Princess Cruises Grows Presence In Japan, Unveils Preview Sailings For New Ship
Princess Cruises, a division of Carnival Corporation, has revealed plans to grow its presence in Japan with the deployment of a second ship to the market. The line has also announced 2 preview cruises for the upcoming Royal Princess, designed to allow cruises a taste of the new ship before its official inauguration.
Second Ship and 3 Homeports for Japan in 2014
Between April and October 2014, the 2,670-passenger Diamond Princess returns to its country of manufacture to join the Sun Princess on an expanded cruise programme from 3 homeports – Kobe, Otaru and Yokohama. Both ships will offer a combined 42 departures featuring 9 unique itineraries visiting over 20 ports in Japan, Russia, South Korea and Taiwan.
Diamond Princess will homeport in Yokohama operating 9-day sailings, with 5 new itineraries created for her deployment. Highlights include a special 10-day itinerary during the popular Golden Week holiday period that will feature several festival visits as well as a special port call to Nagasaki, where she was built 10 years ago by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
In an industry first, Sun Princess will sail 7-day cruises from the northern coastal town of Otaru exploring Hokkaido and the Russian Pacific coast. Ports of call include Abashiri, Hakodate, Korsakov, Kushiro and Muroran, with scenic cruising of the Shiretoko Peninsula. She will also operate 8-day itineraries from Kobe visiting Beppu, Busan, Jeju Island, Kagoshima and Nagasaki.
Onboard, passengers will find the same Princess Cruises experience with enhancements for the local market. Japanese-speaking crew members will be on-hand to assist, while dining and recreation options will feature Japanese elements culminating in a traditional kagamiwari ceremony during the captain’s welcome on each cruise.
Royal Princess Previews
Princess Cruises’ upcoming Royal Princess, one of the industry’s highly-anticipated newbuilds for 2013, will host 2 special preview sailings prior to its official inauguration. Taking place on 9 June and 14 June 2013, the 2-night itinerary will operate roundtrip from Southampton with a call at St. Peter Port on Guernsey.
The short cruises have been designed to offer a sampling of the 3,600-passenger Royal Princess’ ground-breaking features, including the glass-bottomed “SeaWalk”, her “Princess Live!” television studio and the “Center Court” multi-sport zone. Joining the fleet on 16 June 2013, she will spend her maiden summer season cruising the Mediterranean, before repositioning to the Eastern Caribbean for the autumn cruise season.
For more information, visit www.princess.com.
Travelwerke 