Princess ships come sailing in with 2019 European itineraries
Destinations will leave guests wanting ‘to come back year after year’
If you’re planning a cruise to Europe, Princess Cruises (cruise. center/princess) has good news. The popular line just announced its 2019 European cruise and cruise tour itineraries, which feature six ships sailing to 130 destinations in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe.
In total, Princess will operate 211 sailings in Europe for the 2019 season. These will visit 37 different countries and will offer extended time ashore in 30 ports of call, including five overnight ports of call.
“Europe is a destination our guests want to come back to year after year,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia group president.
“Our 2019 itineraries offer so many desired European destinations and experiences that will leave our guests inspired and changed by the local culture, food, landscape and charm of these iconic places.”
Sailing to Europe in 2019 are the pretty sisters Crown Princess and Emerald Princess. No strangers to European waters, these 3,080-guest ships are among the line’s best ships, with plenty of balcony staterooms, open deck spaces, and attractive public rooms. Crown Princess is particularly noteworthy in 2019, as she inaugurates brand new British Isles cruises that leave round-trip from Dublin, Ireland; Southampton, England; or Le Havre (for Paris), France.
Both ships are joined by the petite Pacific Princess, which returns to Greenland, Iceland, Norway, the Shetland Islands and the Faroe Islands on convenient round-trip sailings from Dover, England. In addition to her Greenland voyages, Caribbean Princess will also offer a unique 16-day Canada & Greenland cruise sailing round-trip from New York.
The popular Sapphire Princess heads to Europe in 2019, where she will operate primarily out of Southampton. It will be the second season for Sapphire Princess in Europe, after her debut season out of the U.K. in the new year.
In addition to the ship’s Western Europe and Mediterranean itineraries, Sapphire Princess offers some great back-to-back combination voyage possibilities. Guests can for example, book the 10-day European Explorer sailings from Rome (Civitavecchia) and London (Southampton) with the 27-day Mediterranean & Southeast Asia voyages that run between Rome and Singapore, creating an epic 37-day Indian Ocean & Europe Grand Adventure.
Princess will also be offering four different tour packages for the 2019 European season, allowing guests to extend their cruise vacations with an on-land component. These pre- and post-cruise packages are available in most turnaround ports, and include overland journeys through Ireland, Spain, Italy, and such key inland cities as Budapest, Prague and Vienna.
Also coming to Europe in 2019 is Princess Cruises newest ship, Sky Princess. The justannounced sister ship to Royal and Regal Princess will make her debut in the Mediterranean in October 2019, with an inaugural season of 10 cruises operating eight different itineraries.
Princess does a really great job in Europe. Even if you’re not a fan of “big ships,” don’t let the numbers put you off: Princess’s big ships are designed with a multitude of smaller lounges and public rooms that all help make them feel cosy and comfortable. In the past, I’ve sailed aboard Coral, Golden, Star Crown and Emerald Princess, to name a few, and have always wondered where all the people are. Aboard the latter two, few guests ever seem to find the fantastic Adagio Bar, and the same can be said of the fabulous Lotus Spa Pool, with its energetic, swim-against-thecurrent feature.
The Princess fleet really excels in Europe, however, because of the sheer number of balconies and open decks available on these ships. It’s perfect for scenic cruising the fiords of Norway, or sailing around the Greek Islands; all things you’ll want to be up on deck for.
But what really sets Princess apart, however, is just how exotic its itineraries get. Few other lines, for example, offer the possibility to visit exotic locales like Greenland and the far reaches of Iceland at this price point.
Princess’s 2019 European cruises and cruise tours go on sale on Dec. 14. Guests with elite status as part of Princess’s Captain’s Circle Club of past passengers can make their reservations one day earlier.
Happy cruising.