Star Princess, which entered service just this March, is now poised to become the largest and most amenity-filled ship ever to cruise the Pacific basin. The 2,600-passenger vessel will be deployed on a series of diverse Asia/South Pacific sailings for the 2003-04 season, offering enriching discovery itineraries and a level of service and accommodations never before available in this region.
The 109,000-ton Star Princess will feature 12 Asia and South Pacific voyages on eight itineraries that feature 47 ports of call, including a new stop for the line -- Adelaide, Australia. Passengers can choose from a series of Australia/New Zealand cruises that capture the beauty and adventure found "down under" or from a variety of Asia sailings that reach the far corners of this intriguing region. In addition, the ship will offer extended sailings that will take passengers between Asia and such destinations as Australia, Alaska and the Mediterranean. Guests can also choose to extend their vacation with Princess' popular cruisetours in China and Australia, giving passengers the opportunity to visit numerous inland destinations with four- to 10-day land tours that can be added to their cruise.
"There's never been a ship of this caliber sailing regularly in this part of the world," said Dean Brown, Princess' executive vice president of customer service and sales. "Based on the success of Grand Princess and Golden Princess in the Mediterranean, we know she will be a spectacular addition to our exotics program, bringing a standard of service as well as innovative options to Asia/South Pacific cruises that, until now, have never been available."
Australia/New Zealand -- Star Princess will sail on two 12-day voyages and four 14-day voyages that explore the wonders "down under" in Australia and New Zealand. Both itineraries sail between Sydney and Auckland, and feature calls in the Australian ports of Melbourne and Hobart (Tasmania), a cruise through New Zealand's Fjordland National Park, and stops at the New Zealand ports of Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington. The 14-day journey also features the new port of Adelaide, on the coast of South Australia. Here, passengers can enjoy visits to the Barossa Wine Valley, Cleland Wildlife Park or Kangaroo Island. Sailings run between November 26, 2003 and January 31, 2004.
Asia -- Star Princess begins her Pacific odyssey with a 19-day Alaska/Far East cruise from Seattle to Osaka on September 20. Passengers will discover the beauty of Alaska's main ports, plus little-known Dutch Harbor. Once across the Pacific they will visit Sapporo (Japan), Vladivostok, Pusan (South Korea) and Nagasaki. The ship then sails on a 12-day Orient/China voyage from Osaka to Beijing on October 10, followed by a 16-day Orient/Asia cruise from Beijing to Bangkok on October 22. Passengers will visit ports such as Nagasaki, Pusan, and Shanghai, plus Vladivostok and Salian on the 12-day cruise; and Hong Kong, Da Nang (Vietnam) and Singapore on the 16-day voyage.
Star Princess then heads "down under" with a 19-day voyage from Bangkok to Sydney, departing November 7. Passengers will enjoy discovering Asian treasures such as Singapore, the Thai island of Phuket, Kuala Lumpur and Bali, plus sailing around the western and southern coast of Australia, taking in rarely visited ports such as Perth, and the line's new call at Adelaide, on the way to Melbourne and Sydney.
The ship returns north with an 18-day Australia/Asia voyage from Sydney to Bangkok. The route around the Australian continent takes passengers to the Great Barrier Reef and the port of Darwin, followed by calls in Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City. This sailing departs February 14, 2004.
Asia/India/Mediterranean -- Star Princess' Pacific Rim season ends with a 30-day journey through a kaleidoscope of worlds, sailing from Bangkok to Venice, departing March 3, 2004. Passengers will travel through three continents with visits to Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Kuala Lampur, Cochin (India), Bombay, Salalah (Oman), Aqaba (for Petra, Jordan), Safaga (for Luxor/ Karnak, Egypt), the Suez Canal, Port Said (for Cairo/Giza, Egypt), Rhodes, Kusadasi and Istanbul.
Cruisetours -- Passengers can extend their Star Princess vacation with land/sea packages in China and Australia. Up to four land tour options in China and five in Australia make it easy to customize the perfect cruisetour vacation in which passengers can explore the interior sites of these fascinating countries in addition to their cruise.
Star Princess provides her passengers with the same unique design and innovative features that made her sister ships, Grand Princess and Golden Princess, two of the most popular cruise vessels sailing today. Among the special amenities are multiple dining and entertainment venues, an expanded youth center with activities for three age groups, the largest spa facility in the fleet offering the company's extensive new lineup of services, a 24-hour AOL Internet Café and a dedicated wedding chapel for Princess' exclusive wedding-at-sea program.
Like her sister ships, Star Princess features three main show lounges and three main dining rooms -- also Princess exclusives -- a swim-against-the-current pool, a nine-hole putting course, and a trademark nightclub/observation lounge set dramatically atop the rear of the vessel and accessible only by a glass-enclosed, moving "skywalk." The ship also offers more than 700 balcony cabins, another Princess trademark. |
