Regal Princess. Photo Courtesy of Princess Cruises
Updated May 08, 2016 .
Princess Cruises Lifestyle:
Princess Cruises offers a quality product in a mainstream cruise line. Its ships appeal to all ages, and the interests and incomes of the passengers can vary widely. Most of the ships fall into the large ship category. Princess is the original "Love Boat. and the company honored "The Love Boat" cast by making them the godparents of the Regal Princess in 2014.
Carnival Corporation is the parent company of Princess Cruises, but each of the Carnival Corp.
Princess Cruises Cruise Ships:
Princess has 18 ships, ranging in size from 700 passengers (Pacific Princess, and Ocean Princess) to over 3000. The ships are modern and well-maintained.
- Sun Princess (1995) Dawn Princess (1997) Sea Princess (1998) Grand Princess (1998)
- Ocean Princess (1999) Pacific Princess (1999) Golden Princess (2001) Star Princess (2002) Coral Princess (2002) Island Princess (2003) Diamond Princess (2004) Caribbean Princess (2004) Sapphire Princess (2005) Crown Princess(2006) Emerald Princess (2007) Ruby Princess (2008) Royal Princess (2013) Regal Princess (2014)
Princess Cruises Passenger Profile :
Princess Cruises are well-suited for couples, families, and older singles. Active cruisers who enjoy a large ship atmosphere with clean, pleasant surroundings at an affordable price will enjoy Princess. Princess passengers come in all shapes, sizes, ages, and income brackets. Younger passengers tend to be found on the shorter Caribbean itineraries, while the older, more affluent frequent the exotic destinations.
All in all, Princess has a very diverse, loyal clientele.
Princess Cruises Cabins:
Like other modern cruise lines, most of Princess' cabins are outside, and many have balconies. The numerous categories of cabins range from large suites (almost 600 square feet) to small interior cabins (160 square feet).
Storage space is adequate, and all cabins have refrigerators, TVs, and hair dryers. The decor of the cabins is warm and clean.
Princess Cruises Cuisine and Dining :
Princess has both "traditional" fixed-seating, fixed-time dining in one dining room on each ship, and "personal choice" dining in the other dining rooms. Each ship has specialty restaurants that have a small cover charge. The linens and china are of good quality, and the service is better than you might expect for a large ship serving thousands each day.
Princess Cruises Onboard Activities and Entertainment :
Princess Cruises has an excellent onboard troupe of performers who put on glamorous, Las Vegas-style production shows geared to the North American audience. The Princess cruise ships also have cabaret acts and many audience participation shows. No one should ever get bored on a Princess ship.
Princess Cruises Common Areas:
Although Princess is owned by Carnival Corporation, the ships do not have Carnival's brilliant, sometimes garish decor. Princess is much more subdued, with calm colors and neutral tones. Many of the Princess ships have teak deck chairs, which is a nice touch. You will find the ubiquitous "art" for sale at the art auctions lining the walls of most common areas.
Princess Cruises Spa, Gym, and Fitness:
The Lotus Spa is operated by Steiner Leisure, and it has all the standard spa treatments, along with some interesting exotic ones. The fitness centers have all the latest equipment. Some fitness classes like Zumba are free, but you will have to pay a fee for kickboxing and yoga. Many of the Princess ships feature the Sanctuary, an adults only retreat near the spa. It's a wonderful place to get away from the rest of the world. Princess allows you to book spa appointments online before you sail.
More on Princess Cruises:
Contact Information
Princess Cruises
Corporate Headquarters
24844 Avenue Rockefeller
Santa Clarita, CA 91355
Princess Cruises debuted in 1965, and today is part of the world's largest cruise line -- Carnival Cruises. The company celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2015.
I cruised on the Emerald Princess in May 2007, and have numerous photo galleries and articles on this ship.
I attended the christening and sailed on a two-day preview and a seven-day eastern Caribbean cruise on the Ruby Princess.
I sailed a two-week cruise to the Baltic states and northern Europe on the Royal Princess.
I attended the christening and sailed on a 3-night cruise to the Bahamas on the Regal Princess.
Princess Cruises Editor's Review
The Experience
Back in 1975, Princess Cruises was a small, Los Angeles-based cruise line with a single star in its lineup, the 640-passenger, 20,000-gross ton Pacific Princess sailing cruises to the Mexican Riviera. The company's fortunes changed overnight, as in all good stories about princesses, when a group of Hollywood television producers selected the ship to star in a new series that became one of the biggest hits in television history. The "Love Boat" was the vehicle that eventually transported tiny Princess Cruises into one of the cruise industry's most recognizable cruise lines. So closely was the Princess Cruises name aligned with the slogan "The Love Boat" that the company kept the phrase as its official motto nearly until the end of the 20th century.
Always an innovative company, Princess manages to stay at the frontline of cruise quality and customer service. Examples of the line's innovation include the first Cajun and Creole restaurants at sea (on Coral and Island Princess), and the ScholarShip@Sea Program (on Coral, Island, Diamond and Sapphire Princess) offering an enviable range of educational and hobby-oriented classes.
The British parent company of Princess Cruises, P&O (Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company), began nearly 200 years ago as one of the great British shipping companies. As the jumbo jet gradually made liner crossings a thing of the past, the company turned to cruising, and operated both Princess Cruises and a number of European divisions until its 2003 merger with Carnival Corporation, which created the world's largest cruise company.