Carnival Corporation announced that the new ship currently under construction for Princess Cruises will be based in China year-round when introduced in summer 2017.
Based in Shanghai, the ship will be the first year-round vessel designed and built specifically for Chinese guests.
The as-yet-unnamed ship is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, and will carry approximately 3,600 guests on a variety of itineraries, to be announced at a later date.
The new vessel will feature a number of new innovations customized for the growing number of Chinese cruise vacationers.
“Deploying our next new ship in China underscores our strong commitment to growing the China cruise market and providing discerning travelers with amazing vacation experiences at sea,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises.
Princess ships began homeport cruising in China just last year, with a successful inaugural season of Shanghai-based cruises aboard Sapphire Princess. This ship returns for a second China season which begins on June 4 and runs through October 2015.
In addition, the new ship will showcase the Princess Class experience designed specifically for the Chinese market that the company introduced during its first season.
“And as this ship is still in the design phase we are looking forward to creating other new and exciting venues and experiences catering to the Chinese vacationer, which we will reveal in the coming months,” Swartz added.