Grand Princess

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Grand Princess
Grand Princess kruzer Kecikan 28 08 2023 Dragan Cvetkovic Nis.JPG
Grand Princess docked in Ketchikan, Alaska in 2023
History
Flag of Bermuda.svg Bermuda
NameGrand Princess
Owner
Operator Princess Cruises
Port of registry
Ordered8 February 1994
Builder
Cost US$450 million
Yard number5956
Launched20 May 1998
Sponsored by Olivia de Havilland
Christened29 September 1998
Maiden voyage26 May 1998
In service1998–present
Identification
StatusIn service
Notes [1]
General characteristics
Type Grand-class cruise ship
Tonnage107,517  GT
Length289.86 m (951 ft 0 in)
Beam35.97 m (118 ft 0 in)
Height61.26 m (201 ft 0 in)
Draught7.92 m (26 ft 0 in)
Decks17
PropulsionTwo shafts; fixed-pitch propellers
Speed22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph) (cruising)
Boats & landing
craft carried		6 tenders
Capacity
  • 2,590 lower berth passengers
  • 3,100 maximum passengers
Crew1,100
Notes [1]

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.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Grand Princess is docked in Copenhagen, Denmark on January 29, 2009 Grand Princess - panoramio.jpg
Grand Princess is docked in Copenhagen, Denmark on January 29, 2009

Grand Princess was the first of the Grand-class cruise ships debuting in 1998, and christened by Olivia de Havilland. When Grand Princess was launched, she featured in the Princess Cruises brochures as a Sun-class ship; it was only with the subsequent launch of Golden Princess that the Grand class appeared in brochures.[ citation needed ] The ship has a different decor scheme to her sister ships, using darker woods, and the interior decor is more similar to the smaller Sun-class ships.

She is the sister ship of Star Princess and Golden Princess. Grand Princess was the setting for a task in the second series of the UK version of the reality TV show The Apprentice .

On 19 July 2009, the ship was drydocked for 14 days for refurbishments such as boosting Grand Princess's energy and environmental efficiency. [2]

2011 refit

Grand Princess in Split, Croatia in October 2011 Grand Princess (ship, 1998) IMO 9104005, in Split, 2011-10-13.jpg
Grand Princess in Split, Croatia in October 2011

In May 2011, Grand Princess completed the most extensive dry-dock in Princess Cruises history that included a refit and removal of the nightclub from her stern. [3] [4] This resolved her tendency to sail bow high, and has improved her fuel economy by about 3–4%. The bow high tendency was specific to Grand Princess and did not affect her sister ships as they were designed with aluminum upper decks. The aft nightclub atop the aft of Grand Princess was removed in the 2011 refit.

Incidents

2017 whale incident

On 9 August 2017, a dead humpback whale was found stuck on the bow of the ship after it docked in Ketchikan, Alaska. [5] Princess Cruises issued a statement that said "It is unknown how or when this happened as the ship felt no impact. It is also unknown, at this time, whether the whale was alive or already deceased before becoming lodged on the bow." [6] It was the second time in two years that a whale had been carried into an Alaska port on the bow of a cruise ship. [6] [7]

2020 coronavirus pandemic

Grand Princess passes Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California, USA on March 8, 2020 Grand Princess returns to port in Oakland (6472325).jpg
Grand Princess passes Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California, USA on March 8, 2020

During the initial outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, former passengers of the ship who had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 were being linked to cruises they had taken on the ship while it traveled between California, Mexico, and Hawaii. After the first confirmed death on 4 March 2020, Grand Princess was rerouted to the San Francisco Bay Area, where it was anchored offshore while test kits were airlifted to the ship. Preliminary testing found 21 positive cases, and the ship later docked in Oakland on 9 March 2020, with over 3,000 people entering quarantine. [8] At least 497 people who were on Grand Princess when it was rerouted are known to have tested positive for the virus, and 7 passengers died in connection to the virus. [9]

References

  1. 1 2 "Grand Princess Vessel Details and Current Position". Marine Traffic. 2012. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Energy focus for Grand Princess retrofit". Riviera.
  3. ↑ Peter Knego (10 February 2011). "Grand Princess To Lose Her 'Handle'". MaritimeMatters. Archived from the original on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 29 April 2012.
  4. ↑ Staff, C. I. N. (10 February 2011). "Grand Princess to Undergo Dramatic Transformation; Skywalkers Removed". www.cruiseindustrynews.com. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
  5. ↑ Joling, Dan (9 August 2017). "Dead whale found on bow of cruise ship entering Alaska port". msn.com. The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on 10 August 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 "How did a dead whale get stuck to the bow of this cruise ship?". New York Post. Associated Press. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "Passenger shock: Cruise ship arrives in port with massive whale carcass on bow". news.com.au. Associated Press. 10 August 2017. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  8. ↑ "Coronavirus: Cruise ship Grand Princess docks in California". BBC News. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  9. ↑ "Grand Princess crew member dies at San Francisco hospital, cruise line confirms". KTVU. Retrieved 6 December 2025.

Bibliography

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