To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Princess Cruises and The Sound of Music, Princess Cruises will partner with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment to screen the biggest movie musical of all time on board all 18 of its ships. As part of the celebrations, themed sing-a-longs, trivia games, and other movie-themed experiences will be hosted throughout the year.
Back in September 2014, Princess Cruises announced that it had plans to sell their smallest ship, Ocean Princess when their new ship enters service in 2017. Today, Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings, the parent company of Oceania Cruiseshas announced the vessel will join their fleet in April 2016. The 684-passenger ship will be renamed Sirena and join sister ships Insignia, Regatta and Nautica. Kevin Sheehan, president and chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Lines Holdings said: The acquisition of Sirena provides measured capacity growth based on the proven platform of Oceania Cruises' highly regarded mid-size ships. The ship will undergo a 35-day refurbishment, costing $40 million in Marseille, before joining the fleet. Cruises on board Sirena, will be released towards the end of February 2015, before going on sale on March 4th. Oceania president and chief operating officer, Kunal Kamlani, commented: The addition of Sirena opens up an entire array of new itinerary options for Oceania Cruises as we think about our deployment strategy. The cast of 70's TV show 'The Love Boat' have officially named Princess Cruises' Regal Princess at a star-studded naming ceremony in Fort Lauderdale. Princess Cruises has partnered with Discovery Communications, the world's #1 pay-TV programmer and behind popular channels such as Discovery, TLC, Animal Planet and Science Channel. As part of their collaboration, they will create 'Discovery At Sea', featuring interactive onboard activities and special shore excursions. The new cruises will feature themed tours, science activities as well as hands-on programs and games based on Discovery's TVprogrammes, such as Shark Week, Mythbusters and Deadliest Catch. A variety of activities will be available, including: Discovery Under the Stars – Guests on select cruise vacations will forever look up at the night sky in a whole new way after this cosmic voyage from the ship’s top deck. Shark Week at Sea – This experience will challenge adults and kids alike, testing their knowledge of the ocean with trivia games and a variety of themed activities. Baking at Sea with TLC – All ages will be able to join in the fun of learning to bake and decorate cakes by the best pastry chefs at sea. Discovery, Animal Planet and Science Channel Shore Excursions – Offerings will include panning for gold on the Gold Rush inspired tour; getting up-close with each destination’s native animals during Animal Planet tours; and learning how popular foods and beverages go from farm to table on Science Channel How It’s Made tours. Discovery Kids and Teens Program – Age-appropriate onboard activities will include fun and engaging science experiments made popular by Mythbusters; Animal Planet themed activities; brain teasers and competitions; and videos, puzzles, games and apps from Discovery. The new Discovery At Sea partnership will be debuting on Princess Cruises’ ships in early 2015. Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said: This is such an exciting partnership between our two companies because we are both passionate about exploring the world. Discovery’s brands resonate with a growing, global audience and we’ll be bringing some of their most popular programmes to life for our guests in the context of the destinations they are visiting on their cruise. We’re creating meaningful and memorable shared experiences while also fueling a lifelong passion for travel. Nicolas Bonard, SVP of Global Discovery Consumer Products, commented: From science and nature to baking, crafting and exploration, the Discovery brands truly provide something for every cruiser to enjoy. This partnership is the perfect integration of our brands into the amazing offering Princess provides its guests onboard, creating a truly unique experience igniting curiosity on every voyage. To further enhance the cruise experience, Princess ships will feature a lineup of television programming including hit shows from Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and TLC. Discovery limited-time-only merchandise will also be available onboard, offering passengers a chance to bring home branded keepsake souvenirs.
Princess Cruises' small ship, Ocean Princess is to be sold when a third new vessel enters service in 2017.
Carnival Corporation president and CEO Arnold Donald revealed the decision while delivering third quarter results. Donald said: "In keeping with our company's strategy of measured capacity growth, this will be our only new build in 2017. "And we also have plans underway to sell the smaller Ocean Princess." It is not known at this stage who the ship will be sold to. Princess Cruises will be launching a sister ship to the Royal and Regal Princess in 2017. Ocean Princess has been operating with Princess Cruises for 14 years, previously named Tahitian Princess. It was built in 1999, by the now defunct Renaissance Cruises, which had a fleet of 8 identical ships. Multiple cruise lines including; Azamara Club Cruises, P&O and Oceania Cruises all have identical ships to the Ocean Princess. Azamara Club Cruises revealed they need extra capacity to fill demand, so it would seem possible for the cruise line to purchase Ocean Princess, the identical sister to their current fleet of 2, Azamara Journey and Quest, instead of an expensive new build. |
Subscribe To Our Email Updates!Meet The EditorJordan Bailey is 19 and loves to travel! He has been on over 20 cruises around the world, with many different cruise lines, making him a source of knowledge.
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