 Sky Princess inTrieste, October 2019 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Bermuda | |
| Name | Sky Princess |
| Owner |  Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator | Princess Cruises |
| Port of registry | Hamilton, Bermuda |
| Ordered | 30 December 2015[1] |
| Builder | |
| Yard number | 6268[2] |
| Laid down | 05 July 2018[3] |
| Launched | 14 February 2019[4] |
| Sponsored by | Kay Hire andPoppy Northcutt[6] |
| Christened | 7 December 2019[6] |
| Completed | 12 October 2019[5] |
| Acquired | 15 October 2019[2] |
| Maiden voyage | 20 October 2019[5] |
| In service | 2019–present |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Royal-classcruise ship |
| Tonnage | 145,281 GT[2] |
| Length | 330 m (1,080 ft)[2] |
| Beam | 38.4 m (126 ft)[2] |
| Draught | 8.5 m (28 ft)[2] |
| Depth | 11.35 m (37.2 ft)[2] |
| Decks | 19 |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 2 × 18,000 kW (24,000 hp)[7] |
| Speed | |
| Capacity | 3,660 passengers[8] |
| Crew | 1,346 |
Sky Princess is aRoyal-classcruise ship currently operated byPrincess Cruises, a subsidiary ofCarnival Corporation & plc. She is the second ship in the cruise line's history to sail under this name. She is the fourthRoyal-class ship in the Princess fleet and commenced operations in October 2019.[9][10] The ship measures 145,281GT and has a capacity of 3,660 passengers.[10][1]
Carnival Corporation first entered a strategic agreement withFincantieri in March 2015 for five cruise ships for delivery between 2019 and 2022.[11] From this agreement, the order for a then-unnamed, fourthRoyal-class vessel was announced for Princess on 30 December 2015.[1][12] The contract for this order was finalized on 2 April 2016.[13] On 30 November 2017, Princess Cruises officially announced the name of the fourthRoyal-class ship asSky Princess, in honor of a previous Princess vessel that carried the same name.[14][15]
Construction began on 9 November 2016 with the steel cutting for the ship's bow at Fincantieri's shipyard inCastellammare di Stabia,[16] with a separate milestone on 8 September 2017 marking the steel-cutting for the rest of the ship at Fincantieri's shipyard inMonfalcone.[17] Her keel-laying was performed on 5 July 2018.[3] She was floated out on 14 February 2019[4] and completed her sea trials in September 2019.[18]
Sky Princess was officially delivered on 15 October 2019 in her handover ceremony at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone.[9][10]
The ship sailed a four-day pre-inaugural "shakedown" cruise for the press on 16 October 2019 fromTrieste toAthens with a call inKotor.[19] She performed her official maiden voyage on 20 October 2019, a seven-day cruise sailing between Athens andBarcelona.[5] She sailed a short inaugural season in theMediterranean in fall 2019 before repositioning to her new homeport ofPort Everglades inFort Lauderdale, Florida, arriving on 1 December 2019.[14] Due to high demand, two three-day inaugural cruises were scheduled on 1 December 2019 and 4 December 2019, with both cruising between Port Everglades andPrincess Cays.[20]
Sky Princess was christened at Port Everglades on 7 December 2019 byNASA astronaut andU.S. Navy CaptainKay Hire and NASA engineerPoppy Northcutt.[6]
During the winter months,Sky Princess sails in theCaribbean from Port Everglades.[21][22] For the summer months, she sails inEurope, including theBaltic region.[23][24] In the fall, she sails along theMaritimes andNew England fromNew York.[25][26]
Sky Princess measures 145,281 GT, has a length of 330.0 metres (1,082.7 ft), a draft of 8.49 metres (27.9 ft), and a beam of 38.4 metres (126 ft).[7][2] She is powered by a diesel-electricgenset system, with four totalWärtsilä engines, producing a total output of 62.4 megawatts (83,700 hp).[7] Main propulsion is via two propellers, each driven by a 18 megawatts (24,000 hp) electric motor.[7] 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).[7] The ship houses 1,830 passenger cabins and 757 crew cabins.[7] Of the 1,830 passenger cabins, 81% have a balcony.[7] The ship has a maximum capacity of 5,800 passengers and crew.[7]
