Princess Cruises just made a major announcement today at Seatrade, the world’s largest cruise conference, that it plans to build three new cruise ships. Don’t get too excited because, unfortunately, they won’t arrive until the mid-to-late 2030s.
The ships, part of a new Voyager Class, are scheduled for delivery in 2035, 2038, and 2039 and will be built by Fincantieri in Italy. That’s a long way off, but it shows just how far in advance cruise lines plan their fleets and how confident they remain in long-term demand.
Each ship will be about 183,000 gross tons and carry roughly 4,700 passengers, making them the largest in the Princess fleet. They will build on the line’s newer Sphere Class ships, including Sun Princess and Star Princess, but with updated designs throughout. I’ve sailed on Sun Princess twice and love it. In fact, my son just asked me tonight, “When can we go back on the Sun Princess?”
Princess says the new ships will feature redesigned outdoor decks, new stateroom layouts, and a reworked Piazza, the central gathering space found on its ships. The idea is not to start from scratch, but to refine what already works while making the ships feel more modern.
“The Voyager Class will delight both our loyal guests and attract the next generation of Princess guests,” said company president Gus Antorcha, noting that the designs are based on customer feedback and travel trends.
Like many new ships coming online, these vessels will run primarily on liquefied natural gas, or LNG, which produces fewer emissions than traditional marine fuel. Once delivered, they will become the 19th, 20th, and 21st LNG-powered ships across the broader Carnival Corporation & plc portfolio.
Construction will take place at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard, a facility that has built several ships for Princess and other major cruise lines. The deal also extends a long-running partnership between the two companies and keeps the shipyard busy well into the next decade.
This announcement is part of a larger expansion plan. Carnival Corporation, Princess’ parent company, already has seven additional ships on order across its brands, with deliveries scheduled between 2027 and 2033. The continued investment reflects steady demand for cruising, which has rebounded significantly since the pandemic. I, for one, didn’t think it would, and I was wrong. In fact, since the pandemic, I’ve sailed not once but four times, with Princess bringing my family along each time.
Details about itineraries and onboard features for the Voyager Class ships have not yet been released, which is typical this far out. Cruise lines tend to roll those out closer to launch.
