Sun Princess

Sun Princess leaving Fremantle Harbour, Australia
History
Name: Sun Princess
Owner: Carnival Corporation & plc
Operator: Princess Cruise Line
Port of registry:
Builder: Fincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy
Cost: US$300 million
Yard number: 5909
Completed: 26 June 1995
Maiden voyage: 2 December 1995
Identification:
Status: In service
Notes: [1][2]
General characteristics
Class and type: Sun-class cruise ship
Tonnage:
Length: 261.31 m (857.3 ft)
Beam: 32.25 m (105.8 ft)
Draught: 8.10 m (26.6 ft)
Decks: 15 (10 passenger)
Deck clearance: 32.08 m (105.2 ft)
Installed power: Diesel-electric 28,000 kW (38,000 hp)
Propulsion: Two propellers
Speed: 22.40 knots (41.48 km/h; 25.78 mph)
Capacity: 2,010 passengers
Crew: 924
Notes: [1][2]

Sun Princess is a Sun-class cruise ship built in 1995 and operated by Princess Cruises. At the time of her construction, she was one of the largest cruise ships in the world. She is the lead ship of her class that includes sister ships Sea Princess and the P&O ships Pacific Explorer and Oceana.[1]

Sun Princess was the ship on which the television show Love Boat: The Next Wave starring Robert Urich was filmed. She made the news in October, 2007 as the largest ship to ever cross beneath the Sydney Harbour Bridge while entering the harbor for the first time, with a vertical clearance of approximately 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) to spare at low tide.[3]

In July 2018, Sun Princess underwent a two-week dry dock. She received new livery design, new stateroom category, shops, and other onboard amenities.[4]

Ports of call

Sun Princess docked at the Kings Wharf, Suva, Fiji Islands
Sun Princess in the Port of Kobe, Japan

Since November 2007, Sun Princess has been seasonally based at Sydney, Australia. Cruises offered from that time circumnavigations Australia, circumnavigations New Zealand, and visits to New Caledonia and Vanuatu. In 2012, she offered her first world cruise.

In April 2008, Sun Princess was based in Australia, operating out of Sydney during the winter months, and from Melbourne during the summer months. For the 2008/2009 season the cruise program included Australian circumnavigations, Fremantle - Malacca Straits return, Melbourne - New Zealand / South Pacific. Sun Princess also sailed from Sydney for Melbourne plus Whitsundays return, a Japan return itinerary, and a 75 night Grand Pacific trip.

During summer 2008/9 whilst Sun Princess was operating out of Melbourne, she was joined by Dawn Princess operating out of Sydney. Dawn Princess was also permanently based in Australia from that time which was a change from Princess Cruises' original plans.

Demand for Sun Princess cruises between Sydney and Fremantle and beyond from April to June 2008 was so strong that Princess Cruises scheduled additional sailings for 2009. The company also decided to base the vessel in Fremantle from April to August that year. Despite the availability of cheap domestic air connections, many customers booking Sun Princess voyages between Sydney and Fremantle in 2009 opted instead to extend their trips by traveling across Australia on a connecting Indian Pacific rail service.[5]

Cruises on Sun Princess from Fremantle in 2009 included the first Indian Ocean voyage of its kind from Australia. A 46-night sailing from Fremantle visited Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, India, the Maldives, the Seychelles, South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius and Réunion.[5]

In 2013, Sun Princess sailed round-trip cruises from Tokyo, Japan marking the first of Princess Cruises deployments from there. In 2014, she sailed an extended Japan cruise program, sailing from Otaru, Hokkaido and Kobe. She was joined by Diamond Princess which replaced her Tokyo sailings.

In 2019-2020 cruise season, Sun Princess is intended to sail extended Western Australia program. The ship will be homeported in Freemantle, Australia for 141 days.[6]

It was announced in June 2018 that the Sun Princess will be used as a floating hotel for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The ship will be docked at Tokyo's Yokohama Port between July 23 and August 9, 2020, specifically to provide more hotel room space for Olympic guests. It is estimated that the ship will receive 36,000 overnight stays during the Tokyo Olympics.[7]

Accidents and incidents

In October 2013, a 73-year-old man disappeared from Sun Princess which was sailing a 16-day cruise from Fremantle, Western Australia to Sydney.[8] The man was reported missing by his wife. A search was conducted approximately 40 nautical miles (74 km; 46 mi) north of Cape Londonderry. NT News reported that the cruise ship was joined by patrol ship HMAS Maryborough, and three aircraft were involved in an aerial search. Although the weather was good, the missing passenger was not rescued nor his body located.

In November 2014, an 84-year-old elderly man fell overboard off the coast of Sydney. The ship was returning to White Bay in Sydney after a 13-day New Zealand cruise.

On 6 September 2017, a pipe burst onboard the Sun Princess causing flooding to the lower decks affecting passengers in their cabins.[9]

Outbreaks of gastroenteritis occurred repeatedly on cruises in 2016 and 2017.[10][11][12]

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Ward, Douglas (2008). Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. London: Berlitz. pp. 637–638. ISBN 978-981-268-564-3.
  2. 1 2 "Advanced Masterdata for the Vessel Sun Princess". VesselTracker. 2011. Retrieved 24 January 2010.
  3. ↑ "Sun Princess Docks at Darling Harbor". ABC. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "Princess Cruise Ship Receives New Cabins, Boutiques, and Youth Centers". cruisefever.net. Retrieved 2018-07-31.
  5. 1 2 Heard, Mike (13 November 2008). "Seduced by princesses". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Staff, CIN (2018-03-19). "Sun Princess to Sail Extended Western Australia Program". Retrieved 2018-03-20.
  7. ↑ "Luxury cruise ship to act as 'floating hotel' for Tokyo Olympics". Nikkei Asian Review. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  8. ↑ "Sun Princess Passenger Disappears". cruiselawnews.com. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 16 September 2015.
  9. ↑ "Water pours into Sun Princess cruise ship's rooms after pipe bursts". thewest.com.au. 6 September 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  10. ↑ McArdle, Jordan; Seeber, Elisia (15 December 2016). "Sun Princess cruise passengers warned of 'gastro outbreak'". Perth Now. Seven West Media. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  11. ↑ Tapim, Francis; Bausch, Michael (2 Feb 2017). "Gastro outbreak hits 90 passengers on Sun Princess cruise ship, Queensland Health says". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Gastro breaks out again on Sun Princess cruise ship docked in Brisbane". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 16 Feb 2017. Retrieved 24 January 2018.

Bibliography

  • Plowman, Peter (2007). Australian Cruise Ships. Dural, NSW: Rosenberg Publishing. ISBN 9781877058509.
  • Saunders, Aaron (2013). Giants of the Seas: The Ships that Transformed Modern Cruising. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 9781848321724.
  • Smith, Peter C. (2010). Cruise Ships: The World's Most Luxurious Vessels. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK: Pen & Sword Maritime. ISBN 9781848842182.
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