Discovery Princess

Discovery Princess
Discovery Princess at Ogden Point in Victoria, 2023
History
Bermuda
NameDiscovery Princess
Owner Carnival Corporation & plc
OperatorPrincess Cruises
Port of registryHamilton,  Bermuda[1]
OrderedJanuary 2017
Builder
Yard number6290[1]
Launched18 March 2021
Christened29 April 2022[2]
Completed27 January 2022[1]
Acquired28 January 2022
Maiden voyage27 March 2022
In service2022–present
Identification
StatusIn service
General characteristics
Class and typeRoyal-class cruise ship
Tonnage145,000 GT[1]
Length330 m (1,080 ft)[1]
Beam38.38 m (125.9 ft)[1]
Draught8.49 m (27.9 ft)[1]
Depth11.348 m (37.23 ft)[1]
Decks19
Installed power
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 12V46F Diesel generators producing 14,400 kW (19,300 hp) each
  • 2 × Wärtsilä 14V46F Diesel generators producing 16,800 kW (22,500 hp) each
  • Total Installed Power: 62,400 kW (83,700 hp)
Propulsion2 × 18,000 kW (24,000 hp)
Speed
  • 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) (Service speed)
  • 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) (Maximum speed)
Capacity3,660 passengers [3]
Crew1,346

Discovery Princess is a Royal-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. The 145,000 GT-vessel was ordered in January 2017 with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and her steel-cutting was performed on 14 February 2019 in Castellammare di Stabia, Italy.

Originally expected to begin operations in November 2021, the ship saw her construction and subsequent delivery delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Fincantieri and Carnival Corporation. She was delivered to Princess on 28 January 2022 and became the company's sixth and final Royal-class cruise ship in the Princess fleet. Discovery Princess operated her week-long inaugural voyage on 27 March 2022 from her debut homeport of Los Angeles to the Mexican Riviera and moved to Seattle during her maiden summer deployment to cruise the Inside Passage.

Design

Discovery Princess measures 145,000 GT and has a length of 330.0 metres (1,082.7 ft), a draft of 8.49 metres (27.9 ft), and a beam of 38.38 metres (125.9 ft). She is powered by a diesel-electric genset system, with four total Wärtsilä engines, producing a total output of 62.4 megawatts (83,700 hp). Main propulsion is via two propellers, each driven by a 18 megawatts (24,000 hp) electric motor. The system gives the vessel a service speed of 21.9 knots (40.6 km/h; 25.2 mph) and a maximum speed of 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). The ship houses 1,830 passenger cabins and 757 crew cabins. Of the 1,830 passenger cabins, 81% have a balcony. The ship has a maximum capacity of 5,800 passengers and crew.[4]

Construction

In January 2017, Carnival Corporation finalized the order for a sixth Royal-class ship for Princess Cruises to be built at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.[3][5] Initial details revealed the ship would closely resemble her older sister ships, with a guest capacity of 3,660 passengers.[3]

The steel-cutting for the then-unnamed ship was performed on 14 February 2019 at Fincantieri's shipyard in Castellammare di Stabia, Italy.[6] On 4 October 2019, Princess revealed the name of the ship as Discovery Princess.[7] Her 130 metres (430 ft) bow section was launched in Castellamare di Stabia on 31 July 2020 over a two-day period, three months behind schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic, after which the section was transported to Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone to be assembled with the rest of the ship.[8][9]

In January 2021, Carnival Corporation announced that it had renegotiated its newbuild contracts for its vessels that were under construction amid the financial constraints imposed on the company by the COVID-19 pandemic; it was arranged to postpone the deliveries of all but one of the new vessels scheduled to be delivered in 2021. Among the vessels impacted was Discovery Princess, whose construction timeline was subsequently extended and forced the delays of her inaugural operations.[10]

On 18 March 2021, Discovery Princess was floated out from the dry dock to begin her interior outfitting.[11] In December, the ship successfully completed her five days of sea trials.[12] She was delivered to Princess in Monfalcone on 28 January 2022[13] The ship also became the first vessel delivered by Fincantieri in 2022 and the 75th Fincantieri vessel overall to be classified and registered by Lloyd's Register.[14]

Discovery Princess was christened at the Port of Los Angeles on 29 April 2022 by four godparents: designer Randy Fenoli, chef Alex Guarnaschelli, special effects designer Adam Savage, and real estate agent Page Turner.[15][2]

Service history

Discovery Princess was originally planned to sail her seven-day inaugural voyage on 3 November 2021 from Civitavecchia to Piraeus and operate in the Mediterranean for three weeks before moving to Port Everglades the following month, where she would sail in the Caribbean. She was then scheduled to perform a 50-day circumnavigation cruise around South America in late-2021 to reach her destined homeport of Los Angeles in early-2022, where she would sail along the Mexican Riviera and the California coast.[16] After the ship saw her delivery postponed, the maiden voyage was delayed in September 2021 to 27 March 2022, thus cancelling all pre-planned inaugural festivities.[17]

In order to reach Los Angeles, the ship left the shipyard in Italy in February 2022 by sailing eastwards via the Suez Canal and made a stop in Singapore for additional supplies before embarking on her transpacific voyage.[18] Discovery Princess sailed her week-long inaugural voyage to the Mexican Riviera on 27 March 2022 from Los Angeles, where she was based for one month, before she moved to her maiden summer homeport of Seattle to sail along the Inside Passage.[19]

On 2 June 2024, an undisclosed medical emergency aboard the ship caused her to miss her port of call in Juneau, Alaska.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Discovery Princess (9837468)". LR ships in class. Lloyd's Register.
  2. ^ a b Bretz, Sarah (30 April 2022). "Newest Princess Cruises Ship Christened in Los Angeles". CruiseRadio.net. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Davies, Phil (20 January 2017). "New ship order placed for Princess Cruises and Holland America Line". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Majestic Princess - Sky Princess - Enchanted Princess - Discovery Princess" (PDF). Fincantieri.
  5. ^ "Carnival Orders Two New Cruise Ships". The Maritime Executive. 19 January 2017.
  6. ^ Kalosh, Anne (14 February 2019). "Princess Cruises marks three Royal-class milestones at Fincantieri". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  7. ^ Thomaselli, Rich (5 October 2019). "Princess Cruises Reveals Name of Sixth Royal-Class Ship". Travel Pulse. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  8. ^ Elefante, Maria (31 July 2020). "Fincantieri a Castellammare, il primo varo post-Covid dura due giorni". Il Mattino (in Italian). Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  9. ^ Kalosh, Anne (31 July 2020). "Fincantieri's Castellammare launches Discovery Princess bow section". Seatrade Cruise News. Informa Markets. Retrieved 2 August 2020.
  10. ^ Jainchill, Johanna (11 January 2021). "Carnival Corp. will add only one new ship in 2021". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  11. ^ "New Discovery Princess Floats Out at Fincantieri". Cruise Industry News. 18 March 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Discovery Princess Completes Sea Trials Ahead of 2022 Debut". Cruise Industry News. 22 December 2021. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Discovery Princess Officially Delivered to Princess". Cruise Industry News. 31 January 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  14. ^ "Fincantieri and LR Celebrate 75th Vessel Built to Class". Cruise Industry News. 16 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  15. ^ "Princess Cruises Reveals Celebrity Godparents of Discovery Princess". Cruise Industry News. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  16. ^ Kalosh, Anne (4 October 2019). "A Los Angeles home for 2021 newbuild Discovery Princess". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  17. ^ Kalosh, Anne; Payne, Holly (23 September 2021). "Sept. 23 update: Discovery Princess delay, Carnival Corp. restart on pace, Scenic confirms Antarctica". Seatrade Cruise News. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  18. ^ "Discovery Princess sets sail to LA". TTR Weekly. 11 March 2022. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  19. ^ Kemble, Harry (9 March 2022). "Princess Cruises names Discovery Princess' madrina". Travel Weekly. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.