Press

Island Princess Inaugurates New Canada Place Facility to Reduce Air Emissions

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (August 31, 2009) — Today Island Princess helped inaugurate the Port of Vancouver’s new shore power facility by turning off its engines and instead “plugging in” to clean hydroelectric power from shore.

The new shore power technology at the Canada Place cruise ship terminal enables Princess Cruises’ ships, and other equipped vessels, to use power from the city’s grid instead of the onboard diesel-powered engines, reducing emissions when docking in Vancouver.

The port becomes the third in the world where Princess Cruises’ ships can take advantage of this innovative technology. The new shore power installation is the very first use of this technology in Canada and is the result of a $9 million cooperative partnership among Port Metro Vancouver, Transport Canada, Western Economic Diversification Canada, British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, British Columbia Hydro, Holland America Line and Princess Cruises.

“We’ve been committed to shore power for many years, so we’re pleased we can now ‘plug in’ our ships at Port Metro Vancouver,” said Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. “We know that local air quality issues are important to the community, and we’re proud to join with all those involved in realizing this important environmental initiative.”

Princess’ shore power program made history when it debuted in Juneau, Alaska in the summer of 2001. It expanded to Seattle in summer 2005 and is planned to roll out in other ports that have made commitments to the technology, including Los Angeles and San Francisco. Currently nine of the line’s ships are outfitted with the capability to “plug in” to a shoreside power source.

Four Princess ships will use shore power in Vancouver during the remainder of the 2009 Alaska season. The vessels — Coral Princess, Diamond Princess, Island Princess and Sapphire Princess — sail on seven-day Gulf of Alaska cruises.

To create this unique power system, Princess has outfitted its ships with custom-built connection cabinets that connect the ship’s electrical network to the local electrical system ashore. Since 2001, Princess has invested nearly $7 million in equipment alone to enable its vessels to connect to shore power. The ships currently equipped with this technology include:

•Coral Princess
•Dawn Princess
•Diamond Princess
•Golden Princess
•Island Princess
•Sapphire Princess
•Sea Princess
•Star Princess
•Sun Princess

Also known as “cold ironing,” shore power uses electrical power transmitted from a landside transformer to the vessel via four 3½-inch diameter flexible electrical cables. The actual cable connection on a vessel is a traditional, though quite large, plug and socket. The length of time needed to connect a ship to shore power and shut down the vessel’s diesel generator is approximately 40 minutes. Once connected, the ship’s engines are powered down and, simultaneously, the necessary amount of power, provided by BC Hydro, will be used to run the ship’s services while in port.

Family Fun Tour Adds Value with Variety of Included Extras and Discounted Fares

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (October 9, 2009) — With its stunning scenery, abundant wildlife, and plethora of active adventure opportunities, Alaska offers the perfect family vacation. To make it easier for families to plan a trip to the 49th state, Princess Cruises has added a fun new cruisetour option designed especially with family groups in mind.

The 12-night cruisetour offers the best of Alaska by land and sea and includes a variety of special features not usually included in a cruisetour package. Families will have the opportunity to travel on a jetboat, pan for gold, take an interactive tour of Denali National Park, and experience what Alaska is like in the winter when it’s many degrees below zero.

The cruisetour (number: FUN) is offered at a 25 percent discount for all berths, so all members of the family are included in the special pricing.

“This is really the ultimate family vacation,” said Charlie Ball, president of Princess Tours. “Alaska is a wonderful travel destination with kids, so we wanted to make it easy and affordable to plan the perfect Alaska experience for everyone in the family.”

The Family Fun cruisetour includes a seven-night Voyage of the Glaciers cruise plus a five-night land tour featuring one night at Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, two nights at Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and two nights at Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge. At sea, families can also take advantage of Princess’ many onboard programs especially for children, including a special Junior Ranger program in Glacier Bay National Park.

In addition, the following special extras are included in the tour:

Daily Breakfast — Everyone in the family can start their morning off with the most important meal of the day.

Direct-to-the-Wilderness Rail Service with Lunch — Princess’ acclaimed Direct-to-the-Wilderness rail service gets families to their wilderness lodge faster, and includes lunch aboard the train.

Three Rivers Jetboat Tour (Mt. McKinley) — An exhilarating alternative to taking a motorcoach to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, this tour travels from Talkeetna to the lodge by jetboat, with stops along the river to view historic encampments and learn about the native wildlife.

Arctic Blast (Denali) — Family members can experience winter in Alaska — in the summertime. This special chamber is chilled to wintertime temperatures, so visitors can find out what happens to hot water when it is thrown in the air and whether soap bubbles can survive the cold.

Music of Denali Dinner Theater (Denali) — This rollicking musical comedy tells the legend of the first expedition to the summit of Mt. McKinley, accompanied by a hearty, family-style meal featuring smokehouse ribs and Alaska salmon.

Experience Alaska with Alaska Geographic Tour (Denali) — A more intimate tour of Denali National Park, this special experience includes a variety of interactive experiences, including an enhanced view of the Denali ecosystem and current research taking place. The narrated bus tour takes guests 15 miles into the park to a beautiful river valley where they embark on a short walk to the historic Savage River Camp, where they can participate in a number of hands-on experiences.

Denali Sourdough Expedition Breakfast (Denali) — While fueling up for the day with a family-style, Alaskan roadhouse-style breakfast, guests experience an unforgettable journey up Denali through breathtaking images in Laurent Dick’s Climb Denali. Participants have the opportunity to meet this real mountain climber and ask questions about mountain climbing.

Riverboat Cruise and El Dorado Goldmine Tour (Fairbanks) — Families can enjoy traveling on an authentic sternwheeler for a fully-narrated cruise along the Chena River and try their hands at gold panning at the El Dorado Gold Mine, where they will learn about Alaska’s gold mining history.

Fares for the Alaska Family Cruisetour (#FUN) start at $1,743 per person for the first and second berths, and $1,191 per person for the third and fourth berth passengers.

Princess offers a variety of land/sea Alaska experience with itineraries ranging from three to eight nights. All cruisetour options feature at least two nights in the Denali National Park area, stays in Princess’ own riverside wilderness lodges, and a seven-day Voyage of the Glaciers sailing with Glacier Bay National Park.

Line Seeks Honorary Godparents for Ocean Princess’ Unique Online Ceremony With Each Participant Donation Made to Renowned New England Aquarium

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (December 2, 2009) — Princess Cruises is celebrating the new name of its ship Ocean Princess (formerly Tahitian Princess) by extending an open invitation to anyone wishing to become an honorary godparent for the vessel, with the first-ever virtual christening.

In a new twist on the time-honored tradition, the naming ceremony will occur completely online, at http://www.princess.com/oceanvirtualchristening. Each new godparent will trigger a $1 donation from Princess to the New England Aquarium, a global leader in ocean exploration and marine conservation, up to $25,000.

One of the small ships of Princess, Ocean Princess — fresh out of a two-week drydock — departed Singapore today on the first voyage with her new name. The virtual christening will run throughout the ship’s 16-day Southeast Asia cruise, ending on Dec. 18.

“At the end of her current cruise, we hope to have a huge group of honorary godparents for Ocean Princess,” said Jan Swartz, Princess executive vice president. “In this digital age, we wanted to design a way that all our fans worldwide could be part of the celebration. But not only do we want to entertain people with this fun approach, we also want people to think about our oceans, and in doing so support the important work of the New England Aquarium.”

In addition to virtually christening the ship and becoming an honorary godparent, participants will be able explore the following areas online:

•Honorary Godparents — Real-time collection of the names of Ocean Princess’ honorary godparents
•Ocean Princess Webcam — Live web cam from the ship
•Ocean Princess Itineraries — Link to Ocean Princess’ extensive list of itineraries
•About the New England Aquarium — Information about this renowned non-profit conservation and research organization
•Ocean Princess Drydock Photo Journal — Pictorial of the ship’s drydock in Singapore
•About Ocean Princess — Details about Ocean Princess and her offerings
•The Small Ships of Princess — Information about the small ships of Princess

In addition, people will be able to share their virtual Ocean Princess experience with friends and family, and encourage them to participate through send-to-friend and Facebook functions.

“We are delighted to be honored by Princess Cruises in this innovative and exciting program. Like Princess Cruises, the New England Aquarium strives to inspire and entertain people of all ages to the beauty and wonder of our world’s oceans,” said Bud Ris, president and CEO, New England Aquarium. “We hope this online event will introduce new audiences not only to the spectacular beauty of our oceans but also inspire new ocean stewards.”

During the ship’s recent drydock at the Keppel Shipyard in Singapore, the Ocean Princess name was placed on the bow and throughout the vessel. The ship also received new fuel-efficient silicone paint on its hull, and interior enhancements including new upholstery, carpet and flooring. The ship was renamed Ocean Princess to more accurately represent her global range of itineraries.

Swartz added, “As this ship begins her life with its new moniker, we would also like to congratulate Ocean Princess Captain Stefano Ravera and his crew, as the re-naming celebration is the cornerstone of our contribution to the important work of the New England Aquarium.”

Following its inaugural Treasures of the Southeast Asia cruise from Singapore to Shanghai, Ocean Princess will offer a season of unique Asia, India and Africa sailings, followed by a summer of European voyages.

Ocean Princess is a part of Princess’ fleet of small ships, which also includes Royal Princess and Pacific Princess. Offering a classic and intimate cruise experience, each small ship carries around 680 passengers and travels to more remote destinations around the world.

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About Princess Cruises:
One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises is a global cruise and tour company operating a fleet of 17 modern ships renowned for their innovative design and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment and amenities, all provided in an environment of exceptional customer service. A recognized leader in worldwide cruising, Princess offers its passengers the opportunity to escape completely to the top destinations around the globe, with sailings to all seven continents, ranging in length from seven to 107 days. The company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE:CCL; NYSE:CUK).