Put in service in 2013 and one of the top ten largest cruise
ships on the high seas, Royal Princess is the latest big thing in cruising and
the new flag ship of the Princess Cruises fleet. Because of the novelty of the
new ship and the big to-do that Kate Middleton christened her, pricing is set
at a higher level than the rest of the Princess ships.
Typically, her Eastern Caribbean itinerary starts at
anywhere from $699 to $1,200 per person. For a limited time, an interior
stateroom can be had for as low as from $549 per person.
The Cruise
The Royal Princess embarks on this seven night Eastern
Caribbean cruise from Port Everglades at Ft. Lauderdale, Florida at 4pm on Sunday,
January 5, 2014. Because of the size of the ship, the typical Princess Eastern
Caribbean itinerary is reduced to three port calls from four. The ship is
unable to dock at Grand Turk.
On Monday, January 6, 2014, Royal stops at Princess Cays
from 9am to 5pm. Princess Cays is a private beach at the southern tip of the
Bahamas island of Eleuthera. There is no pier for ships to dock at so they must
moor a ways away from shore and tender guests to the island on board smaller
boats.
Royal Princess then travels south overnight and the
following day to reach Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas in the U.S.
Virgin Islands. Royal docks in St. Thomas harbour on Wednesday, January 8 from
8am to 6pm. The highlights of the island include shopping and a trip to other
side of the island to visit the famous Magens Bay Beach. Have you seen ‘Weekend
at Bernie’s 2’? If yes, you will recognize Magens Bay immediately.
Her final port call is at Philipsburg on the Dutch side of
the island of Sint Maarten. Another shopping mecca, Sint Maarten is also home
to Princess Juliana International Airport. The airport is famous for jumbo jets
flying mere feet above the beach before landing.
The Price
Currently, Princess has a flash fare sale on this cruise
with interior staterooms starting at $549 per person. This equates to $78.43
per person per night. Once she heads to Europe for the summer, the lowest price
on Royal Princess starts at between $200 to $400 per person per night. One of
her 10 to 11 night cruises on the other side of the Atlantic cannot be had for
less the $2,300 per person before taxes are added.
With the $95 per person in government fees and taxes added,
an interior stateroom for two can be had for $1,288 total. Normally, Eastern
Caribbean cruises on Royal Princess start from $699 to $1,200 for the same
interior stateroom. It should also be noted that the flash fare rate is
available on all of Royal’s January cruises while still available.
The Ship
Royal Princess made her maiden voyage on June 16, 2013 after
being christened by a pregnant Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. Royal is
the first of two Royal Class ships in the Princess Cruises fleet. Regal
Princess is coming sometime in 2014 and will be nearly identical.
Built by Fincantieri on the northern Adriatic shores of
Italy, Royal Princess has a gross tonnage of 141,000, making her the ninth
largest cruise ship by weight on the high seas today. She is 330 metres or
1,083 feet long, making her the 13th longest cruise ship.
Passenger capacity on Royal is 3,560. There are 19 decks on
the ship with 15 accessible to passengers.
The Small Print
·Because of the nature of last minute deals, the pricing printed here is fleeting and could change at any time.
·Prices are in Canadian dollars.
·Most meals are included in a typical cruise price but DRINKS ARE NOT!
·Also not included are gratuities.
·Cruise pricing does not include air fare, ground transfers and hotel accommodations before and after the cruise.
