Winter cruise season in full swing with new ship

Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess arrived to Port Everglades on Dec. 1.

Florida is fully loaded with more than $3 billion worth of new and updated cruise ships as Princess Cruises’ new vessel Sky Princess made its debut.

One of only two brand new ships to debut from Florida ports alongside Norwegian Encore before the new year, Sky Princess made its way into Port Everglades on Sunday to begin Caribbean sailings through next spring.

Norwegian Encore made its debut two weeks ago out of PortMiami while several revamped ships reported for duty earlier this fall as well.

Those include the renamed Carnival Sunshine, which used to be Carnival Triumph before its $200 million overhaul, sailing from Port Everglades and an updated Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, with its own $165 million makeover that makes it look more like its newer sister ships Harmony of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas, all among the four largest cruise ships in the world. Oasis now sails from PortMiami.

Also new to the state, although it debuted in 2017, is another massive ship, MSC Meraviglia. The

171,598-gross-ton,

4,500-passenger vessel arrived in November, now one of four MSC Cruises ships sailing from PortMiami.

Already having come and gone for its first Florida visit was Norwegian Joy, a sister ship to Norwegian Encore, as it was just stopping by from a Panama Canal cruise from the west coast, but Joy will return in early 2020 and then again to home port from Miami in fall 2020.

Early 2020, too, will see two more cruise ship debuts with the arrival of Regent Seven Seas Splendor in February and the first Virgin Voyages ship ever built, Scarlet Lady, in March.

For the most recent ship, though, Sky Princess marks the first new Princess Cruises ship for Florida since its sister ships Royal Princess and Regal Princess came in 2013 and

2014. A third more recent sister ship, Majestic Princess, was sent to sail in Asia.

Sky Princess will sail alternating, seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages through April 4, 2020.

The 3,660-guest ship boasts the new Sky Suites, which the line touts as having the largest balconies at sea. Princess also announced two new entertainment options coming on board, an escape room called Phantom Bridge that mixes digital and physical elements, and a jazz theater called Take 5, in deference to the classic Dave Brubeck tune.

Also on board are Princess mainstays like The Piazza atrium, adults-only retreat The Sanctuary, Lotus Spa and Fitness Center, Movies Under the Stars and Broadway-style productions in the Princess Theater. One new production will be “Rock Opera,” a show featuring avant-garde fashion tied to a soundtrack that includes classic rock, opera and musical theater to be sung in English, Spanish, Latin and also sign language.

Some other unique features on board include more hot tubs, two deeptank pools linked by sunken, communal seating and an infinity pool called Wakeview at the aft of the ship. The ship will also take advantage of the cruise line’s OceanMedallion brand of wearable technology that gives cruisers a quarter-size icon that acts as a replacement for cabin keys, wallets and tickets.

PORT EVERGLADES