Princess Cruises' newest vessel Sun Princess has commenced its first voyage in Europe/Mediterranean on Wednesday, February 28th, after two delays.
Originally scheduled to embark from Barcelona on February 8th, the inaugural sailing of the 4300-passenger ship was canceled twice through a "mutual agreement" with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri.
As the company's largest ship and the first to utilize LNG/liquefied natural gas, the 177,882-GT-ton Sun Princess finally commenced service on Wednesday from Civitavecchia, the port for Rome.
The vessel is on a 10-day itinerary to Naples, Crete, Kusadasi, Athens (Piraeus), Sicily, Majorca, and Barcelona before returning to Civitavecchia.
Featuring new amenities such as a glass-enclosed geodesic dome, an outward and suspended Sphere Atrium, 30 restaurants and bars, the family activity zone Park19, and 1500+ cabins with balconies (out of 2162 passenger staterooms) and cabana mini-suites, Sun Princess offers enhanced onboard experiences.
The maiden season encompasses various 7- to 12-night Mediterranean itineraries before the 9-night relocation voyage from Barcelona to Southampton UK (September 14th). Then the ship crosses the Atlantic to Florida/Fort Lauderdale for the inaugural winter Caribbean season.
Furthermore, Princess Cruises anticipates the addition of a second Sphere class ship (Star Princess) to its fleet in August 2025.
Princess Cruises president John Padgett said that was a historic day as their new Sun Princess set sail on her inaugural voyage, and guests got to experience the "sensational, next-level, ‘Love Boat’ first hand."
“The ship is a magnificent showcase of advanced design, technology and craftsmanship, with elevated spaces and experiences all focused on taking the Princess vacation experience to a new level.”