You will have to attend just a little longer to sail on the most important Princess Cruises ship ever.
On Wednesday, the world’s fifth-largest cruise line canceled the inaugural voyage of its much-awaited, 21-deck-high Solar Princess, citing a delay within the ship’s supply from the Italian shipyard that has been constructing it.
The 4,300-passenger vessel was scheduled to debut on Feb. 8 with a 10-night inaugural crusing out of Barcelona. It’s going to now start operations for paying passengers 10 days in a while Feb. 18.
For extra cruise information, guides and ideas, join TPG’s cruise publication.
The brand new inaugural crusing of Solar Princess scheduled for that day will probably be a 10-night voyage out of Civitavecchia, Italy — the port for Rome.
“We perceive that this information is disappointing, and we share in that disappointment,” John Padgett, Princess president, mentioned in a press release accompanying the announcement. “We acknowledge the anticipation that surrounded this crusing, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this cancellation causes.”
Princess did not give a motive for the delay within the ship’s supply, which is able to have an effect on 1000’s of vacationers booked on its first crusing. However such delays are usually the results of vessels not being fully completed on time.
Such delays are extra widespread with vessels reminiscent of Solar Princess which can be the primary in an all-new sequence of ships. Such vessels usually have options on board which can be new for the shipyards developing them.
Below improvement for greater than six years, Solar Princess is the primary of the road’s new Sphere Class of vessels, which will probably be considerably larger than earlier Princess ships and provide a number of notable new-for-the-line options.
Each day Publication
Reward your inbox with the TPG Each day publication
Be part of over 700,000 readers for breaking information, in-depth guides and unique offers from TPG’s consultants
Among the many most notable new choices, Solar Princess would be the first Princess ship with suites that include unique entry to a personal restaurant, lounge and solar deck — a part of an effort to attract extra upscale prospects to the model.
Moreover, Solar Princess will provide an modern new sort of “cabana cabin” alongside the ship’s extra-wide tenth deck that may include entry to a personal deck space. Plus, the highest deck of the ship will get some unusual-for-Princess sizzle with the addition of a glass-dome-topped pool space that may remodel right into a nightspot after the solar goes down.
Associated: Princess is getting inventive with its latest ship
At 175,000 gross tons, Solar Princess will probably be about 21% larger than the most important ships at present within the Princess fleet. It’s going to be capable of maintain about 17% extra passengers than the most important Princess ships.
Its arrival will mark the primary time Princess has launched a brand new class of ships in almost 11 years.
Below development in Italy
Solar Princess is being constructed on the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, which has a protracted historical past of constructing cruise ships for Princess, Cunard, MSC Cruises and several other different manufacturers.
Princess on Wednesday mentioned passengers booked on the canceled inaugural crusing of Solar Princess will obtain a full refund of the cruise fare they paid and refunds for any extra onboard companies that they pre-purchased for the crusing.
Moreover, they will get a 50% future cruise credit score they’ll use on one other Princess voyage and a credit score of as much as $200 per particular person towards the price of change charges associated to their air journey plans. The long run cruise credit score have to be utilized to a cruise reserving by Nov. 30 and is just good towards sailings between now and Dec. 31, 2025.
Planning a cruise? Begin with these tales:
