Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises was founded in 1965 when it was comprised of a single cruise ship sailing only to Mexico. The company became famous in 1977, when their ship the Pacific Princess was used in the popular television series "The Love Boat", which introduced many viewers to the concept of vacations-at-sea. Over the years Princess Cruises has pioneered many concepts, some of which have been adopted by the cruise industry as a whole. One of the first was in 1980's with their introduction of the "affordable veranda". Prior to this time private verandas were only found attached to the most expensive of suites. Today, they boast of having the largest percentage of balcony cabins across all categories of cabins in the cruise industry. In the 1980's they pioneered what they referred to as the flexible cruise experience which allowed passengers more freedom in designing their own adventure thru added onboard services, amenities, and facilities. Princess also introduced the first 24 hour restaurant on a cruise ship. Shortly there after in 2001 they introduced "Anytime Dining", where instead of the traditional ship board experience where you ate at the same table, at the same time, with the same people at every meal, Princess allowed passengers to eat with whom they wanted, when they wanted. Another innovation was the first modern wedding chapel offering ceremonies at sea, a pool side movie screen and an adults only area they called "The Sanctuary". Today, Princess Cruises has 17 ships that carry over 1 million passengers a year to destinations all over the world. They now offer 100 different iteneraries, which include 350 ports of call to all 7 continents. Their "Adventures Ashore" program offers almost 4,000 different port excursions. Currently Princes Cruises is a part of Carnival Corporation & plc, the largest cruise company in the industry.

Key Dates

1986: P&O; Princess Cruises acquired Tour Alaska
1988: P&O; Princess Cruises acquired Sitmar Line
2000: P&O; Princess Cruises demerged from Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company
2003: Miami-based Carnival Corporation merged with P&O; Princess Cruises to form Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise company

Princess Fleet

Grand Class - Largest Ships (951 feet) (2,600-3114 passengers):

Sun Class - Mid-sized Ships (857-964 feet) (1970-1990 passengers):

Explorer Class - Smallest Ships (592 feet) (680 passengers):