Golden Princess (2000)

Golden Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Delivered in 2001, she is the second Grand-class ship in the fleet, following sister ship Grand Princess.

For other ships with the same name, see Golden Princess (ship).

Golden Princess
Golden Princess in Kobe, Japan, 2016
History
United Kingdom
Name:
  • Pacific Adventure (2020–onwards)
  • Golden Princess (2001–2020)
Owner: Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator:
Port of registry: London,  United Kingdom
Ordered: January 1998[1]
Builder:
Cost: US$425 million[1]
Yard number: 6050[2]
Launched: 31 August 2000[3]
Sponsored by: Merlisa George (Miss US Virgin Islands 2002)[4]
Christened: 17 April 2002[4]
Maiden voyage: 16 May 2001 (Southampton to Barcelona)[5]
In service: 2001–present
Identification:
General characteristics
Class and type: Grand-class cruise ship
Tonnage: 109,000 GT[2]
Length: 290 m (950 ft)[2]
Beam: 36 m (118 ft)[2]
Draught: 8.05 m (26.4 ft)[2]
Decks:
  • 17 total decks[3]
  • 13 passenger decks[3]
Installed power:
  • 4 × Sulzer 16 ZAV Diesel generators producing 11,520 kW (15,450 hp) each[2]
  • 2 × Sulzer 12 ZAV Diesel generators producing 8,640 kW (11,590 hp) each[2]
Propulsion: 2 × diesel-electric propulsion motors producing 19,000 kW (25,000 hp) each
Speed: 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)[2]
Capacity: 2,600 passengers[3]
Crew: 1,100[3]
Notes: [6][7][8][5]

She is currently scheduled to transfer to sister brand P&O Cruises Australia and begin operating as Pacific Adventure by fall 2020.[9]

History

Golden Princess

Construction and debut

In January 1998, Princess Cruises announced it was ordering two Grand-class ships scheduled for delivery in 2001. Each ship was initially estimated to cost approximately US$425 million and be constructed by Fincantieri near Trieste.[1] Golden Princess officially debuted in Southampton in May 2001,[10] with her maiden voyage scheduled for May 16, 2001.[11] For her inaugural summer, she sailed 12-day Mediterranean voyages between Barcelona and Istanbul,[10] with Caribbean voyages from Fort Lauderdale, Florida beginning on 13 October 2001.[12]

She was originally planned to be christened by Jane Seymour on 12 October 2001[13] but was later christened by Merlisa George, Miss US Virgin Islands 2002, on 17 April 2002 in St. Thomas.[4][14]

Atlantic and Mediterranean service

Golden Princess returned to the Mediterranean in the summer of 2002, but in the wake of the September 11 attacks, Princess modified the ship's itineraries, replacing all ports in Turkey with ports in Italy, Malta, and Monaco.[15] That fall, she sailed her first season in New England and the Maritimes.[16] She was deployed to Europe for her third consecutive summer in 2003, cruising between Barcelona and Venice.[17]

In 2004, Princess homeported Golden Princess in San Juan, Puerto Rico year-round for weekly Southern Caribbean cruises.[18][19] In 2005, Princess deployed the ship to Southampton for the summer to sail Northern Europe cruises and[20] repeated the rotation in 2006 with the additions of Eastern Mediterranean cruises to Greece and Egypt.[21]

In December 2006, Princess deployed Golden Princess to sail out of New Orleans for the company's first time operating from the port, selling three cruises to the Western Caribbean.[22] This would mark the ship's last deployment in the Caribbean.

Pacific service

In the winter of 2006-2007, Golden Princess sailed to South America and around Cape Horn for the first time as a part of her move to the Western United States for her debut in Alaska from Seattle.[23][24] Following her Alaskan season, she debuted in Los Angeles for weekly Mexican Riviera sailings.[25] In the fall of 2008, the ship began sailing round-trip 14-day Hawaii itineraries from Los Angeles, continuing this rotation for the next few years.[26][27][28][29]

In the fall of 2013, Golden Princess performed the company's first season of 3-/4-day cruises from the West Coast,[30] before returning to South America later in the winter.[31] The rotation repeated the following year.[32]

In the summer of 2015, Golden Princess cruised Alaska sailings from San Francisco for the first time.[33] Following this, she crossed the Pacific Ocean and debuted in Melbourne for her maiden Australia season in fall 2015, making her the largest ship to homeport there.[34] She then debuted in China, sailing from Tianjin, the following summer,[35] before returning to Melbourne in fall 2016.[36] The ship did not homeport in North America for 2017, a first in her history, and left for a 75-day circumnavigation of the Pacific Ocean from Sydney in May of that year,[37] before returning to Melbourne in fall 2017.[38] In the summer of 2018, Golden Princess sailed another Alaska season from Los Angeles as well as between Vancouver and Whittier, Alaska[39] and returned to Melbourne in fall 2018.[40]

The 2019-2020 season marked the last active season that the ship sailed as Golden Princess. She began with weekly Alaska voyages in summer 2019[41] before returning to Melbourne in fall 2019.[42] In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, several passengers were suspected of coronavirus after developing symptoms and were quarantined on the ship. The ship was bound for Akaroa at the time of the announcement, causing the premature end of the cruise and the ship to sail back to Melbourne.[43][44] Golden Princess was scheduled to perform a full season of Alaska voyages from Los Angeles in summer 2020[45] and a final transpacific crossing to Singapore in fall 2020,[46] but due to the pandemic, all sailings of the ship since the cruise line's suspension of operations have been cancelled.[47]

Pacific Adventure

In September 2017, Carnival Corporation announced that instead of transferring Carnival Splendor to P&O Cruises Australia, Golden Princess would be transferred instead.[48] In September 2018, P&O announced the ship would be renamed Pacific Adventure and be redesigned prior to operating to better adapt to the Australian cruise market.[49] In October 2018, P&O unveiled the inaugural season for Pacific Adventure, which features cruises of various lengths from Australian ports, visiting New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and other destinations in Oceania.[50]

Design and specifications

Golden Princess has 17 decks, 13 of which are accessible to passengers.[3] She currently measures 109,000 GT, has a length of 290.0 metres (951.4 ft), a draft of 8.05 metres (26.4 ft), and a beam of 36 metres (118 ft).[2] She is powered by a diesel-electric genset system, with six Sulzer engines: four producing 11,520 kilowatts (15,450 hp) and two producing 8,640 kilowatts (11,590 hp).[2] Main propulsion is via two diesel-electric propellers.[3] The system gives the vessel a maximum speed of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph).[2] The ship houses 1,299 passenger cabins and 627 crew cabins.[2] Of the 1,780 passenger cabins, 72% have a view outside, including 55% that include a balcony.[2] The ship has a maximum capacity of 4,160 passengers and crew.[2]

Facilities aboard Golden Princess include various entertainment venues, bars, and lounges, including the aft "Skywalkers Nightclub" atop the ship's stern, three dining rooms, a buffet, a tiered atrium, an internet café, a wedding chapel, and four swimming pools.[51] In 2009, the ship received significant upgrades in a dry dock in Victoria, British Columbia, including the addition of a movie screen, a new steakhouse, and several interior modifications.[52]

  • Neptune Pool & movie screen
    Outdoor pool
  • Calypso Pool
    Indoor pool
  • Terrace Pool
    Aft pool
  • Stern
    Skywalkers Nightclub raised above stern
  • The Sanctuary
    Adults-only venue
  • Buffet
  • Internet café

Pacific Adventure will retain the overall architecture of Golden Princess, but is planned to include both additions and modifications to the ship's facilities. New recreational features will include two water slides and a rock climbing wall.[53][54]

References
  1. Golden, Fran (6 January 1998). "Princess Orders Two More Cruise Liners". Travel Weekly.
  2. "Golden Princess" (PDF). Fincantieri. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  3. "Golden Princess". scheepvaartwest. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  4. "Princess Cruises Ship Christeners". Princess Cruises.
  5. "Golden Princess". Simplonpc. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  6. Ward, Douglas (2005). Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. Singapore: Berlitz. ISBN 981-246-510-3.
  7. "Golden Princess (26988)". Port State Information Exchange. United States Coast Guard.
  8. "Golden Princess (IMO: 9192351)". vesseltracker.com. Retrieved 24 July 2008.
  9. Hutcheon, Helen (26 September 2018). "Golden Princess to sail as Pacific Adventure for P&O Cruises Australia". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  10. Major, Brian (4 July 2001). "Princess' Golden rule: Keep it intimate". Travel Weekly.
  11. "Golden Princess Fact Sheet". Princess Cruises.
  12. Major, Brian (29 October 2001). "Post-attack redeployments focus on Caribbean destinations". Travel Weekly.
  13. "Jane Seymour to Christen Golden Princess". BNET. Business Wire. 31 March 2004. Retrieved 23 July 2008.
  14. Dake, Shawn (10 October 2014). "Princess Cruises Golden Anniversary Celebration In 2015". Maritime Matters.
  15. "Princess shifts ships for more U.S. departures". Travel Weekly. 17 October 2001.
  16. "Princess Cruises". Wired New York.
  17. "Grand Princess to ply Mediterranean in 2003". Travel Weekly. 29 March 2002.
  18. Tobin, Rebecca (18 February 2003). "Princess doubly committed to Caribbean". Travel Weekly.
  19. Tobin, Rebecca (30 July 2004). "Six Princesses head to Caribbean for winter season". Travel Weekly.
  20. Tobin, Rebecca (14 May 2004). "Princess plans Grand presence in Europe in '05". Travel Weekly.
  21. "Princess '06 itineraries: More Med". Travel Weekly. 20 April 2005.
  22. "Princess to sail eight vessels in Caribbean during '06-'07 winter season". Travel Weekly. 13 July 2005.
  23. "Princess to send two ships to South America next year". Travel Weekly. 2 June 2005.
  24. Silverstein, Erica (26 June 2008). "Princess expands capacity in Alaska's Inside Passage". Smarter Travel.
  25. Showker, Kay; Sehlinger, Bob (2007). The Unofficial Guide to Cruises. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. p. 643. ISBN 978-0-470-08791-6.
  26. "Princess offers diverse itineraries to Hawaii and Tahiti in 2008-09". The Montrealer. 10 August 2007.
  27. Tinloy, Marissa (8 April 2008). "Princess Announces 2009-2010 Cruise Itineraries". Travel Age West.
  28. "Princess Takes Passengers Around the Globe with 2010-11 World Itineraries". Cruise Industry News. 8 May 2009.
  29. "Princess Cruises Offers More Cruises to Hawaii, French Polynesia and Samoa". The Cruise Web. 18 January 2012.
  30. Stieghorst, Tom (10 September 2013). "Princess adds short sailings to lure past passengers". Travel Weekly.
  31. Parker, Doug (8 May 2012). "Princess Cruises details 2013-2014 Exotics and Americas Sailings". Cruise Radio.
  32. "Princess Cruises - Cruise Atlas 2014 - 2015". Issuu. 30 June 2014.
  33. "Princess Presents 2015 Alaska Cruise and Cruisetour Program". Cruise Industry News. 13 March 2014.
  34. Dang, Annie (17 April 2014). "Golden Princess largest cruise ship to be based in Melbourne". Traveller.
  35. Limone, Jerry (23 July 2015). "Princess Cruises to deploy another ship to China". Travel Weekly.
  36. "Princess Cruises Announces Largest-Ever Australia Deployment for 2016-2017". Princess Cruises. 15 April 2015.
  37. "Princess Cruises Offers World Cruise Trifecta in 2017". Carnival Corporation & plc. 20 October 2016.
  38. "2017-2018 cruise atlas" (PDF). Princess Cruises.
  39. "Princess Cruises Announces Largest Alaska Deployment Ever in 2018". Princess Cruises. 22 November 2016.
  40. "Golden Princess to Return to Melbourne". Cruise Industry News. 19 June 2018.
  41. "Princess Cruises Celebrates 50th Year of Alaska Cruises with Largest Deployment Ever in 2019". Princess Cruises. 5 December 2017.
  42. Wu, Vanessa (13 March 2020). "Princess Cruises Voluntarily Suspends All Operations Of Its Fleet Until May 10". Cruise Passenger.
  43. Zdanowicz, Christine (17 March 2020). "Multiple cruise ships are left stranded as coronavirus cases increase". CNN. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
  44. "Coronavirus in NZ: Golden Princess passenger suspected case, ship quarantined in Akaroa". The New Zealand Herald. 15 March 2020.
  45. "Princess Cruises Announces 2020 Alaska Cruises and Cruisetours". Princess Cruises. 13 November 2018.
  46. "2020-2021 asia" (PDF). Princess Cruises.
  47. "Extension of voluntary pause of our global ship operations" (PDF). Princess Cruises.
  48. Mathisen, Monty (26 September 2017). "Golden Princess to Transfer to P&O Australia, Splendor Staying with Carnival". Cruise Industry News.
  49. Mathisen, Monty (26 September 2018). "Golden Princess to Become Pacific Adventure". Cruise Industry News.
  50. "P&O Australia Announces Maiden Season for New Pacific Adventure". Cruise Industry News. 18 October 2018.
  51. "Golden Princess Review". Fodor's Travel.
  52. Coffman, Linda (4 May 2009). "Golden Princess Transformed in Drydock". Cruise Diva.
  53. Stewart, Sammy (20 October 2019). "First look: Inside new Aussie megaship". Escape.com.au.
  54. Scott, Katherine (19 October 2018). "P&O unveil poshest ship yet, complete with exclusive beach club". 9Travel.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.