Grand Princess
Encyclopedia
Grand Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship
owned by Princess Cruises
. Built in 1998 by Fincantieri
Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone
(Hull Number 5956), Italy, at a cost of approximately US$450 million, she was the largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built at the time. Grand Princess primarily operates in Europe during the summer to early Autumn, and then operates in the Caribbean
during winter to late spring. She is the flagship in the Princess Cruises
fleet.
Grand Princess was the first of the Grand-class ships, and has a different decor scheme to her sister ships, using darker woods, and the interior decor is more similar to the smaller Sun-class ships. The cabin layout is also marginally different in the arrangement of the bathroom and the walk-in wardrobe. At a recent refit, the Movies under the Stars feature was added.
She is the sister ship of the Star Princess
and the Golden Princess
. The Grand Princess was the setting for a task in the second series of the UK version of the reality TV show The Apprentice
.
The Grand Princess has two large theaters and a large central performance lounge. The inaugural season featured performances by artists including Lorna Luft
, Al Martino
, Bob Anderson, Red Buttons, Rita Moreno
and showbands including Dominic Halpin with his swing band and Canadian band the Mud Sharks.
In May 2011, Grand Princess completed the most extensive drydock in Princess Cruises history, a refit that involved the removal of the iconic "Skywalkers" lounge on the ships stern. Passengers now find a completely new Piazza atrium, several new eateries – including Alfredo's Pizzeria and the Crown Grill – and the line's first specialty tea lounge called Leaves. Also included in the renovation were seven new window suites; remodeled casino, boutiques and art gallery; enhancements to the Horizon Court, Lotus Spa, and wedding chapel; and the addition of Crooner's Martini Lounge. The new nightclub, The One5, replaced Skywalkers.
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
owned by Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
. Built in 1998 by Fincantieri
Fincantieri
Fincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. is a shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is the largest shipbuilder in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest in Europe...
Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone
Monfalcone
Monfalcone is a town and comune of the province of Gorizia , located on the coast of the Gulf of Trieste. Monfalcone means "Mount of Falcon" in Italian....
(Hull Number 5956), Italy, at a cost of approximately US$450 million, she was the largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built at the time. Grand Princess primarily operates in Europe during the summer to early Autumn, and then operates in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
during winter to late spring. She is the flagship in the Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Santa Clarita, California in the United States. Previously a subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises PLC, the company is now one of ten cruise ship brands operated by Carnival Corporation & PLC and accounts for approximately 19% share...
fleet.
Grand Princess was the first of the Grand-class ships, and has a different decor scheme to her sister ships, using darker woods, and the interior decor is more similar to the smaller Sun-class ships. The cabin layout is also marginally different in the arrangement of the bathroom and the walk-in wardrobe. At a recent refit, the Movies under the Stars feature was added.
She is the sister ship of the Star Princess
Star Princess
Star Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship, operated by Princess Cruises. Star Princess is a sister ship to Grand Princess and the Golden Princess....
and the Golden Princess
Golden Princess
Golden Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship for Princess Cruises that entered service in 2001. It is the sister ship of Grand Princess and Star Princess. It measures 109,000 gross tons and carries 2,600 passengers plus 1,100 crew members...
. The Grand Princess was the setting for a task in the second series of the UK version of the reality TV show The Apprentice
The Apprentice (UK)
The Apprentice is a British reality television series in which a group of aspiring young businessmen and women compete for the chance to win a £100,000-a-year job as an apprentice to the British business magnate Lord Sugar in series one to six...
.
The Grand Princess has two large theaters and a large central performance lounge. The inaugural season featured performances by artists including Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft is an American television, stage, and film actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and Sid Luft, and the half-sister of singer and actress Liza Minnelli.-Biography:...
, Al Martino
Al Martino
Al Martino was an American singer and actor. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid 1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and also became well known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The...
, Bob Anderson, Red Buttons, Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno
Rita Moreno is a Puerto Rican singer, dancer and actress. She is the only Hispanic and one of the few performers who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, and was the second Puerto Rican to win an Academy Award....
and showbands including Dominic Halpin with his swing band and Canadian band the Mud Sharks.
In May 2011, Grand Princess completed the most extensive drydock in Princess Cruises history, a refit that involved the removal of the iconic "Skywalkers" lounge on the ships stern. Passengers now find a completely new Piazza atrium, several new eateries – including Alfredo's Pizzeria and the Crown Grill – and the line's first specialty tea lounge called Leaves. Also included in the renovation were seven new window suites; remodeled casino, boutiques and art gallery; enhancements to the Horizon Court, Lotus Spa, and wedding chapel; and the addition of Crooner's Martini Lounge. The new nightclub, The One5, replaced Skywalkers.
