A very large corporation that makes very large ships designed to take rich people on cruises that cost very large sums of money. Although the 10 or 12 major ships sailed by Princess Cruiselines are actually registered in Monrovia (one of the few cities in the world that has no port tax), they are commonly seen in places like Mexico, the Caribbean Sea and southern Alaska; as well as India, New Zealand, the Mediterranean, and a host of other areas. Each of the Princess ships is completely white, a stark contrast to the black smoke they tend to emit.
Over time, the Princess ships have tended to get bigger and bigger, beginning at a modest 600 feet with older ships like the now-retired Fair Princess, but pushing 1,000 feet with some of the newer ones. In fact, the Grand Princess is so large that it cannot fit through the Panama Canal, and so must consent itself with being the big fish (or big ship, rather) forever confined to the little pond of the Caribbean (Mexicans and Alaskans need not be jealous, however, because an equally large sister ship, the Star Princess, will soon be deployed for service on the West Coast cruises).
Another trend in the progression of Princess ships is that as they get newer and bigger, they tend to lose their shape. While the shape of the Fair Princess resembled that of a normal-looking ship, her successors have lost most of their curves and are instead rectangular and box-shaped, only tapered on the front end for the bow. For this reason, whenever I see one of these ships in my hometown of Juneau (I do, in fact, see plenty of them every day during the summer here); it makes me think of a 900-foot long milk carton floating on its side among the fjords of Southeast Alaska.
Statistics on the Princess Fleet
Crown Princess
Dawn Princess
- Length: 935 feet
- Cruising Speed: 21 knots
- Guest Capacity: 1,950
Golden Princess
- Length: 935 feet
- Cruising Speed: 22 knots
- Guest Capacity: 2,600
Grand Princess
- Length: 951 feet
- Cruising Speed: 22 knots
- Guest Capacity: 2,600
Ocean Princess
- Length: 856 feet
- Cruising Speed: N/A
- Guest Capacity: 1,950
Pacific Princess
- Length: 553 feet
- Cruising Speed: 21 knots
- Guest Capacity: 640
Regal Princess
- Length: 811 feet
- Cruising Speed: 22.5 knots
- Guest Capacity: 1,590
Royal Princess
- Length: 757 feet
- Cruising Speed: 22 knots
- Guest Capacity: 1,200
Sea Princess
- Length: 856 feet
- Cruising Speed: N/A
- Guest Capacity: 1,950
Star Princess
- Length: 951 feet
- Cruising Speed: 22 knots
- Guest Capacity: 2,600
Sun Princess
- Length: 856 feet
- Cruising Speed: 21 knots
- Guest Capacity: 1,950
Coming soon: Coral Princess, Diamond Princess, Island Princess, Sapphire Princess.
Source: www.cruiseweb.com