Princess Cruises will be bringing its new cruise ship Sun Princess to the Middle East, with port calls in Turkey featuring on the inaugural cruise itineraries.

Sun Princess is the first in Princess Cruises’ Sphere-class, a 175,000-gross ton new class of cruise ship that will be the first for the cruise line to be powered by LNG.

The cruise ship is scheduled to depart on her maiden voyage on February 8th, 2024, a one-way 10-day cruise from Barcelona to Civitavecchia, Italy.

Sun Princess rendering

From Civitavecchia she’ll then sail two similar cruises in the region in February, as well as another ten-day “Grand Mediterranean” voyage.

This will be the first sail roundtrip from Civitavecchia, and will visit Corfu, Greece, Sicily, Santorini, Piraeus, Naples, and Kusadasi in Turkey.

Kusadasi is the gateway to the ancient Roman ruins of Ephesus. It sits in a Mediterranean bay and offers extensive shopping, beaches, and easy access to some of the most impressive ruins in the world.

Pigeon Island with a “Pirate castle”. Kusadasi harbor; Aegean coast of Turkey.

The Greek port of Ephesus became the largest city in Asia Minor during the Roman Empire, and is today the Mediterranean’s best-preserved classical city.

Cruise ship shore excursions pass through the magnificent Magnesian Gate to explore the huge Forum, the impressive Odeon, the two-tiered Library of Celsus, the Thermal Baths of Scolastika and the huge Great Theatre, which could seat as many as 24,000 people.

Ephesus sits just 10 miles from Kusadasi, just before the town of Selcuk, making it a great option for a day-long tour.

Magnesian Gate

Subsequent voyages in the region will soon be revealed by Princess. Following its European program, the new Sun Princess is poised to cross the Atlantic for the first time in the fall of 2024.

Sun Princess will sail a series of Western and Eastern Caribbean voyages out of Port Everglades in the United States.

Currently under construction at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, Sun Princess will be Princess Cruises’ largest ever cruise ship.

A sister ship is scheduled for delivery in 2025, and will also accommodate more than 4,300 guests and feature larger public areas.

According to Princess, the LNG-powered ship was designed to offer an evolution of the company’s product, in addition to innovative experiences.

Among the later is the first glass-enclosed geodesic dome ever built on a cruise ship and the Princess’ first exclusive suite enclave.