Diamond Princess Arrives at Port of Los Angeles; Largest Cruise Ship to Sail on West Coast Debuts with March 13 Inaugural Voyage

Business Wire, March 10, 2004

Business Editors/Travel Writers

SANTA CLARITA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 10, 2004

Princess' largest and most amenity-filled vessel yet, Diamond Princess, arrives at the Port of Los Angeles today, becoming the largest cruise ship based at the port -- and to sail on the West Coast.

The 116,000-ton, 2,670-passenger vessel was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) in Nagasaki, Japan. It departed from the shipyard on February 27 and has been sailing across the Pacific for its maiden voyage on March 13. The ship will be based in Los Angeles through April, offering week-long roundtrip Mexican Riviera cruises.

Diamond Princess represents a new generation of cruise ship design, which expands upon the company's extraordinarily popular Grand Princess-class vessels, offers new dining options, more spacious facilities and a wide range of amenities. Among the vessel's many new features are its innovative themed main dining rooms. Passengers will find a total of five main dining rooms on board -- one traditional fixed-seating dining room and the four smaller themed restaurants for those choosing Princess' Anytime Dining option, the Vivaldi (Italian cuisine), Sterling (steakhouse), Santa Fe (Southwestern) and Pacific Moon (Asian) dining rooms.

In addition, Diamond Princess will feature the wide array of options that passengers have come to expect from Princess, including one of the largest Internet Cafes at sea, special facilities just for kids, and multiple show lounges including an exciting new venue, Club Fusion, a multi-function, high-tech space that serves as a dance club, cabaret theater and gaming room. In addition, couples can get married on board in the ship's wedding chapel as part of the only program where the ship's captain conducts ceremonies at sea. Guests who wish to pamper themselves will love the extensive Lotus Spa with its Asian-based treatments and therapies, plus fully equipped fitness center.

Diamond Princess will depart from Los Angeles until May 1, when it travels to Seattle for seven-day roundtrip Alaska Inside Passage sailings. The ship will return to Southern California in September to resume its Mexican Riviera program.

One of the best-known names in North American cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise and tour company. Part of Carnival Corporation (NYSE:CCL), its current fleet of 12 ships sail on approximately 150 different itineraries around the globe, calling at more than 260 ports on all seven continents. By 2006 a further three ships will be introduced. Additional information is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, or by visiting www.princess.com.

An electronic copy of this release, and access to Princess' on-line newsroom containing past news releases, background information and photography, is available at www.princess.com/news.

Princess Cruises is a proud member of World's Leading Cruise Lines. Our exclusive alliance also includes Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Cunard Line, Costa Cruises, Windstar Cruises and The Yachts of Seabourn. Sharing a passion to please each guest, and a commitment to quality and value, our member lines appeal to a wide range of lifestyles and budgets. Together we offer exciting and enriching cruise vacations to the world's most desirable destinations.