LOS ANGELES -- Princess Cruises ordered two super-megaships for
delivery in 2001, each topping 109,000 tons and carrying 2,600
passengers.
The line already has one super-mega under construction, the
Grand Princess, which will debut in May. With the new orders,
Princess will have the three super-megas, plus two other Grand
Class vessels, entering service within the next three years: Sea
Princess and Ocean Princess, each 77,000 tons, debut in November
and in 1999, respectively.
All together, the five new builds will double the line's
passenger capacity and cost $2.5 billion.
The new super-megas each will cost $425 million, and will be
constructed at Fincantieri shipyard in Trieste, Italy, which has
built all the recent Princess vessels, starting with the Crown
Princess in 1990. The as-yet-unnamed super-mega ships will be
deployed in the Caribbean year-round, Princess said.
The decision to expand the fleet aggressively with more Grand
Princess-size ships, officials said, was based on advance bookings
for the Grand Princess, which is scheduled to debut in Europe
before repositioning to the Caribbean next Oct. 4.
Princess president Peter Ratcliffe told Travel Weekly that the
Grand Princess already has sold out her inaugural European season.
Ratcliffe said agents and consumers encouraged the new builds by
responding favorably to the line's concept of Grand Class cruising
, which was introduced with Sun Princess in 1995 and Dawn Princess
last year.
Grand Class ships have more staterooms with private balconies --
the Grand Princess has more than 700 -- and more dining,
entertainment and recreation options. "We're investing where we see
the success," he said.
Like the Grand Princess, the newly ordered super-megas will
feature an on-board wedding chapel; eight dining areas; a casino; a
disco suspended 150 feet above the water and accessible by a
glass-enclosed skywalk; a virtual reality center, and three show
rooms.
Ratcliffe hinted that more ships may be in the offing. "We've
invested consistently. There will be further ships in due course,
but not immediately."