Sky Princess (2019)

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Sky Princess
Sky Princess Trieste 2019-10-16 16-46-44.jpg
Sky Princess in Trieste, October 2019
History
Flag of Bermuda.svg Bermuda
NameSky Princess
Owner Carnival Corporation house flag.svg Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator Princess Cruises
Port of registry Hamilton, Flag of Bermuda.svg  Bermuda
Ordered30 December 2015 [1]
Builder
Yard number6268 [2]
Laid down05 July 2018 [3]
Launched14 February 2019 [4]
Sponsored by Kay Hire and Poppy Northcutt [5]
Christened7 December 2019 [5]
Completed12 October 2019 [6]
Acquired15 October 2019 [2]
Maiden voyage20 October 2019 [6]
In service2019–present
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and type Royal-class cruise ship
Tonnage145,281  GT [2]
Length330 m (1,080 ft) [2]
Beam38.4 m (126 ft) [2]
Draught8.5 m (28 ft) [2]
Depth11.35 m (37.2 ft) [2]
Decks19
Installed power
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 12V46F Diesel generators producing 14,400 kW (19,300 hp) each [7]
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 14V46F Diesel generators producing 16,800 kW (22,500 hp) each [7]
  • Total Installed Power: 62,400 kW (83,700 hp) [7]
Propulsion2 × 18,000 kW (24,000 hp) [7]
Speed
  • 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) [7] (Service speed)
  • 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) [7] (Maximum speed)
Capacity3,660 passengers [8]
Crew1,346

Sky Princess is a Royal-class cruise ship currently operated by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. She is the second ship in the cruise line's history to sail under this name. She is the fourth Royal-class ship in the Princess fleet and commenced operations in October 2019. [9] [10] The ship measures 145,281 GT and has a capacity of 3,660 passengers. [10] [1]

Contents

History

Planning and construction

Carnival Corporation first entered a strategic agreement with Fincantieri in March 2015 for five cruise ships for delivery between 2019 and 2022. [11] From this agreement, the order for a then-unnamed, fourth Royal-class vessel was announced for Princess on 30 December 2015. [1] [12] The contract for this order was finalized on 2 April 2016. [13] On 30 November 2017, Princess Cruises officially announced the name of the fourth Royal-class ship as Sky Princess, in honor of a previous Princess vessel that carried the same name. [14] [15]

Construction began on 9 November 2016 with the steel cutting for the ship's bow at Fincantieri's shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia, [16] with a separate milestone on 8 September 2017 marking the steel-cutting for the rest of the ship at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone. [17] Her keel-laying was performed on 5 July 2018. [3] She was floated out on 14 February 2019 [4] and completed her sea trials in September 2019. [18]

Debut

Sky Princess was officially delivered on 15 October 2019 in her handover ceremony at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone. [9] [10]

The ship sailed a four-day pre-inaugural "shakedown" cruise for the press on 16 October 2019 from Trieste to Athens with a call in Kotor. [19] She performed her official maiden voyage on 20 October 2019, a seven-day cruise sailing between Athens and Barcelona. [6] She sailed a short inaugural season in the Mediterranean in fall 2019 before repositioning to her new homeport of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, arriving on 1 December 2019. [14] Due to high demand, two three-day inaugural cruises were scheduled on 1 December 2019 and 4 December 2019, with both cruising between Port Everglades and Princess Cays. [20]

Sky Princess was christened at Port Everglades on 7 December 2019 by NASA astronaut and U.S. Navy Captain Kay Hire and NASA engineer Poppy Northcutt. [5]

Operational career

During the winter months, Sky Princess sails in the Caribbean from Port Everglades. [21] [22] For the summer months, she sails in Europe, including the Baltic region. [23] [24] In the fall, she sails along the Maritimes and New England from New York. [25] [26]

Design and specifications

Sky Princess measures 145,281  GT, has a length of 330.0 metres (1,082.7 ft), a draft of 8.49 metres (27.9 ft), and a beam of 38.4 metres (126 ft). [7] [2] She is powered by a diesel-electric genset system, with four total Wärtsilä engines, producing a total output of 62.4 megawatts (83,700 hp). [7] Main propulsion is via two propellers, each driven by a 18 megawatts (24,000 hp) electric motor. [7] The system gives the vessel a service speed of 21.9 knots (40.6 km/h; 25.2 mph) and a maximum speed of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). [7] The ship houses 1,830 passenger cabins and 757 crew cabins. [7] Of the 1,830 passenger cabins, 81% have a balcony. [7] The ship has a maximum capacity of 5,800 passengers and crew. [7]

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