Princess Cruise Ships

Princess Cruise Lines was originally formed by Stanley McDonald. In 1965, he chartered the 6,000 ton Princess Cruise Ship Patricia and initiated cruises from California to ports on the west coast of Mexico. Princess cruise ships expanded to include the Princess Italia in 1967 and cruise itineraries were expanded to include spring and summer sailings to Canada and Alaska. Princess is one of the three largest cruise lines with ten Princess cruise ships servicing more than ten percent of the cruise market.

Princess cruise ships added the Princess Carla was chartered in 1968. 1971 saw a major upgrade when McDonald chartered the Princess cruise ship Island Princess. But the most famous of the Princess Cruise ships is the Pacific Princess which is more popularly known as television's Love Boat.

The Love Boat television series brought cruising into the living rooms of millions of Americans whose prior nautical experience had not gone beyond a rowboat. The show not only gave a gigantic shot in the arm to the entire cruise industry as a whole but specifically made Princess Cruises a household name worldwide.

Itineraries for Princess cruise ships vary from year to year and in 1998 included more than 200 different ports around the globe. The line offers not only Caribbean, Mexican Riviera, Panama Canal, Alaska, South America/Amazon, Canada/New England, and Colonial American cruises but Mediterranean, North Sea-Baltic, Hawaii/Tahiti, South Pacific, India, Africa, Holy Land, and Far East cruises as well. Since Princess cruise ships make a practice of following the pulse of the marketplace, it is best to recheck itineraries for each season.

The Royal Princess was one of the most innovative ships built in the 1980s. All staterooms are outside cabins with large picture windows, closed-circuit, color TVs, refrigerators, private wall safes, tubs and showers, and twin beds that can be converted to doubles. One hundred and fifty of the rooms have outside verandas.

All of the cabins and suites are located on the top decks, with most public rooms below. This is the reverse of most other ships and represents an emphasis on passenger accommodations. The decorations are truly elegant, with considerable brass, glass, wood, art, and soft-toned fabric. There is one immense dining room that seats all the passengers in two sittings.

In addition, there is a larger than average swimming pool for laps, smaller wading pools and Jacuzzis, a 1/4 mile jogging track, a large casino, and a 360-degree panorama lounge on the top deck that presently converts to a disco at night. Here again, the greatest weakness is the size of the standard staterooms which come off narrow and not terribly spacious.

Princess cruise ships have several strong points including attractive vessels, activities, entertainment, ambiance, itineraries, and a well-rounded, upscale cruise experience. The Grand Class ships are extremely well-appointed and among the most glamorous in the industry.