Phoenix Reisen’s Artania completed its 40th year of cruise service in November.

Originally built for Princess Cruises in 1984 by the Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard in Finland, the ship first debuted as the Royal Princess.

Before officially entering service, the 1,200-guest ship was christened at a ceremony in Southampton, England.

Princess Diana of Wales served as the vessel’s godmother for the ceremony, which was also attended by a number of VIPs, including the then president of Finland, Mauno Koivisto.

For its maiden voyage, the Royal Princess offered a trans-Atlantic crossing to Miami, followed by an inaugural season in the Caribbean.

The vessel was said to be the most expensive constructed at the time on a per berth basis, and was the first built with exclusively outside staterooms.

After two decades sailing for Princess Cruises, the Royal Princess was transferred to P&O Cruises in 2005 for service in the UK market.

As the Artemis, the vessel offered itineraries in Europe, in addition to longer cruises to exotic destinations around the world.

Six years later, in 2011, the 45,000-ton ship was acquired by Germany-based Phoenix Reisen and renamed the Artania.

After a significant refurbishment at the Lloyd Werft shipyard, the ship started to offer itineraries departing from Kiel, Bremerhaven, Hamburg and more.

In 2025, the Artania is scheduled to offer a 162-night world cruise, in addition to several sailings across Northern Europe and the Mediterranean.

One of the highlights of the ship’s deployment is a 19-night cruise to Northern Europe, Svalbard and Iceland.

Sailing from Bremerhaven, the itinerary sails to various destinations in Norway, as well as Longyearbyen, Reykjavik, Ísafjörður and Akureyri.

Before starting its 2024-25 schedule, the Artania also underwent a $20-million-euro refurbishment and modernization project.

In addition to technical updates, the refit included the creation of new balcony cabins and the refreshment of public areas.