Pacific Encounter

The 2002-built (as Star Princess) cruise ship Pacific Encounter is the 3rd Grand-Class vessel constructed for Princess Cruises, with sisterships Crown, Diamond, Caribbean, Grand, Emerald, Ruby, Golden (Pacific Adventure since 2020) and Sapphire.

The vessel (IMO number 9192363) is currently UK-flagged (MMSI 232032840) and registered in Southampton.

In 2018, Princess announced that Golden Princess and Star Princess will be transferred to the P&O Australia fleet in 2021 and renamed, respectively, "Pacific Adventure" and "Pacific Encounter". The vessels' transfer was officially confirmed on October 21, 2020. Star Princess as Pacific Encounter starts operations for P&O AU in November 2021 after a scheduled drydock refurbishment. In 2020, Golden Princess (as Pacific Adventure) already joined the P&O AU's fleet.

Princess Cruises' Star Princess was Bermuda-flagged (MMSI 310361000) and registered in Hamilton.

History - construction and ownership

P&O Cruises is a subsidiary company and two brands owned by Carnival Corporation - P&O UK and P&O Australia. In 2000, P&O Cruises became subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises, which merged with Carnival Corporation in 2003. P and O is the world's oldest cruise company, starting passenger shipping operations in 1822 on the routes connecting England with Iberia.

The 2600-passenger ship Pacific Encounter/Star Princess is relatively big for the Australian source market, with a wide diversity (for its size) onboard facilities and still providing a traditional cruising experience. During drydock 2008, Star Princess received several new facilities, including the Piazza (energetic amusement space), bakery, Internet Cafe, wine bar, sushi bar, The Sanctuary (adults-only zone with padded lounges and shaded places), Crown Grill (complimentary eatery with seafood and steakhouse fare), 7 Suites (with walk-in closets and spa tub bathrooms). The Retail shopping area was redesigned, with Essence Shop (relocated to deck 7 and doubled in size) and Meridian Bay Shop (on deck 6, replacing Essence Shop).

Decks and Cabins

Pacific Encounter staterooms (1298 total, in 34 categories) include 205x Suites, 515x Balconies, 212x Oceanviews and 366x Inside, including 25x wheelchair-accessible. Most cabins are sized 160-190 ft2 (15-18 m2), with cabin balconies sized 45-90 ft2 (4-8 m2). Nearly 80% of all outside staterooms are with private step-out balconies. The largest accommodation is the Grand Suite (615 ft2 / 57 m2, with terrace sized 115 ft2 / 11 m2).

The boat has 16 decks, of which 13 are passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Star Princess passengers choose between open seating and two assigned dinner seatings; breakfast and lunch in all Princess restaurants are open seating. Alternative dinner venues include the reservations-only Sabatini's Italian and Crown Grill restaurants (both with cover). All Princess Cruises Lido buffets are open around the clock. The Wheelhouse Bar serves a pub lunch, and a grill and pizzeria offer casual snack choices. The ice-cream bars and patisseries charge for premium ice cream and speciality coffee. A wine bar offers extra-charge artisan cheeses and evening snacks. Chef's Table and Ultimate Balcony Dining options are also available, as is afternoon tea and room service.

Follows the complete list of Star Princess restaurants and food bars.

• Capri Restaurant (ship's aft Dining Room; dinner only - offers Anytime Dining between 5:30-10 pm)
• Crown Grill (160-seat steakhouse/seafood restaurant, reservations recommended; on select days serves British Pub Lunch, complimentary)
• Portofino Restaurant (ship's forward Dining Room for Breakfast 7-9 am, Lunch 12-1:30 pm, Afternoon Tea 3:30-4:30 p.m.; features Anytime Dining for Dinner between 5:30-8 pm or 8-10 pm)
• Amalfi Restaurant (dinner only aft Dining Room; with 2 fixed seatings at 5:45 pm and 8 pm)
• Sabatini's Restaurant (Italian speciality restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Trident Grill & Prego Pizzeria (self-service, complimentary fast food bar)
• Horizon Court (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Both the Vista Lounge and Princess Theater can host featured entertainers and production shows, and each of the shows runs several times. The Princess Theater is more like a Broadway theatre than a cruise-ship typical show lounge. It features same-level orchestra seating, stadium seating behind, as well as a few boxes. The Vista Lounge is cabaret-style, with chairs grouped around small drink tables and big windows making the room light during the day. The Explorers Lounge and Wheelhouse Bar are located side by side on the Promenade Deck. These smaller entertainment venues host karaoke, pianists, dance bands and theme parties, as well as games and trivia during the day.

Follows the complete list of Star Princess lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.

• The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open floor area; features live performances entertainment and lobby Bar Piazza)
• Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Platinum Studio
• International Cafe (24-hour speciality coffee bar and patisserie)
• Vines Bar (wine/seafood/sushi bar)
• Library (with Internet stations); Internet Cafe (24-hour)
• Princess Star Theatre (2-level musical and show productions; hosts workshops, seminars, game shows)
• Shooter's Lounge & Bar (smoking lounge and sports bar)
• Vines Shop; Calypso Cove Shop; Essence Shop; Meridian Bay Shop; Facets Shop
• Princess Star Grand Casino
• Crooners Lounge & Bar (live music; also used for seminars); Vista Lounge & Bar
• Explorers Lounge & Bar (disco/show lounge; hosts karaoke, comedy, game shows and art auctions)
• Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar during the day and an English pub nightly)
• Scoops Bar (Sundaes Ice Cream Bar, complimentary)
• Outrigger Bar (poolside bar); Tradewinds Bar
• Star's Lotus Spa complex; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center (with Aerobics Studio)
• Hearts & Minds (Wedding Chapel)
• Movies Under the Stars (LED screen outdoor cinema)
• Video Games Arcade; Teen Center; Youth Center with Paddling Pool and outdoor playing areas
• The Conservatory (recreation area); The Sanctuary (adult-only open-air area); The Oasis relaxation area
• Calypso Reef & Pool area; Neptune's Reef & Pool area
• The Skywalker (Jogging Track); Sports Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Shuffleboard, Deck Chess; Princess Links mini-golf course
• Skywalkers Disco Nightclub.

Itineraries

Star Princess's itinerary program was based on roundtrips from USA-California homeports (San Francisco and Los Angeles/Long Beach) to Hawaii, Baja Mexico, Alaska, alternating seasonally.

Pacific Encounter's inaugural for P&O season had to start with the Maiden Voyage on October 2, 2021. Previously, for the boat was scheduled a 15-night "Southeast Asia and Australia" (repositioning itinerary) from Singapore (drydock location) to Brisbane. The next two start dates were in 2022 - March 8th (4-day "Whitsundays Cruise" to Airlie Beach) and May 28th (7-day Barrier Reef Discovery), both Brisbane roundtrips, but were also canceled.

Eventually, the Maiden Voyage was rescheduled for August 20, 2022 (7-day "Barrier Reef Discovery") roundtrip from Brisbane to Cairns (Aug 22-23/overnight) and Willis Island (Aug 25).

The Brisbane-homeported Pacific Encounter visits ports in Australia (including Great Barrier Reef) and South Pacific Islands (New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Papua New Guinea). The itineraries are themed "Barrier Reef Discovery" (7-night), "Pacific Island Hopper" (7-night), the themed "Comedy Cruise" (4-night cruise to nowhere), "Whitsundays Cruise" (4-night to Airlie Beach QLD).

The Fincantieri Monfalcone-built Star Princess was christened by godmother Gunilla Antonini - wife of Dr Corrado Antonini (Executive Chairman of the Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri). The liner started its 26-day Maiden Voyage (Pacific Ocean itinerary) on February 13, 2002. Star was the fleet's first Grand-class vessel, with sisterships Golden (Pacific Adventure) and Grand. The other (similarly-designed) boats from this series are Caribbean, Crown, Diamond, Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire.

Pacific Encounter (Monfalcone shipyard/hull number 6051) is powered by Wartsila-Sulzer marine diesel engines (models 8ZAV40S and 8ZAL40) generating total power output 63,36 MW.

Fun fact is, that earlier there was another vessel with the name "Star Princess"/Columbus (former "Pacific Pearl" operated by P&O Australia).

Pacific Encounter refurbishment 2021 review

During drydock 2021 (March-April/2-week project at Damen Shipyards Singapore) the ship's hull and superstructure were repainted.

The ship's 3 restaurants (Angelo’s, Dragon Lady, The Waterfront) were refitted with new carpets and artworks. To The Pantry (lido market) were added 3x Australian fresh food outlets (Stix, Curry House, Kettle & Bun).

In the drydocking project participated 250+ contractors, spent were 84,000+ man-hours, installed was new carpeting (~14,000 m2 of carpets), all the interior was repainted (~5,000 m2 of walls and ceilings).

All public spaces were extensively cleaned and renovated.

Also were conducted general maintenance works.

Pacific Encounter inaugural cruise 2022 itineraries

The renamed Star Princess/Pacific Encounter was originally planned to start operations for P&O Australia with a 15-day repositioning sailing (from Singapore to Brisbane) in 2021, followed by the Maiden Voyage from Australia.

Next is the 7-day "Barrier Reef Discovery" itinerary (Maiden Voyage 2021).

However, both voyages were canceled and the ship's inauguration was eventually rescheduled for August 20, 2022.

Next table shows the 7-day "Barrier Reef Discovery" itinerary (Maiden Voyage 2022).

Godspeed!

Star Princess itineraries 2020-2021

Star Princess ship's last itinerary for Princess Cruises was planned as a 30-day relocation cruise from Alaska to Asia (Vancouver to Singapore / for drydocking) priced from ~USD 2700 pp. However, this voyage was eventually canceled.

Next tables show the last Star Princess itineraries that were scheduled by Princess Cruises before the transfer to P&O Australia. Prices are in USD (per person) and based on double occupancy.

(2020) 15-days Hawaiian Islands Christmas and New Year cruise ($1300)

(2021) 15-days Hawaiian Islands ($1200)

10-days Baja Peninsula Sea of Cortez ($850)

15-days Hawaiian Islands ($1200)

10-days Baja Peninsula Sea of Cortez ($850)

15-days Hawaiian Islands ($1200)

15-days Hawaiian Islands ($1400)

28-days Hawaii, Tahiti Samoa ($3100)

10-days Baja Peninsula Sea of Cortez ($950)

The last in the Star Princess schedule was the 7-day relocation voyage from Los Angeles to Vancouver ($530 pp).

Star Princess 2017 refurbishment review

The ship's 15-day drydock refurbishment in 2017 (December 3-15, done in San Francisco CA) resulted in the following deckplan changes:

• All passenger staterooms received new bedding (all beds were replaced with Princess Luxury Bed). Many cabins were made interconnecting. Category MA (Mini-Suite) was changed to M1.
• The ship's kids and teen lounges (part of "Camp Discovery") were renovated and updated via a partnership with Discovery Channel (as part of Princess Cruises' complimentary onboard children program "Discovery at Sea").
• To the onboard Boutiques (Shops of Princess) were added "Fragrance & Cosmetic" and "Effy Fine Jewelry".
• Sabatini's Italian Trattoria (speciality restaurant) was updated with new decor and a new menu (partnership with Chef Angelo Auriana).
• The ship's wellness complex (Lotus Spa and Fitness Center) was upgraded with the latest gym equipment.
• The Casino Lounge was redesigned and received new carpeting.
• Among the other upgrades were new upholstery and carpeting throughout the ship and general maintenance works.

Star Princess' 2017 drydocking was part of Princess Cruises' USD 450 million multi-year fleet renovation program "Come Back New Promise".