New Princess Cruises ship in the works for 2017
Add Princess Cruises to the list of lines with a new ship on order.
The California-based cruise operator today announced it had reached an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri to build an as-yet-unnamed, 143,000-ton vessel for delivery in 2017.
The ship will be a sister to the recently unveiled Royal Princess and Regal Princess — Princess' largest vessels ever. It'll feature such signature Princess elements as a soaring central atrium with multiple dining, entertainment and retail venues; an adults-only Sanctuary; and a Movies Under the Stars cinema experience.
"We are incredibly excited to add this fabulous new ship to our already formidable fleet," Princess president Jan Swartz says in a statement accompanying the announcement. "Royal Princess and Regal Princess have been exceptionally successful for us and have received numerous accolades from guests, travel agents and media, so adding another sister ship will enable us to continue to expand our innovative vacation experiences."
The new vessel becomes the only one on order for Princess, which currently has 18 ships. The line has been slow to order new vessels in recent years even as rivals such as Norwegian Cruise Line, MSC Cruises and Royal Caribbean have unveiled plans for rapid expansion.
Today's announcement comes less than a month after rival Norwegian Cruise Line ordered two new ships for delivery in 2018 and 2019, bringing its total on order to four. MSC Cruises also recently ordered two new ships for 2017 and 2018, also bringing its total on order to four. Royal Caribbean has five ships on order.
While similar to the Royal Princess and Regal Princess, the new Princess vessel won't be an exact copy. In its announcement, Princess said the ship will have some new innovations, although the line was mum on details. Specific features and amenities on the vessel will be revealed in the coming months, the line said.
Like the Royal Princess and Regal Princess, the new vessel will carry 3,560 passengers at double occupancy.
For a deck-by-deck look at the Regal Princess, click through the carousel below.
