New Princess Sphere class ships?

[cruisingrob21]

14 hours ago, bmc alabama said:

The first one can (and should) be Pacific Princess, but I hope the second is Dawn Princess.  That was the first ship I ever sailed on...

Still a fair amount of legacy names available:

Dawn and Fair

 

More recent names: Tahitian, Sun, Sea, Golden, Star, Ocean

 

Other names that have been floated (sorry, bad pun) include:

Atlantic, Californian

[RMS Olympic]

I’d love to see the Sun Princess name selected.
I sailed on the Suns maiden voyage and like to repeat the moment. To date the Sun was my favorite Princess vessel.

Hey Princess open the books already....my credit card is ready for action.

[bmc alabama]

2 hours ago, cruisingrob21 said:

Still a fair amount of legacy names available:

Dawn and Fair

 

More recent names: Tahitian, Sun, Sea, Golden, Star, Ocean

 

Other names that have been floated (sorry, bad pun) include:

Atlantic, Californian

Sun, Sea, Ocean, and Dawn were all Sun Class ships.  They were perhaps my favorite class.  Those were beautiful ships.  I am sorry to see them gone (well, actually, the Sun and Dawn aren't gone, they are just with P&O Australia, but I digress...)

Edited May 3, 2022 by bmc alabama

[VibeGuy]

Ok, tin foil hat time.  Forgive me.  

Given the historic importance of Pacific Princess to the brand, the rather unceremonious removal of Pacific (II) from the fleet during the pause and the timing of the names vs getting a shipyard ID, I think the odds of one Sphere ship being Pacific Princess are better than even money *and* they have two perfect opportunities to reveal the name and itinerary in the coming months 

 

1) The Real Love Boat

 

Never underestimate the power of a promotional tie-in.  Princess will be in front of a new generation of potential cruisers with their reality series The Real Love Boat coming later this year.  How much later?  Who knows.  But they are once again actively leaning in on The Love Boat heritage. 
 

2) The Love Boat Reunion Cruises 

Princess was not ready to disclose renderings or features of the Sphere class on the 26th of February, and the risk of cruising was a bit too high for some of the older members of the Love Boat cast.  So they rescheduled to October 2022 and they have something charming to talk about after some ship details have been disclosed. They could also put the new ship on sale at that time based on their confidence in the build timeline. 
 

Maybe I’m insane but this is the most they’ve touched on the Love Boat legacy in a very long time.  You’ve got this state of the art ship platform, a new media tie-up (see also how we got Discovery Princess) and a name that has pretty solid brand equity.  

 

 

[Steelers36]

49 minutes ago, bmc alabama said:

Californian

too many syllables.

[Fairsky84]

Right now, Princess only has two Sphere-class ships on order for delivery. I would love to see these named:

 

Pacific Princess (2023)

Atlantic Princess (2025)

 

I always prefer when a class of ships have similar or related names. For example, Royal Caribbean's original Sovereign-class ships all had names related to royalty:

Sovereign of the Seas

Monarch of the Seas

Majesty of the Seas

Now, their Oasis-class is a random mix of unrelated names (Oasis, Allure, Harmony, Symphony, Wonder, Utopia). Why not start and stay with the musical theming for the entire class?:

 

Harmony of the Seas

Melody of the Seas

Symphony of the Seas

Rhapsody of the Seas

Anthem of the Seas

Ovation of the Seas

Aria of the Seas

It still kind of annoys me that Princess' mixes different categories of names into different classes of ships. For example, within the Royal-class there are royalty names (Royal, Regal, Majestic), a nature-themed name (Sky), and two odd/random names (Discovery, Enchanted). I think all six should have stayed in the "Royal" theme:

Royal

Regal

Fair
Majestic
Crown 

Noble 

And maybe a future class of Princess ships could have used celestial names including some from the line's past:

Sky
Sun
Star
Dawn
Cloud

 

 

 

[beg3yrs]

16 hours ago, bmc alabama said:

Sun, Sea, Ocean, and Dawn were all Sun Class ships.  They were perhaps my favorite class.  Those were beautiful ships.  I am sorry to see them gone (well, actually, the Sun and Dawn aren't gone, they are just with P&O Australia, but I digress...)

The most recent Ocean Princess was an R Class ship.

[RMS Olympic]

Names....how about the Stubing Princess and the Julie McCoy Princess....or maybe the Issac Washington Princess! 🤪😛😉🥴

Just no rock climbing, roller coasters,zip lines, ice skating.

But do bring back a steel drum band paleeeeeeze 🤗

[TorontoTL]

Keel laying is going to be next month, June.  Hopefully information about this new class of ship will come soon after.

[Astro Flyer]

9 hours ago, TorontoTL said:

Keel laying is going to be next month, June.  Hopefully information about this new class of ship will come soon after.

At last week’s sales webinar they stated there will be details provided during their 6/16 webinar about the new class of ships.

 

[TorontoTL]

2 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

At last week’s sales webinar they stated there will be details provided during their 6/16 webinar about the new class of ships.

 

Thanks so much, that is great to know.  I hope someone will post about what they hear that at webinar or that Princess shares more information formally on the internet.

[5:00_Somewhere]

On 5/30/2022 at 4:08 AM, Astro Flyer said:

At last week’s sales webinar they stated there will be details provided during their 6/16 webinar about the new class of ships.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely be following that.

 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

My guess is that Orincess will release fall 2023 to spring 2024 Caribbean & Panama Canal itineraries concurrent with the Sphere Class update as the first ship is set to launch in late 2023

 

Edited May 31, 2022 by AtlantaCruiser72

[billaraneta]

Excuse me please. When Sphere Princess will reveal and open for booking? Thank You.

[cruisingrob21]

2 hours ago, billaraneta said:

Excuse me please. When Sphere Princess will reveal and open for booking? Thank You.

Not much information has been revealed yet.  There may be more information from Princess Cruises later this month or in July.

[Astro Flyer]

On 5/30/2022 at 3:23 AM, TorontoTL said:

Thanks so much, that is great to know.  I hope someone will post about what they hear that at webinar or that Princess shares more information formally on the internet.

 

On 5/31/2022 at 3:37 PM, 5:00_Somewhere said:

 

Thanks for the heads up. I will definitely be following that.

 

I am not a TA but those sale’s webinars provides some useful information for me. I don’t have a Facebook account but can view recordings of these webinars on this FB site which is easier for me than watching it live. As a recording it’s possible for me to pause, fast forward or rewind the webinar.

 

https://m.facebook.com/PrincessVPSales/videos/3132477860324049/?refsrc=deprecated&_rdr

[rj59]

On 9/19/2021 at 1:49 PM, Musky Ike said:

An officer at our recent  meet and greet on the Majestic suggested they would be set up a bit differently. A more "integrated" approach. Not sure what that means. Inside facing balcony rooms like other lines have done? Pools on lower decks? I specifically asked if the central piazza concept would remain, and that was affirmed.  Personally I would love to see a full promenade return, but I doubt it. Unless it is lined with shops and bars.

I actually like the Waterfront concept on newer NCL ships, which has outdoor dining and bar seating of various kinds, as well as traditional lounger seating. It's higher up, but that means you're not competing with lifeboats or crew smoking and phone surfing. It doesn't go all the way around, but it's easy to cross to the other side at the front, versus the awkward stairs and windy front area on Princess ships with promenades. It's a reasonable compromise between having outside walkways with wonderful views and the desire of the lines to keep people in places where they'll spend. Eliminating outdoor promenades on new ships is the worst development in cruising for me, since I cruise to be near the ocean and to avoid crowds, and why I was a HAL loyalist until they cut out promenades on their newer ships. The Royal-class outdoor seating areas on deck 7 are decent, but frustrating for those trying to walk the narrow areas between them.  

[dockman]

On 9/20/2021 at 2:21 PM, LACruiser88 said:

We totally agree with you!  The wrap-around Promenade deck not a big deal for us and we LOVE the walking/running track!

i  much much prefer a full wrap around walking deck preferably wide enough for some lounger teak type chairs....the jogging track is so short, so crowded , so high up from the water, usually encased with high plexiglass that is often dirty and not really protected from the elements....the old prom decks were made for walking, strolling, relaxing, and being sheltered but yet only a few feet from the water with open easy to see through rails....no comparison in my view

[cruisingrob21]

2 hours ago, dockman said:

i  much much prefer a full wrap around walking deck preferably wide enough for some lounger teak type chairs....the jogging track is so short, so crowded , so high up from the water, usually encased with high plexiglass that is often dirty and not really protected from the elements....the old prom decks were made for walking, strolling, relaxing, and being sheltered but yet only a few feet from the water with open easy to see through rails....no comparison in my view

I would encourage you to try the Pinnacle class ships of HAL (Koningsdam, Niuew Statendam, Rotterdam) if you haven't.  While the entertainment and soft products are different than Princess, they are more alike than not overall and I think you'll find that the Pinnacle class ships of HAL could be seen as an a pretty good evolution to the original grand class ships if you enjoyed those.  Of particular note is a jogging track up top, and a wrap around promenade on one of the lower decks.  Ironically, many HAL loyalists bemoan the Pinnacle class ship promenades because they are narrower than the Vista and R class ships of HAL - I found them to be roughly similar to grand class ships, but without the deck 8 area at the bow (whale mouth).

[Kamloops50]

On 9/20/2021 at 6:13 AM, Musky Ike said:

Good question. I presume initial sailings would be scheduled where LNG is available, but I would think it could be trucked into ports in most developed countries. If they can refuel dockside or need a separate fuel barge is a question. It also appears they will be dual fueled so if LNG not available no problem.

I think Aida cruises has a similar ship in service right. The video I saw was that they refueled about every 7 days on turn around.

[Nathan Graveson]

Is this ship going to be based on the Excel-Class ships or is it a ground up design?

Also, i have heard a few rumours about the propulsion of the ship. Instead of the Twin - Screw and Stern Thruster design, having an Azipod powered system.

[LACruiser88]

2 hours ago, Nathan Graveson said:

Is this ship going to be based on the Excel-Class ships or is it a ground up design?

From what I have been told, it is a new ground-up design.

[5:00_Somewhere]

15 hours ago, Nathan Graveson said:

Is this ship going to be based on the Excel-Class ships or is it a ground up design?

Also, i have heard a few rumours about the propulsion of the ship. Instead of the Twin - Screw and Stern Thruster design, having an Azipod powered system.

 

I also read that somewhere. Can't recall where, though. Looking forward to getting solid details soon, hopefully.

[mvaldes140]

Does anyone know where we can get the link for the presentation tomorrow about the new ship?

[azbirdmom]

On 5/30/2022 at 1:08 AM, Astro Flyer said:

At last week’s sales webinar they stated there will be details provided during their 6/16 webinar about the new class of ships.

 

 

Have you seen anything more about this?  There's nothing about it on the Princess VP Sales FB page which is peculiar.  Either they have removed any reference to it (maybe not ready for release yet?) or perhaps the reference to "watch your inbox" in the slide means that they are going a different route than FB with these webinars?

Edited June 15, 2022 by azbirdmom