PHOTO: Princess Cruises has ordered a new ship that will be similar to the Royal Princess and Regal Princess, pictured. (Courtesy of Princess Cruises)
Carnival Corp. ordered a new ship for its Princess Cruises brand from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. The 143,000-ton, 3,560-passenger vessel, a sister to the Royal Princess and Regal Princess, is scheduled for delivery in 2017.
"Royal Princess and Regal Princess have been exceptionally successful for us and have received numerous accolades from guests, travel agents and media, so adding another sister ship will enable us to continue to expand our innovative vacation experiences," said Princess President Jan Schwartz.
The as-yet unnamed ship, which will be built at an all-in cost of approximately €600 million (about $800 million), will feature the design platform introduced by sister ships Royal Princess in 2013 and Regal Princess this past May. Among the signature elements for the newbuild will be the soaring central atrium hub with dining, entertainment and retail venues, the adults-only Sanctuary, and Movies Under the Stars on a jumbo poolside screen. Eighty percent of all staterooms will have balconies. The ship will also include some new innovations, which will be revealed in coming months.
Schwartz said this is the only new order Carnival Corp. anticipates for 2017 delivery.
Financial analyst Robin Farley, of UBS Investment Research, predicted the order in June. "We had anticipated newbuild order announcement from CCL this summer in our June 11, 2014, note … as CCL had no ships on order past '16," she wrote. "Similar to previous Princess orders, the ship is being built by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri. We don't anticipate any other new orders for '17 (as any newbuilds would have to be ordered by this fall), and estimate 2017 could be a one-ship year for CCL vs. the 2-3 ships per year to which the company has limited itself."
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