Today, big news for Princess cruises as the line’s sixth Royal Class ship floated out at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone. The Carnival Corporation brand will now start with the interior fittings anticipating the scheduled delivery somewhere next year.
The newest addition to the hugely successful and well-received class of ships is called Discovery Princess. The vessel has been built on the same backbone as her sister ships and some fantastic new features.
State of the Art Features
When she is launched later next year, Princess Cruises will have fitted Discovery Princess with many of the same features fitted to the other Royal Class ships. The 145,000 gross tons, 3,560 passenger vessels incorporate innovative layouts and state-of-the-art technology to make cruising a truly hassle-free experience.
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Discover Princess will feature some of the largest balconies at sea, with 1012 and 947 square feet. There will be more than 25 dining options onboard, including a French Bistro by Chef Emmanuel Renaut, whose Flocons de Sel restaurant has received three Michelin stars.
The ship will also feature Princess Cruises’ newest tech advancement rolled out a few months ago across the fleet, the Medallion Class.
This wearable device, based on the internet of things principle, will enable guests to anything and everything onboard such as opening cabin doors, paying in the boutique, simplified safety drills, delivering land-like internet speeds for watching sports, movies or making video calls, and last but not least, on-demand food, beverages, and retail items delivered anywhere onboard.
With the new technological advancements, the company is changing direction from turning into a dusty cruise brand to a hypermodern 21st-century brand.
Princess Dramatically Increases Capacity
The advancements are not just seen in the building of the Royal Class of ships. Princess Cruises is rapidly rejuvenating its fleet, with another two vessels scheduled to be built in Italy in the years. The company is not left behind in Carnival Corporations race to become the world’s leader in LNG-powered vessels.
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Princess Cruises has contracted the same shipyard where Discovery Princess was floated out to built two new LNG-powered vessels to be delivered in late 2023 and spring 2025, respectively.
The new vessels will be Princess Cruises’ first ships primarily powered by Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), a much cleaner fuel than the extremely polluting MGO and MFO. The new ships will be the largest by capacity in the Princess Cruises fleet, coming in at 175,000 gross tons and accommodating 4,300 guests in lower berths.
With the release of all-new ships, Princess Cruises will have increased its capacity by an incredible 32%, making the fleet one of the industry’s newest.
Where is the Royal Class Sailing?
Discovery Princess will sail on March 1, 2022, on her maiden voyage from Los Angeles. After this, the vessel will be primarily based on the west coast of the United States. Below are the sailing locations for all Royal Class Ships:
- Discovery Princess: US west coast, including Alaska and cruises to the Mexican Riviera, homeporting in Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, Canada.
- Royal Princess: Based in Australia and Asia, Royal Princess does cruises in Australia, and Southeast Asia, while also sailing in the Pacific.
- Regal Princess: Regal Princess splits her seasons between Caribbean cruises from Ft. Lauderdale and Mediterranean cruises from Rome, Athens, and Barcelona.
- Majestic Princess: Majestic Princess homeports in Los Angeles, Vancouver, and Alaska for cruises in Alaska, the US West Coast, and the Mexican Riviera.
- Sky Princess: Sky Princess has split seasons between Ft. Lauderdale and cruises in the Caribbean, and sailing from the UK to the British Isles and Northern Europe.
- Enchanted Princess: Enchanted Princess spends her time sailing between the Caribbean, the US East Coast, North Atlantic, and Northern Europe while homeporting in New York, St Petersburg, Russia, or Copenhagen, Denmark.
