Due to the enthusiastic response for Princess’ return to world cruising, the line will offer two global itineraries in 2009, giving twice as many passengers the opportunity to enjoy this unparalleled travel experience, as the ships take them to more than 40 destinations on six continents. For the first time, Princess will offer world cruising on two sister ships, with both voyages commencing at nearly the same time.
The 670-passenger Tahitian Princess and 710-passenger Royal Princess will offer similar 107-day itineraries that set sail from Ft. Lauderdale in January 2009. The Tahitian Princess sailing leaves on January 14, ending in Dover, while Royal Princess sails on January 20 and winds up in Rome. In addition, passengers can choose from two extension options for the Tahitian Princess voyage, giving world travelers the option of finishing this journey of a lifetime in Dover, Rome, Stockholm or New York. Both itineraries feature travel to South America, the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, India and Egypt, with differing European segments. Each voyage will call at a brand new port for Princess — Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, a picturesque stop in the Indian Ocean.
“World cruises are the ultimate travel experience, and now we’re offering two exciting opportunities in 2009 for a select group of passengers who are passionate about exploration,” said Jan Swartz, Princess’ senior vice president of customer service and sales. “And the intimate size of these ships is very appealing for a journey of this nature.”
Tahitian Princess and Royal Princess will both set sail from Ft. Lauderdale on similar itineraries that begin with a visit to Grand Cayman and a transit of the Panama Canal on the way to Quito (Manta), Ecuador. Passengers will enjoy an overnight stay in Lima (Callao), Peru where they can visit the dramatic ruins of Machu Picchu. An unusual opportunity to visit Easter Island follows, and the ships will cruise by historic Pitcairn Island as well.
The tropical pleasures of Tahiti (Papeete) and Rarotonga are next to delight passengers as the ships then head “Down Under” for Auckland and the Australian ports of Burnie (Tasmania), Sydney, Brisbane, and Cairns (for visits to the Great Barrier Reef). Next up are Rabaul (Papua/New Guinea) and Guam, followed by the mysteries of Asia with calls to Osaka (for Kyoto), Hiroshima, Seoul (Inchon), Shanghai, Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Sihanoukville (Cambodia) Bangkok, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur (Port Kelang) in Malaysia.
A new port for Princess, Port Blair in the Andaman Islands, makes its debut as the ships cruise the Indian Ocean on the way to Mumbai, India. They then head for Dubai and Salalah in Oman, followed by the wonders of Egypt with calls in Safaga (for Luxor/Karnak) and Port Said (for Cairo/Giza).
Once the ships transit the Suez Canal and depart the pyramids of Egypt, each itinerary heads in a different direction. Tahitian Princess passengers will enjoy the history and culture of Athens (Piraeus), Sorrento/Capri, Rome (Civitavecchia), Cannes (for Monte Carlo), Barcelona, Gibraltar and Lisbon before heading north to Ireland for a call at Cork (Cobh – for Blarney Castle), followed by Paris/Normandy (Le Havre), and finally arriving in Dover to end their sojourn in London.
Passengers aboard Royal Princess meanwhile will instead head to the Holy Land to visit Jerusalem (Ashdod), and then call at Istanbul, Athens, Sicily (Messina), Barcelona, Cannes, and Pisa/Florence (Livorno), before their final stop in the eternal city of Rome.
Tahitian Princess passengers can also create the ultimate 117-day adventure by extending their voyage 10 days to include northern Europe, Scandinavia and a call in St. Petersburg before ending in Stockholm. They can also choose to instead combine their cruise with a six-day transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York aboard the legendary Queen Mary 2, for a 113-day voyage.
Early booking fares for Princess’ world cruises begin at $21,495 per person, based on double occupancy.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 1-800-PRINCESS, or by visiting the company’s website at www.princess.com.
