Princess Cruises Releases its 2013 Europe and Alaskan Cruise Schedule

Princess Cruises has released information on its 2013 Europe and Alaska cruise seasons, featuring the debut of the new Royal Princess in the Mediterranean and Grand Princess’ first-ever Alaska season.

In Europe, Princess will be sailing its youngest fleet ever in the region. The line’s newest ship, Royal Princess, will sail on Princess’ Grand Mediterranean route, while passengers can take advantage of a variety of other intriguing Europe cruise options across the fleet, including the British Isles, Holy Land, Black Sea and Scandinavia & Russia.

In Alaska, the Princess fleet will feature the recently remodeled Grand Princess sailing on its first West Coast summer, with cruises from San Francisco. Alaska visitors can also choose from more than 20 Princess cruisetour options, all featuring the state’s number one land attraction – Denali National Park.

Europe

The 2013 Europe program features seven ships sailing on 60 itineraries with 124 departures to 135 destinations:

  • Royal Princess, the line’s newest ship, debuts in June sailing on Princess’ 12-day Grand Mediterranean itinerary.
  • Ruby Princess debuts three new seven-day Mediterranean Interlude sailings that can be combined into longer voyages. The ship will also sail on the 12-day Greek Isles itinerary.
  • Crown Princess will sail from London (Southampton) on a variety of cruises to the Mediterranean as well as Northern Europe and the Baltic Sea.
  • Caribbean Princess will be offering more departures of its 12-day British Isles cruises, plus will sail to the Norwegian Fjords.
  • Emerald Princess again sails on 11-day Baltic Sea cruises from Copenhagen, featuring a two-day stay in St. Petersburg.
  • Ocean Princess debuts a new 14-day Iceland and Norway itinerary to ports in Iceland, and will offer more eight-day British Isles sailings and a longer Baltic route.
  • Pacific Princess again offers a full season of Holy Land sailings and will offer more departures on Black Sea cruises.

Mediterranean – In addition to Princess’ Grand Mediterranean and Greek Isles itineraries, Ruby Princess will debut three new seven-day Mediterranean routes sailing from Venice, Athens or Rome, which can be combined into 14- or 21-day voyages.

Holy Land – Princess offers 13 cruises to the Holy Land aboard Pacific Princess, including opportunities for overland exploration in Israel and Egypt.

Baltic Sea – Three itineraries are available in the Baltic Sea, including visits to ports in Scandinavia and Russia. Emerald Princess will sail on the line’s 11-day round-trip voyage from Copenhagen, while Ocean Princess and Crown Princess will offer 14-day itineraries. Ocean Princess’ Scandinavia and Russia Collection route features unique ports of call, including Riga in Latvia and Klaipeda in Lithuania. All three options include the two-day Experience in St. Petersburg for more time in this historic Russian city.

Northern EuropeOcean Princess debuts a new 14-day Iceland and Norway itinerary that visits ports in Iceland, as well as a maiden call to Klaksvik in the Faroe Islands. Caribbean Princess and Crown Princess will also offer cruises to the northern reaches, including the Norwegian Fjords, Iceland and Greenland.

British Isles – Princess will offer two itinerary options in the British Isles: a 12-day route on Caribbean Princess from Southampton, and an eight-day option from Dover aboard Ocean Princess. Six of these departures will include the opportunity to attend the Military Tattoo in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Black SeaPacific Princess will offer three departures on the Black Sea route, including a two-day Experience in Istanbul.

New Ports: Maiden calls for the season include Toulon, France for Provence; Bourdeaux (Le Verdon), France; Heraklion, Greece on the island of Crete; Trapani, Italy on Sicily; Milford Haven, Wales; Kirkeness, Norway; Klaksvik, Faroe Islands; and Skjolden, Norway.

Cruisetours: Princess also offers three European cruisetours which combine select sailings with a fully-escorted land tour to explore Italian destinations; west Ireland and the Ring of Kerry; the Swiss Alps and Lake Como; or Budapest, Vienna, Prague and Berlin.

Alaska

Cruises – Passengers have a variety of options for exploring “The Great Land,” with seven ships sailing on five itineraries to more than 15 destinations. In total, the line will offer 124 Alaska cruise departures in 2013.

Voyage of the Glaciers – The Gulf of Alaska route between Vancouver and Whittier (for Anchorage) features two glacier-viewing experiences on every sailing, with visits to Glacier Bay National Park plus either Hubbard Glacier or College Fjord. Ships also call at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway. Diamond Princess and the recently remodeled Sapphire Princess sail on Saturdays, Island Princess offers Monday departures and Coral Princess sails on Wednesdays for a total of 72 sailing choices between May 13 and Sept. 18, 2013.

Inside Passage from SeattleGolden Princess and Star Princess offer weekend departures on two different seven-day round-trip itineraries from Seattle along the scenic Inside Passage. Both visit Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, B.C., and passengers will enjoy glacier viewing in either Glacier Bay National Park (Star Princess) or Tracy Arm (Golden Princess). The two ships will sail on 38 departures between May 11 and Sept. 15, 2013.

Inside Passage from VancouverIsland Princess and Sapphire Princess each offer a sailing on this seven-day round-trip cruise from Vancouver, taking in Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan plus glacier viewing in Glacier Bay National Park. Island Princess sails on Sept. 16 and Sapphire Princess departs on Sept. 21.

Inside Passage from San FranciscoGrand Princess’ first Alaska season features sailings to San Francisco on 10-day round-trip cruises. The ship offers 13 voyages from San Francisco featuring the scenery of Glacier Bay National Park or Tracy Arm, with calls at Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Victoria (with some sailings substituting Haines, Sitka or Icy Strait Point). Departures sail between May 10 and Sept. 7, 2013.

Cruisetours – Princess cruisetours offer passengers more than 20 itinerary options for a complete land and sea Alaska experience ranging from 10 to 15 nights. All cruisetours include a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers sailing including a visit to Glacier Bay National Park, plus at least two nights in the Denali National Park area with stays at Princess’ riverside wilderness lodges.

  • Denali Explorer – Denali Explorer packages feature multiple nights at the line’s Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and/or Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, plus the Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service between the Whittier cruise terminal and the dramatic Denali National Park area. Most also offer the opportunity to explore Fairbanks or Anchorage.
  • On Your Own – An option for independent-minded travelers, these tours do not include any pre-planned excursions, giving travelers time to create their own experience.
  • Off the Beaten Path – For those who want to explore Denali and beyond, these tours offer options to the Kenai Peninsula with stays at Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge or Wrangell-St. Elias National Park with stays at Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge. Passengers can choose to venture to the state’s far north into the Arctic Circle and Prudhoe Bay.
  • Connoisseur – These cruisetour options offer the services of a professional tour director and additional time for passengers to experience the land. These tours include most meals and enhanced sightseeing options as well.

For more information, visit www.princess.com.