Princess Cruises announces largest-ever UK and European cruise season

Princess Cruises will sail its largest ever cruise season in the British and European cruise markets in 2020, with a 15% boost to capacity compared to 2019.

Highlights include the cruise line’s first ever three-ship home-port line-up for Southampton.

RELATED: Princess Cruises renews focus on family holidays

RELATED: Royal Princess LA bound for first roundtrip season

The 3,080-guest Crown Princess will sail for over 150 days from Southampton, covering May to November. In addition the 2,200-guest Island Princess will spend June to October sailing from Southampton to northern Europe while the 3,560-guest Regal Princess will head round Britain from May to September.

Princess Cruises will also hold the naming ceremony for its newest cruise ship, Enchanted Princess, in Southampton in late June.

She will be the first cruise ship to be named in the United Kingdom since Royal Princess was introduced to the fleet in 2013.

“Europe remains the most popular holiday destination for our UK guests so we’re delighted to offer more choices than ever before in 2020,” says Tony Roberts, Vice President, Princess Cruises UK and Europe.

“The fact that Southampton will see the launch of Enchanted Princess and that we have two of our newest ships, Sky Princess and Regal Princess, sailing in Europe, is a testament to the ever-growing popularity of Princess Cruises in the UK,” he added.

RELATED: Princess Cruises reveals tripled options for Dubai cruises

RELATED: Princess’ smallest ship to sail trans-Atlantic from Cape Town

The 3,660-guest Sky Princess, which launches next year, will spend its first spring and summer season sailing Scandinavia and Russia roundtrip from Copenhagen.

From April to September, 2020, the ship will take in the likes of Stockholm, Oslo, Tallinn, Helsinki, Berlin (Warnemunde) and an overnight stay in St Petersburg.

As such, three of Princess Cruises’ newest ships – Enchanted, Sky and Regal – will all be based in Europe in 2020.

“If you’re already looking ahead to your 2020 holiday, now is a great time to book with deposits of just £50 per person available until April 31, 2019,” says Roberts.

Princess Cruises European itinerary highlights:

Crown Princess will set sail for the Mediterranean, Canary Islands and northern Europe including a series of new voyages in 2020:

• An eight-day Norwegian Fjords voyage to Bergen, Aalesund, Olden/Nordfjord, Hellesylt Geiranger and Stavanger
• A 13-day summer holiday cruise in August to Barcelona, Marseille, Florence/Pisa, Rome, Sardinia and Ceuta in Spanish Morocco
• A 17-day Mediterranean voyage to Lisbon, Santorini (Greece), Mykonos (Greece), Kusadasi (Turkey), Katakolon (Greece) and Cartagena (Spain)
• A four-day sailing to Rotterdam and the Channel Islands

Prior to Crown Princess’ UK season the ship will sail a shorter series of fly-Mediterranean cruises in April and May, 2020.

Island Princess will also be based in Southampton and similarly will take in a range of new sailings including:

• A 12-day Northern Capitals cruise to cities including Hamburg (for Berlin), Copenhagen, Oslo, Amsterdam, Brussels/Bruges (Zeebrugge) and Paris (Le Havre)
• A 14-day Scandinavia & Russia Collection cruise to Bornholm (Denmark), Stockholm, Helsinki (Finland), St. Petersburg, Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Visby (Sweden), Helsingborg (Sweden) and Copenhagen. The calls to Stockholm and St Petersburg are both overnight visits
• Two 12-day Northern Lights cruises to the Norwegian destinations of Aalesund, Tromso, Alta (overnight) and Stavanger
• 16 or 32-day cruises to New York via northern Europe, either on a one-way or roundtrip basis

Enchanted Princess’ naming ceremony will be at the end of June 2020 before the ship heads to the Mediterranean for the summer.

Regal Princess will sail the British Isles from May to September, travelling to destinations including Liverpool, Belfast, Dublin and Edinburgh. This marks the first time the ship has spent a season based in the UK.

Further afield, highlights include:

• 65 Japan voyages setting sail from either Tokyo or Kobe on the 2,670-guest Diamond Princess
• 28 summer Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale with seven, 14 and 21-night options
• 63 Australia sailings on four ships departing from Freemantle, Auckland, Brisbane or Sydney
• Over 130 Alaska sailings across eight ships, with departures from Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Whittier and Vancouver
• 16 Canada & New England sailings on Sky Princess or Caribbean Princess, which depart from Fort Lauderdale, New York or Quebec