Italy’s Largest, First LNG Cruise Ship Delivered by Fincantieri to Princess

Sun Princess cruise ship — Sun Princess on earlier sea trials but remains at the yard for technical work after canceling the first two scheduled cruises (Fincantieri)

The cruise line famed for operating “The Love Boat” from the 1970s TV show took delivery on its newest, but delayed, cruise ship today in Italy on appropriately Valentine’s Day. At 177,882 gross tons, the Sun Princess is the largest ship built in Italy to date, as well as the first LNG cruise ship ever built by Fincantieri and the first dual-fuel ship powered primarily by LNG to enter the Princess Cruises fleet.

The cruise ship, which is the first of a new platform for the companies, however, continues to be behind schedule. The first commercial cruise announced for February 8, was canceled with the companies reporting on January 24 they had mutually agreed to delay delivery. Passengers due to sail on the next scheduled cruise due to depart on February 18 are complaining online that they were only informed yesterday that their cruise is also canceled.

Fincantieri in its announcement said the Sun Princess “is ready to sail the seas.” Princess Cruises, however, reports that the “ship does need to remain alongside in the shipyard to allow for additional technical work.” As such, they are now delaying the first revenue cruise till February 28. The ship has been docked in Monfalcone, Italy since January 16 after completing four days of sea trials.

Sun Princess is the largest cruise ship yet built in Italy and Fincantieri's first LNG-fueled cruise ship (Fincantieri)

With a length of 1,133 feet (345 meters), the Sun Princess is the largest cruise ship yet built for Princess Cruises and among the largest in the Carnival Corporation fleet. She is also the second platform the corporation has launched fueled by liquified natural gas. She is due to be followed by a sister ship, Star Princess, currently under construction and scheduled to enter service in 2025.

Each of the two ships will have 2,150 passenger cabins accommodating more than 4,300 passengers or nearly 20 percent more than the prior class of Princess cruise ships also built by Fincantieri. Each ship will have a crew of 1,150.

The company is promoting that the new ships have the most balconies on any Princess ship. Other amenities include more than 29 bars and restaurants, a large glass dome area that is a multilevel space with a pool and entertainment venue, and a separate, massive theater in the round showroom.

For Carnival Corporation the new Sun Princess is only one of three cruise ships the world’s largest cruise corporation currently has under construction. They are also scheduled to take delivery in April of the Queen Anne for Cunard from Fincantieri.

The corporation yesterday announced its first new cruise ship order in five years, a tenth Excel platform LNG-fueled ship. It will be built in Germany for delivery to Carnival Cruise Line in 2027. Going forward, Carnival Corporation says it will add one or two new cruise ships a year, a more moderate growth pace than the corporation was following before the pandemic.