Cruising 2002: year-end review: passengers enjoy smooth sailing from homeland ports, while eyeing overseas travel for next year - Industry Overview

Cruise Travel, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Theodore W. Scull

Carnival Cruise Lines introduced the 88,500-grt Carnival Legend, first in Northern Europe, then on the U.S. East Coast. Actress Dame Judi Dench named the ship in Harwich, England, and three attempts were made before the champagne bottle broke, exploding all over her face. Varied legends that prompt some of the public room decor are Jason and the Golden Fleece, the Colossus of Rhodes, Louis Armstrong, and Billie Holiday. The 110,000-grt/2,974-passenger Carnival Conquest, the first in the Conquest Class, was delivered from Fincantieri in late October, and impressionist painters make up the theme. The ship began a year-round Western Caribbean itinerary November 15th. Carnival was one of the few companies to order new tonnage this year.

Princess took delivery of the Star Princess, a Grand Princess sister ship, for West Coast cruising in Mexico and Alaska, and at the end of the year, the 88,000-grt Coral Princess, from Chantiers de l'Atlantique. The French shipyard, however, would not again extend the options for two more of the Coral Princess class, so if they are eventually ordered, they are likely to come at a higher price. The Ocean Princess transferred from Princess to sister company P&O to become the Oceana, replacing the Arcadia that started up a new informal cruise concept called Ocean Village. The Sea Princess will become the Adonia, and the Crown Princess went to the German market as the A'Rosa Blu, with the Regal Princess scheduled to follow.

The Diamond Princess, a 113,000-grt ship under construction in Japan's Mitsubishi yard, experienced a major fire in early October, which damaged much of the superstructure. Happily, no one among the 1,000 shipyard employees or firefighters received any serious injuries. Princess will be compensated for the loss of future business, and the removal of the fire-damaged sections should have been completed by the end of 2002. The ship is now scheduled to appear in May 2004 as the Sapphire Princess, while the sister ship that originally held that name will be delivered first in February 2004 as the Diamond Princess.

Princess Cruises' Pacific Princess ended her Bermuda season and then sailed trans-Atlantic from New York for Civitavecchia (Rome) on October 27th. She leaves the fleet for European operators, who will likely introduce the ship to the Spanish market. Her sister ship, the former Island Princess (and most recently the Platinum) will begin trading from Brazil this winter as the Discovery. With the departure of the Pacific Princess, Princess is without a suitably sized ship to fulfill its Bermuda contract. The rest of the company's fleet is now simply too large to get into Hamilton harbor to dock at Front Street. The vacated slot has been assumed by Norwegian Cruise Line, which will take up the three-port Bermuda itinerary with the Norwegian Sea; new for the route in 2003 will be low-cost vouchers available for NCL passengers to take some meals ashore.

Carnival, whose "Fun Ships" were heretofore persona non grata in the Bermuda trade, has now been granted permission to visit for 2003, and the Carnival Pride will make seven one-week mid-summer sailings from New York, with the Carnival Legend adding more cruises from Philadelphia and Baltimore.