Princess Cruises has kicked off its sixth homeporting season in Singapore with the arrival of Sapphire Princess after ending her European season.

The Sapphire Princess returned to Singapore from Southampton on the return leg of a 37-night Indian Ocean & Europe Grand Adventure.

Princess Cruises continued its tradition of inviting underprivileged children onboard the Sapphire Princess to kick-off the Singapore season.

More than 100 children and their families from six homes and organisations were invited onboard for a ship tour and to enjoy some fun activities and lunch. Captain Paul Slight also made time to meet the children and chatted with them before posing for group photos.

The highlight of the day was a photography workshop conducted by youth photographers who shared some tips in operating cameras. The children were then guided to take photographs and participate in a photo challenge.

“This year, we have also invited children with chronic illnesses to spend the day enjoying themselves with their families onboard Sapphire Princess. Our aim is to touch the lives of the people in the places we travel to and support the local communities,“ said Farriek Tawfik, Director of Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.

The highlight of the season is an 11-night Grand Southeast Asia cruise where guests will be able to watch the solar eclipse on Boxing Day along the Straits of Malacca. Sapphire Princess will go into drydock in April and then sail on two Grand Asia voyages between Shanghai and Singapore until May. The Sapphire Princess will then be based in Shanghai until October 2020 when she will set sail for Melbourne to begin her inaugural season in Australia.

The countdown also started to mark Grand Princess maiden call to Singapore for a season of homeporting from December 2020 to March 2021. The Grand Princess will be the first MedallionClass ship to homeport in Asia.