In 1975 a tiny cruise line said "yes" to "Love Boat" and charted a course that has led it to become one of the top four cruise industry giants. There are few industry leaders who don't credit Princess with launching cruising as a mainstream American experience by agreeing to host the show. While Princess' primary cruising regions are the Caribbean, Panama Canal, Alaska and Europe, the company has worldwide itineraries visiting every continent. So many
new ships have been delivered in recent years that it's logical to assume a good number of cruisers will sail aboard one of the gleaming mega-liners during the next decade.
The original parent company, P&O (Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company), was the oldest and largest of the great British shipping companies, dating back to 1822. With the demise of liner crossings in the age of the jumbo jet, P&O turned to cruising. P&O operated Princess Cruises and a number of European cruise divisions until 2003 when it merged with Carnival Corporation, forming the largest cruise corporation in existence.
The Princess Experience:
Princess excels at predicting trends: it was the first mid-price cruise line to offer a large number of cabins with private balconies (Royal Princess) and its mega-liners are the best in terms of upscale ambience, extensive facilities and ease of finding one's way around. In my opinion, Princess builds the most beautiful ships afloat. While not everyone loves mega-liners, those found in Princess' fleet are so superbly designed one never experiences a crowd,
waits in line or feels that they're just one of a mass of bodies. Instead of crowding everyone into a huge dining room, there are two or three smaller restaurants with etched glass partitions, giving a more intimate dining experience. In a similar fashion, the larger ships offer two main show lounges so there's always a choice between Broadway-style revues or cabaret. Public rooms are small and intimate, while one
finds upscale touches such as caviar and champagne bars.
These ships boast a multi-million dollar art collection, an enormous number of cabins and suites with private verandas and the most beautiful libraries afloat, complete with plush leather chairs with headsets for audio tapes. They have state-of-the art fitness centers, beautiful outdoor pool decks and several venues for dining, including the Horizon Court, the casual restaurant near the pool where more casual fare is available each evening. Princess has
always had the reputation of being a classy cruise experience and indeed, the ambience encourages dressing
up but the recent trend has been to more leisurely attire.
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