Key Aspects
- Sapphire Princess will join Diamond Princess in East Asia for the 2027 season.
- The addition of the second ship doubles Princess Cruises’ guest capacity in the region.
- Bookings for sailings on both ships will open on August 20, 2025.
For the first time, Princess Cruises will deploy two ships rather than its traditional one to East Asia in 2027, offering 78 cruise departures from the Tokyo region.
Sister ships Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess, both Japanese-built, will operate 50 unique itineraries between March and December 2027. The cruise line typically deploys Diamond Princess to the region, and the addition of the sister ship means the line is doubling capacity.
Both ships accommodate 2,670 guests; the Gem-class vessels entered service in 2004.
The wide range of itineraries will allow guests to celebrate Japan’s summer festivals as well as its famous spring cherry blossom season. In fact, specific “Cherry Blossom Voyages” are timed to coincide with the blooming season, as ships travel south to north, calling at Japan’s four largest islands.
The addition of Sapphire Princess augments Princess Cruises’ already-expanding presence in East Asia.
In 2025, the line deployed Diamond Princess from March to August with 35 departures. In 2026, it lengthened the season to February through November and scheduled 50 departures. Now, with the 2027 changes, departures climb to 78, and the season runs from through December.
“This upcoming 2027 season is more than an expansion – it’s a homecoming,” said Gus Antorcha, President of Princess Cruises.
“Our story in Japan has deepened over time and experience and in 2027, we return promising unforgettable experiences, including the renowned Cherry Blossoms, seven spectacular festivals and journeys that immerse you in the awe and wonder of this destination,” Antorcha added.
Highlights of the 2027 season in East Asia include 9- to 24-day “Cherry Blossom Voyages” and 8- to 24-day “Festival Cruises,” all held in August.
Among them are the Aomori Nebuta Festival, with its illuminated floats, traditional music, and dancers, the Hakodate Minato Festival, a maritime event, and the Yamagata Hanagasa Festival, where 10,000 local dancers perform.
The final event, the Kumano Fireworks Festival, provides a spectacular pyrotechnic display.
Itineraries Feature UNESCO Sites, Late-Night Port Stays
Princess Cruises, a Carnival Corporation brand, has designed the 2027 itineraries to provide a greater opportunity for local cultural immersion by scheduling more than a dozen late-night departures from ports of call. The longer stays are planned in Osaka, Hiroshima, Hakodate, Sakata, and Halong Bay, among other places.
Itineraries offer visits to 21 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including Mount Fuji, the Itsukushima Shrine & Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the Ancient Kyoto Monuments, and the Jomon Prehistoric Sites.
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Bookings for all sailings will open on August 20, 2025, and those who reserve by August 27, 2025 are eligible for Captain’s Circle Savings up to $200 per stateroom.
Sapphire Princess will arrive in East Asia following her 33-night “Hawaii, Japan & Southeast Asia Grand Adventure” cruise, which departs Los Angeles on November 22, 2026. That sailing, with multiple calls in the Hawaiian Islands, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam, ends in Singapore.
Before her transpacific crossing, the ship will have sailed a short series of Canada/New England cruises between Boston and Quebec City earlier in the fall of 2026, along with a Panama Canal transit from Fort Lauderdale that positions her on the US West Coast.
Diamond Princess, meanwhile, will already be in East Asia in fall of 2026, concluding her season there with cruises sailing between Yokohama, Japan, and Singapore, and roundtrip from Singapore.
