Princess Cruises has taken delivery of Sky Princess from shipbuilder Fincantieri at an official handover ceremony at the shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
The first ship designed from the ground up as a Princess MedallionClass ship, according to a press release.
The 143,700-ton, 3,660-guest Sky Princess features an evolution of the design platform used for the cruise line’s previous Royal-Class ships.
Among those in attendance were Micky Arison, Chairman of Carnival Corporation; Arnold Donald, President and CEO of Carnival Corporation; Stein Kruse, Group CEO of Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Carnival Australia and Carnival UK, and Jan Swartz, Group President of Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia, Fincantieri was represented by Giuseppe Bono, CEO.
“We wish to extend our sincere gratitude to our long-time shipbuilding partner Fincantieri who delivered Sky Princess to us today,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “As our new flagship in the fleet, Sky Princess represents the absolute best Princess Cruises has to offer our guests by connecting them with what matters most, unique destinations, loved ones, and new friends, while enjoying all the state-of the-art experiences in comfort and style.”
The Sky Princess will start her inaugural season in Europe on a seven-day Mediterranean & Adriatic maiden voyage from Athens to Barcelona on Oct. 20, 2019. The ship will sail a series of Mediterranean voyages before debuting in North America on Dec. 1, 2019, for a season of Caribbean cruises from Ft. Lauderdale.
The Princess Cruises fleet continues to expand with Enchanted Princess in June 2020, Discovery Princess in November 2021 and two additional ships in 2023 and 2025.
