Cruises president. “Enchanted Princess is our seventh ship to enter service since the global pause, signifying our successful path forward, with many loyal and new guests ready to sail with us and our teammates ready to deliver meaningful and memorable vacations at an incredible value.”
Although the vessel is sailing on its maiden voyage today, it will not be christened officially until mid-December. Princess plans to broadcast a special naming ceremony on its social media channels on December 13, with more details coming later.
The newest ship in the fleet first arrived in Fort Lauderdale to prepare for service in early September 2021. Since the arrival, crew members have been getting ready to welcome guests for the first time, with protocols in place to ensure everyone onboard remains protected.
The 3,660 passenger-Enchanted Princess sails the Caribbean until April 9, 2022. She will then commence sailings in Northern Europe, alternating cruises from Copenhagen, Denmark, and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Seventh Princess Ship Sailing
Enchanted Princess becomes the seventh in the fleet to sail since suspensions first started in March 2020. The cruise line started to make a comeback ever since Majestic Princess became the first in the fleet to resume from the U.S. in July 2021. The vessel began operating cruises to Alaska from Seattle, Washington, kickstarting what remained of the popular Alaska season for the cruise line.
Related: Three More Princess Cruise Ships to Restart Operations in the U.S.
Regal Princess also resumed sailings in July the UK with domestic cruises out of Southampton, England. The ship was then followed by Sky Princess with UK cruises. Grand Princess became the first in the fleet to resume from Los Angeles in September 2021, one of the main homeports for Princess Cruises.
Following the Alaska season, Majestic Princess then became the second to begin cruises from the Port of Los Angeles in October 2021. Later in October, Emerald Princess became the third Princess vessel to restart operations from L.A. On October 31, Ruby Princess resumed operations from San Francisco in California.
The cruise line will continue with its restart of operations into Spring 2022, including in other countries such as Japan.