A History Of Princess Cruises

Established over 40 years ago, Princess Cruises has risen from humble beginnings to become one of the most recognised travel brands in the world.

The cruise line now operates a fleet of 17 modern vessels, including the recently launched Ruby Princess, which has been widely praised by the critics.

Other vessels in the Princess Cruises' fleet include the Dawn Princess, Coral Princess and Sapphire Princess.

Blast from the past

Founded in 1965, Princess Cruises began by offering sailings between Los Angeles and Mexico on a converted ferry named the Princess Patricia.

It soon became clear that the Princess Patricia was not suited to tropical climates and the company chartered the Princess Italia, which was one of the first modern vessels built specifically for cruise holidays.

In 1967 Princess became one of the first companies to offer regular voyages to the Panama Canal.

Princess Cruises continued to expand and the following year began to operate sailings to Alaska, along with transatlantic voyages between Nassau and Genoa.

The 1970s saw the cruise line's fleet begin to expand at a steady rate, with the addition of the Island Princess, Pacific Princess and Sun Princess.

Princess shot to fame in 1977, when the cruise line became the back-drop for the popular Love Boat TV series, which was produced by Aaron Spelling and introduced an audience of millions to the concept of cruise holidays.

The 1980s was a period of major activity for Princess, with the cruise line pioneering the idea of affordable veranda accommodation and launching a number of ships including the Royal Princess, Sea Princess and Dawn Princess.

Meanwhile, 1985 saw the launch of the company's first Mediterranean cruises and in 1987 Princess began to operate its first cruises from Miami to the Caribbean.

Not afraid to take risks, Princess continued to evolve and in the mid-90s it pioneered the concept of offering passengers more control over their cruise experiences and became one of the first cruise lines to provide 24-hour dining.

As the 90s gave way to the noughties, the cruise line added several more ships to its fleet, including the Golden Princess, Star Princess and Sapphire Princess and for the first time began offering voyages to Antarctica, as well as the first Caribbean sailings from Texas.

Princess has continued to pave the way for the cruise industry by continually evolving to meet the needs of modern-day passengers. The cruise line constructed the first wedding chapel at sea and launched the Sanctuary – an adults-only relaxation area which has been well-received by passengers.

Cruising into the future

November 2008 saw the launch of the Ruby Princess, which was christened during a glittering ceremony in California by US TV stars Trista and Ryan Sutter.

The 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess features an impressive piazza-style atrium, complete with street performers, a number of small-bite eateries, a pool-side movie screen and a luxurious health spa.

During her inaugural season Ruby Princess will make a series of seven-day sailings from Fort Lauderdale and the Caribbean, before moving to Europe in the spring to offer 12-day Mediterranean cruises.

The cruise line has certainly come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1965 and looks set to continue going from strength to strength in the future.

Princess Cruises currently offers more than 100 itineraries to 350 destinations such as the Mexican Riviera, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the South Pacific and Hawaii.

As well as offering a wide range of exciting itineraries, passengers travelling with Princess Cruises also have the opportunity to enhance their travel experience by taking part in one of the in-port excursions organised by the cruise line.

Princess Cruises' Adventures Ashore programme features more than 4,000 excursion options and passengers can do everything from visiting a wilderness lodge to travelling through Alaska in a luxury domed rail car.

Which Princess Cruises cruise ship is right for you?

• Caribbean Princess
• Coral Princess
• Crown Princess
• Dawn Princess
• Diamond Princess
• Emerald Princess
• Golden Princess
• Grand Princess
• Island Princess
• Pacific Princess
• Royal Princess
• Ruby Princess
• Sapphire Princess
• Sea Princess
• Star Princess
• Sun Princess
• Tahitian Princess

1. Where would you like to cruise? Anywhere Caribbean (All) Central America (All)     Panama Canal Europe (All)     Baltic     Black Sea     Mediterranean     Western Europe North America (All)     East Canada     Mexican Riviera South Pacific (All)     Hawaii Transatlantic (All)
2. Which departure port? Any port Barbados, Barbados Barcelona, Spain Civitavecchia, Italy Copenhagen, Denmark Fort Lauderdale, Florida Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, California, Usa New York, New York New York, New York, Usa Papeete, Tahiti Piraeus, Greece San Juan, Puerto Rico Southampton, England Venice, Italy
3. When? Anytime 2010 (All)     April 2010     May 2010     June 2010     July 2010     August 2010     September 2010     October 2010     November 2010     December 2010 2011 (All)     January 2011     February 2011     March 2011     April 2011
4. For how long? Any Duration 7 - 9 Nights 10 - 13 Nights 14 - 16 Nights 17 - 40 Nights
5. Which ship do you prefer? I Don't Mind Princess Cruises (All)      Caribbean Princess      Coral Princess      Crown Princess      Emerald Princess      Golden Princess      Grand Princess      Island Princess      Pacific Princess      Royal Princess      Ruby Princess      Sea Princess      Star Princess
6. Cruise type? Any Fly & Cruise Fly, Cruise & Stay Cruise from a UK Port
7.   Reset

Itineraries

Princess Cruises Itineraries

• Caribbean

• Central America

• Panama Canal

• Europe

• Baltic

• Black Sea

• Med

• W.Europe

• N.America

• East Canada

• Mexican Riviera

• South Pacific

• Hawaii

• Transatlantic

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