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Grand Princess, the first ship in the class. | |
Class overview | |
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Builders | |
Operators | |
Preceded by | Sun class |
Succeeded by | Royal class |
Subclasses |
|
Built | 1998–2010 |
In service | 1998 – present |
Completed | 11 |
Active | 11 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Cruise ship |
Tonnage | 109,000–116,000 GT |
Length | 951 ft (289.86 m) |
Beam | 118 ft (35.97 m) |
Draught | 26 ft (7.92 m) |
Decks |
|
Propulsion | Diesel-electric |
Capacity | 2,600–3,114 passengers |
Crew | 1,200 |
The Grand class is a class of cruise ships. Ships in the class are operated by the cruise lines Princess Cruises, P&O Cruises, P&O Cruises Australia and Carnival Cruise Line. The class consists of several series (subclasses) of sister ships, most of which were built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone and Trieste, northern Italy. The first vessel of the original Grand class, Grand Princess, entered service in 1998.
Ships of the later subclasses are based on the Grand class, but have modifications such as additional decks and varied placement of facilities such as the nightclub and restaurants. The structure used as a nightclub is a signature element of Princess Cruises' ships in the Grand class and derived classes. The nightclub either overhangs the stern of the ship (Grand and Caribbean classes) or is located just aft of the funnel (Gem and Crown classes).
The Gem class of ships is based primarily on the Grand class, but modifies the placement of the nightclub to be just aft of the funnel and also modifies the number of restaurants. The two Gem-class ships were built by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki, Japan in 2004.
The Caribbean class is the third version of the design and has one additional deck. As in the original Grand-class design, the nightclub is suspended on the stern. Caribbean-class vessels also introduced a poolside theater, which was later added to other Princess ships.
The Crown class is the fourth Princess Cruises version of the Grand class and has two additional decks. Crown-class ships have returned the placement of the nightclub adjacent to the funnel. Crown-class ships also feature a poolside theater like the Caribbean class.
The Ventura class has 19 decks like the Crown class. These ships both owned and operated by P&O Cruises and are marketed as Grand class, although they were given the Ventura class designation because they are not owned by Princess and are totally modified internally and externally. Ventura is also the largest ship in the Grand class. The second Ventura-class ship is MS Azura, launched in March 2010 which has a modified stern. Azura is also the only P&O Cruises ship to feature a poolside theater style outdoor screen.
Ship | Built | Builder | Entered service | Gross Tonnage | Flag | Notes | Image |
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Grand class | |||||||
Grand Princess | 1998 | Fincantieri | 1998–present | 107,517 tons | Bermuda | Largest and most expensive ship built in 1998 - Last refurbished in March 2019 - Former flagship of Princess fleet before Royal Princess' construction in 2013. | |
Pacific Adventure | 2001 | Fincantieri | 2001–present | 108,865 tons | United Kingdom | Formerly, Golden Princess. Last refurbished in 2022. Transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in 2020 from Princess Cruises. [1] | |
Pacific Encounter | 2002 | Fincantieri | 2002–present | 108,977 tons | Bermuda | Formerly, Star Princess. Fire swept through berths in 2006. Last refurbished in 2022. Transferred to P&O Cruises Australia in 2020 from Princess Cruises. [1] | |
Gem class | |||||||
Design differences on these ships are the relocation of the nightclub to directly aft of the funnel, rather than suspended over the stern, and the much larger funnel. The two Gem-class ships, Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess, are the only two ships based on the Grand class to be built at Mitsubishi's Nagasaki Yard. | |||||||
Diamond Princess | 2004 | Mitsubishi | 2004–present | 115,875 tons | United Kingdom | Originally named Sapphire Princess | |
Sapphire Princess | 2004 | Mitsubishi | 2004–present | 115,875 tons | United Kingdom | Originally named Diamond Princess | |
Caribbean class | |||||||
The design for Caribbean Princess derives directly from the original Grand-class ships, with none of the Gem-class modifications being included. Caribbean Princess uses the original Grand-class design, but with an additional deck. This additional deck increases the ship's passenger capacity from 2,600 to 3,100. Caribbean Princess was also the first ship to have a poolside theater. The three ships in the Crown class, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess, and Ruby Princess, were later built with this feature also included. It has since been added to all of the ships in the class. | |||||||
Caribbean Princess | 2004 | Fincantieri | 2004–present | 112,894 tons | Bermuda | Last refurbished in April 2017 | |
Crown class | |||||||
These ships, which build on Caribbean Princess' design, also differ slightly. These ships have two more passenger decks than the original Grand class as well as the poolside theater. A nightclub is aft of the funnel. | |||||||
Crown Princess | 2006 | Fincantieri | 2006–present | 113,561 tons | Bermuda | Major listing incident in 2006 | |
Emerald Princess | 2007 | Fincantieri | 2007–present | 113,561 tons | Bermuda | ||
Ruby Princess | 2008 | Fincantieri | 2008–present | 113,561 tons | Bermuda | ||
Ventura class | |||||||
Ships in the Ventura class are based on the Crown-class design. The ships in this class are owned and operated by P&O Cruises. Azura has a modified stern. | |||||||
Ventura | 2008 | Fincantieri | 2008–present | 116,017 tons | Bermuda | The largest cruise ship to enter service with P&O Cruises, and the British market, until 2015. | |
Azura | 2010 | Fincantieri | 2010–present | 115,055 tons | Bermuda | Azura has a modified stern. |
Disney Wonder is a cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line. She was the second ship to join the Disney fleet on entering service in 1999. Disney Wonder is of the same class as Disney Magic. The other three ships in the fleet are the Disney Dream, Disney Fantasy, and Disney Wish. The interior of Disney Wonder is decorated in the Art Nouveau style, in contrast to her sister ship, Disney Magic which is decorated in the Art Deco style. Both ships have 11 public decks, can accommodate 2,400 passengers in 875 staterooms, and have a crew of approximately 950. Disney Wonder was built in the year following completion of Disney Magic. As of 2015, Disney Wonder sails various North American itineraries on a seasonal basis. From early September to late October 2016, the ship underwent dry dock in Cadiz, Spain where she was given many new dining, entertainment, and accommodation enhancements.
Princess Cruises is an American cruise line owned by Carnival Corporation & plc. The company is incorporated in Bermuda and its headquarters are in Santa Clarita, California. As of 2021, it is the second largest cruise line by net revenue. It was previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises. The line has 15 ships cruising global itineraries that are marketed to both American and international passengers.
Grand Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises. It was built in 1998 by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone, Italy, with yard number 5956, at a cost of approximately US$450 million. She was the largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built at the time.
MS Arcadia is a cruise ship in the P&O Cruises fleet. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Marghera, Italy. At over 84,000 gross tonnage (GT), Arcadia is the second smallest of seven ships currently in service with P&O Cruises. The ship officially entered service with the company in April 2005 and was named by Dame Kelly Holmes.
MS Caribbean Princess is a modified Grand-class cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises, with a capacity of over 3,600 passengers, the largest carrying capacity in the Princess fleet until June 2013 when the new Royal Princess, another Princess ship superseded its record. She has 900 balcony staterooms and a deck of mini-suites.
Crown Princess is a Crown-class cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises, with a capacity of 3080 guests and a crew complement of 1200. Her maiden voyage took place on 14 June 2006, departing Red Hook, Brooklyn for Grand Turk, Ocho Rios (Jamaica), Grand Cayman, and Port Canaveral (Florida).
MS Queen Victoria (QV) is a Vista-class cruise ship operated by the Cunard Line and is named after the former British monarch Queen Victoria. The vessel is of the same basic design as other Vista-class cruise ships, including Queen Elizabeth. At 90,049 gross tonnage (GT) she is the smallest of Cunard's ships in operation. Her facilities include seven restaurants, thirteen bars, three swimming pools, a ballroom, and a theatre.
Pacific Encounter is a Grand-class cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises Australia, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. She was originally delivered in 2002 as Star Princess to sister cruise line Princess Cruises in 2002 by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, and was the second ship in Princess' history to operate under the name. She had been the third Grand-class ship to be added to the fleet, following Grand Princess and Golden Princess. In 2018, Carnival Corporation announced that Star Princess would be transferred to P&O Cruises Australia to accommodate P&O's expansion plans in Oceania; however, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent impact on tourism, Carnival Corporation accelerated the transfer of the vessel and Star Princess joined P&O's fleet in 2020, one year earlier than planned. Following a renovation and a renaming to Pacific Encounter, she debuted in August 2022 upon P&O's staged resumption of operations.
Pacific Adventure is a Grand-class cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises Australia, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. It was previously named Golden Princess.
MV Ventura is a Grand-class cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. The 116,017 GT ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy and is 288.6 m (947 ft) long. She officially entered service with the company in April 2008 and was named by Dame Helen Mirren. Ventura underwent a refit at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, during March and April 2013, and re-entered service on 7 April 2013 with a voyage to Spain and Portugal. In February 2023 she underwent a minor refit again at the Hamburg shipyard, re-entering service four weeks later.
A cruise ship poolside theater is a giant LED display screen, ranging from around 250 to 350 square feet. It is complemented with a large, 50,000-80,000 watt sound system. The theater is usually placed facing the main swimming pool of a cruise ship. The theater can be used to display news, sporting events, poolside activities, concerts, and movies.
RMS Sylvania was an ocean liner built in 1957 by John Brown & Co (Clydebank), in Glasgow, for the United Kingdom-based shipping company Cunard Line. She was the last Cunard Line vessel built specifically for transatlantic crossings. The ship was later heavily rebuilt as a cruise ship, and sailed under the names SS Fairwind, SS Sitmar Fairwind, SS Dawn Princess and SS Albatros before being scrapped in 2004. She was renamed SS Genoa for her last voyage.
MS Azura is a cruise ship operated by P&O Cruises and owned by Carnival plc. The ship was built by Fincantieri at their shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. She officially entered service with the company in April 2010 and was named by Darcey Bussell.
MS Golden Princess was a casino cruise ship owned by Eurasia International, operated on short casino cruises out of Hong Kong. She was built in 1967 by the Wärtsilä Hietalahti shipyard in Helsinki, Finland as Finlandia for the Finland Steamship Company. In 1975 she was sold to Finnlines, who converted her into the cruise ship Finnstar in 1978. In 1982 she entered service for Pearl Cruises as Pearl of Scandinavia. In 1988 she was renamed Ocean Pearl. In 1994 she entered service with Croisières Paquet as Pearl. Between 1995 and 1998 she sailed for Costa Cruises as Costa Playa. In 1998-1999 she sailed as Oriental Pearl for Mega Wave International, and in 1999-2000 as Joy Wave for Costa Cruises. In 2000 she was sold to Eurasia International and entered service under the name Golden Princess. In 2009 she was sold for scrap to China.
RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a British transatlantic ocean liner. She has served as the flagship of Cunard Line since succeeding Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2004. The ship was officially named Queen Mary 2 by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004 after the first RMS Queen Mary of 1936. With the retirement of Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2008, Queen Mary 2 is the only ocean liner in service in the world. She has a regular service between Southampton, England, and New York City, United States, and an annual world cruise.
TSS Caledonian Princess was a turbine steamship, built by William Denny & Brothers in 1961. A roll-on/roll-off car ferry, she primarily served the Stranraer - Larne route. Under Sealink ownership, however, she operated in both the English Channel and the Irish Sea. From 1984, she spent her later life as the Tuxedo Princess, a floating nightclub on the River Tyne. She never saw service under her final name, Prince, and was scrapped in 2008.
Regal Princess is a Royal-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc, and is the second ship to sail for the cruise line under this name. Regal Princess, as well as her sister ship Royal Princess, were ordered on 17 February 2010 from Fincantieri and were constructed at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, and debuted in 2014.
MV Britannia is a cruise ship of the P&O Cruises fleet. She was built by Fincantieri at its shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
The Vista Spirit hybrid-class cruise ship is the culmination of two cruise ship designs. Carnival Corporation had two competing and very similar ship designs, the Vista class and Spirit class. The Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri constructed Vista-class ships for Holland America and P&O Cruises and the Finnish STX shipbuilder built Spirit-class vessels for the Carnival and Costa brands. Both designs incorporated Azipods, and were Panamax ships around 90,000 gross tonnage (GT).
MSC Seaside is a Seaside-class cruise ship currently owned and operated by MSC Cruises. As the lead vessel of the Seaside class, she lends her name to the company's Seaside class. At 153,516 GT, she would become the largest cruise ship ever to be constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, and the 14th largest cruise ship in the world, behind Norwegian Epic, upon her delivery in December 2017.