 Grand Princess docked inKetchikan, Alaska in 2023 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Bermuda | |
| Name | Grand Princess |
| Owner |
|
| Operator | Princess Cruises |
| Port of registry | |
| Ordered | 8 February 1994 |
| Builder | |
| Cost | US$450 million |
| Yard number | 5956 |
| Launched | 20 May 1998 |
| Sponsored by | Olivia de Havilland |
| Christened | 29 September 1998 |
| Maiden voyage | 26 May 1998 |
| In service | 1998–present |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| Notes | [1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Grand-classcruise ship |
| Tonnage | 107,517 GT |
| Length | 289.86 m (951 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 35.97 m (118 ft 0 in) |
| Height | 61.26 m (201 ft 0 in) |
| Draught | 7.92 m (26 ft 0 in) |
| Decks | 17 |
| Propulsion | Two shafts; fixed-pitch propellers |
| Speed | 22.5knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph) (cruising) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | 6 tenders |
| Capacity |
|
| Crew | 1,100 |
| Notes | [1] |
Grand Princess is aGrand-classcruise ship owned byPrincess Cruises. It was built in 1998 byFincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani inMonfalcone, Italy, withyard number 5956, at a cost of approximately US$450 million. She was the largest and most expensive passenger ship ever built at the time.
Grand Princess was the first of theGrand-class cruise ships debuting in 1998, and christened byOlivia de Havilland. WhenGrand Princess waslaunched, she featured in the Princess Cruises brochures as aSun-class ship; it was only with the subsequent launch ofGolden Princess that theGrand class appeared in brochures. The ship has a different decor scheme to hersister ships, using darker woods, and the interior decor is more similar to the smallerSun-class ships.
She is the sister ship ofStar Princess andGolden Princess.Grand Princess was the setting for a task in thesecond series of the UK version of the reality TV showThe Apprentice.
On 19 July 2009, the ship was drydocked for 14 days for refurbishments such as boosting Grand Princess's energy and environmental efficiency.[2]
In May 2011,Grand Princess completed the most extensive dry-dock in Princess Cruises history that included a refit and removal of the nightclub from her stern.[3][4] This resolved her tendency to sailbow high, and has improved her fuel economy by about 3–4%. The bow high tendency was specific toGrand Princess and did not affect her sister ships as they were designed with aluminum upper decks.
On 9 August 2017, a deadhumpback whale was found stuck on the bow of the ship after it docked inKetchikan, Alaska.[5] Princess Cruises issued a statement that said "It is unknown how or when this happened as the ship felt no impact. It is also unknown, at this time, whether the whale was alive or already deceased before becoming lodged on the bow."[6] It was the second time in two years that a whale had been carried into an Alaska port on the bow of a cruise ship.[6][7]
