Princess Cruises

MV Pacific Princess

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Operator: Princess Cruises
Year Built / Last Refurbished: 1999 /2002
Length / Tonnage: 594 / 30,200
Number of Cabins / Passengers: 342 / 684
Officers / Crew: International / International
Operating Area: Australia and Alaska

She originally entered service in the summer of 1999 as the R3 for the now defunct Renaissance Cruises Lines. She was acquired by Princess in the summer of 2002 and now splits her time between the Australia and U.S. markets. She is a bit of an oddity in new ship building in that she is not a mega-ship nor is she a yacht-sized ship. She occupies an interesting middle-ground at just over 30,000 tons. She is large enough to provide many of the services expected on upscale ships, but still small enough to visit many of the smaller ports around the world.

On board passengers have the choice of open-seating in any of her four restaurants and have the following available to them: speciality restaurant, sports bar, two freshwater spas, casino, library, outdoor pool, hair salon and a self-service laundrette.

There are eight lounges and bars, from the Sports Bar with its floor to ceiling windows with panoramic views and live night-time entertainment to the cosy, pre-dinner drinks bar in the Club, the casino bar for a cocktail or poolside for a refreshing pick-me-up mixer.

The Sun deck, with its open teak decks for relaxing on sun lounges, offers the highest vista on the ship and is a great place to relax or catch up on your reading. The Deluxe Spa is located in an area overlooking the bow and offers beauty salon services including massages. For those looking for a bit more action, there is a fitness center and outdoor jogging track. There is also a heated swimming pool with whirlpool spas.

After dinner activities include nightly entertainment in the Caberet Lounge or games of chance in the casino with roulette, black jack, poker plus other table games. If you would like something more sedate, the ship offers a comfortable library, internet facilities and card room.

Pacific Princess offers a choice of 4 restaurants for casual, relaxed dining. These include the tasteful and charming Club Restaurant with its own bar and lounge area. There is also an Italian restaurant serving Mediterranean style food in a more formal setting plus a Grill restaurant serving steak and seafood.

For more casual meals, the indoor/outdoor Panorama Cafe/Buffet is perfect for al-fresco dining. There is also a poolside BBQ for ribs and burgers, a pizzeria and afternoon tea served each day at sea.

Over 90% of cabins have ocean views, including 68% with balcony. There's a range of cabin options from suites with wrap around balcony to spacious mini suites to outside and inside cabins, all tastefully decorated.

Decor in the cabins matches the rest of the ship with rich, warm colors and mahogany accents. The decor and sophisticated touches remind one of the days of classic cruising. All cabins have private facilities and in-cabin TV entertainment.

She is being marketed as an upscale product in the Australian market with prices to match. So expect a slightly older Australian crowd than you might find on the Pacific Sky with more interest in the ports and the onboard experience than in partying and games.

On her Alaska itineraries, expect an more mature crowd than the other Princess ships with fewer families and more couples and retired folks.

She spends her year sailing on itineraries between Alaska, Asia/Orient, India/Asia, or Tahiti/Hawaii.

During the Australian summer, November through May she will offer a series of 10-day cruises which visit Noumea (New Caledonia), Lifou (Loyalty Islands), Lamen Bay (Vanuatu), and Vila (Vanuatu). There are also four days at sea.

During the U.S. Summer from May to September she will offer a series of Alaska cruises. These will follow an Inside Passage itinerary that includes calls at Victoria or Vancouver, Ketchikan or Sitka, Skagway and Juneau, plus sailing through the dramatic glaciers, rock walls and waterfalls of Tracy Arm and the twin Sawyer Glaciers.

Following the Alaska season, the ship will return to the French Polynesia.

The Pacific Princess and her sister Tahitian Princess are an interesting addition to the Princess and P&O fleets and it remains to be seen how successful they will be in attracting their target markets. Overall, the experience will be more refined and club-like than you will find on the rest of the Princess fleet. Much of the decor onboard is based on the classic liners of the past so if you are looking for a change of pace from the mega ships of the P&O and Princess fleets these two sisters might be just what you are looking for.