Princess Cruises celebrated a construction milestone with the float-out of the fleet’s next-generation ship Sun Princess at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone (Italy).
Following the tradition of the Italian shipyard, the float out was marked by a special ceremony where a “Madrina” was named to offer blessings/best wishes for the liner, celebrating the flow of water into the building dock. Simona Stumberger (Princess Cruises Hotel General Manager) was selected to serve in the special role of an ambassador for Princess.
The float-out completes the first phase of construction for Sun Princess which transitions to focus on building the interiors.
Princess also announced that it had appointed Captain Gennaro Arma for the shipbuilding operations and delivery, and overseeing the final stages of construction, working closely with the brand’s shipbuilding experts, naval architects, and engineers, as well as the shipyard management team.
At volume 175,500 GT-tons, the new Sun Princess is the biggest Italy-built liner so far, as well as Fincantieri's first LNG-powered cruiser and Princess' first dual-fuel boat.
Sun Princess is scheduled for delivery in 2024-Q1 (the Maiden Voyage departs on Feb 28th out of Barcelona) and starts the SPHERE Class, which includes a sistership (TBN) to be delivered in 2025.
Each of the newbuilds accommodates 4320 passengers/lower berths (max capacity is 5189 pax plus 1550 crew), has 2162 staterooms and 20 floors/decks.