Princess Cruises has released its lineup of itineraries for the line’s 2017 and 2018 Americas season, which went on sale May 19. Sailings to the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii and the California Coast range from three to 28 days.
In total, 11 ships with 230 departures on more than 30 unique itineraries visiting 70 destinations will sail between September 2017 and April 2018. Cruises will offer guests a variety of choices, ranging from a short-cruise getaway to week-long vacations, as well as voyages of 10 days and longer.
Highlights include the maiden season of Caribbean Princess on 10-day cruises sailing through the new Panama Canal locks. Roundtrip California Coast voyages from Los Angeles will now include the port of Monterey. A Princess first, Emerald Princess offers a 12-day roundtrip Alaska voyage from Los Angeles in spring 2018. Princess guests can choose from more short-cruise getaways on both coasts with Crown Princess introducing new five-day departures to the Eastern and Western Caribbean from Ft. Lauderdale, while Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess sail four- or five-day options from Los Angeles – with an overnight stay in Cabo San Lucas on the five-day itinerary.
Caribbean Cruises
Five Princess Cruises ships will sail five-, seven-, eight-, 10- and 21-day itineraries in 2017 and 2018. Caribbean Princess debuts a new 14-day Circle Caribbean itinerary, sailing roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale, including visits to Martinique, Barbados, Trinidad, Aruba, Curacao, Antigua, St. Maarten, St. Kitts and a stop at the line’s private beach resort, Princess Cays. The ship offers a special holiday sailing including both Christmas and New Year’s Day.
The line’s seven-day Caribbean cruises return in 2017 and 2018 with visits to the Eastern and Western Caribbean regions on Regal Princess, while Crown Princess alternates eight-day Eastern and Southern Caribbean and five-day sailings to the Eastern and Western Caribbean throughout the season.
Pacific Princess sails a holiday 14-day Caribbean Connoisseur voyage, visiting islands not typically included on other Caribbean itineraries, including St. Croix, Nevis, Guadeloupe, Tobago and Virgin Gorda.
Royal Princess returns to the Caribbean, including 10-day Southern Medley and 10-day Eastern Voyager itineraries, which can be combined for a 20-day vacation. Calls on these sailings include St. Kitts, Barbados and St. Lucia, as well as off-the-beaten-path ports like Dominica, Grenada and Bonaire.
Panama Canal Cruises
2017-2018 will be the inaugural season for transiting the new Panama Canal locks, with Caribbean Princess offering partial transits on 10-day voyages roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale.
Coral Princess, Island Princess and Pacific Princess all sail ocean to ocean with full transit offerings through all three sets of traditional Canal locks – Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks, with Coral Princess offering an extra day in Fuerte Amador for guests to experience historic Panama City.
Guests may take advantage of the line’s Connoisseur voyages on board Pacific Princess, sailing a 17-day itinerary with a call to the unique port of Santa Marta, Colombia.
Finally, Island Princess sails a roundtrip Los Angeles departure for transits through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks.
Hawaii, Mexico, California Coast and Alaska Cruises
On the West Coast, five ships will be deployed from three homeports – Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver – to Hawaii and Mexico, as well as the California Coast, and a Princess-first voyage to Alaska roundtrip from Los Angeles. Voyages range from four to 28 days.
Star Princess homeports in Los Angeles, sailing 10 voyages to the Hawaiian Islands with port calls in Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. Grand Princess homeports in San Francisco, sailing seven voyages visiting the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai and the Big Island.
Roundtrip departures from Vancouver, British Columbia, to the Hawaiian Islands are also available on Star Princess in the fall and spring. Emerald Princess also sails two 28-day cruises to Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa in the fall and spring.
The line’s Mexico cruises are available as seven-day voyages from Los Angeles, visiting Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas, or as 10-day cruises from San Francisco with the added port of Manzanillo. In addition, 10-day Baja Peninsula & Sea of Cortez voyages return, sailing from Los Angeles to the ports of San Diego, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz, Loreto, Puerto Vallarta and the California Coast.
Offering a California food and wine experience, the line’s seven-day sailings from Los Angeles and 10-day cruises from Vancouver include the new port of Monterey on the California coast, offering opportunities to visit the Pebble Beach Golf Course, the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the coastal views of the region’s 17-Mile-Drive. Ruby Princess and Emerald Princess also sail on select four-day West Coast Getaway voyages from Los Angeles, including Santa Barbara or Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico, while five-day Cabo San Lucas Getaways include an overnight in the popular destination.
A Princess first, Emerald Princess departs on a 12-day roundtrip voyage from Los Angeles with port calls in Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Vancouver, including scenic cruising of Glacier Bay National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Shore Excursions
Offering guests more time to explore local cultures and culinary offerings, select itineraries in the Caribbean, California and Hawaii offer extended stays in Aruba, Curacao, St. Thomas, Cozumel, San Francisco, San Diego, Long Beach and Honolulu, as well an overnight stay in Cabo San Lucas on the line’s five-day voyages from Los Angeles.
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