Princess Cruises has sold Sun Princess and Sea Princess to undisclosed buyers. The sale of the two ships is in line with parent company Carnival Corporation’s plan to accelerate the removal of less efficient ships from its fleet.
Sun Princess and Sea Princess both contributed to the significant growth in Australian cruising. The two vessels defined the premium cruise experience with Australians and New Zealanders spending close to 14 million nights aboard the ships.
In a statement Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz commented: “While it is never easy to say goodbye to any ship in our fleet, this will allow us to deploy newer ships enhancing our offerings for Australia cruisers and focus on bringing into service exciting newbuilds like the upcoming delivery of Enchanted Princess.”
Sun Princess, the first ship in the Sun Class, was introduced in 1995 debuting in the Caribbean and was amongst the largest ships in the world at the time. The 2,000-guest Sun Princess also sailed in Alaska and Panama Canal, among other destinations, before being homeported in Australia in October 2007. Sun Princess also helped Princess Cruises open the Japanese market in 2013 as the first foreign-flagged cruise ship to offer cruises designed specifically for the Japanese.
The 2,000-guest Sea Princess became synonymous with World Cruises, having completed six full world cruises since 2013. During her time based in Australia, Sea Princess travelled the equivalent of 35 times around the world. Prior to joining Sun Princess in Australia, Sea Princess sailed in Europe and Alaska as well as the Caribbean, including serving as a homeport ship in Barbados in the mid- to late-2000s.
Due to the imminent departure of these two ships from the fleet, Princess Cruises will cancel published itineraries which include:
- Sun Princess sailings from December 28, 2020 through August 14, 2021
- Sea Princess sailings from December 23, 2020 through November 9, 2021
For more details visit princess.com.