Multiple cruises cancelled as new ship will not be ready

When you book a cruise on a brand-new ship you are taking a big risk: as thousands of would-be cruisers discovered this week.

Princess Cruises has announced new ship Star Princess’ debut will be delayed by months - and that nine planned cruises have had to be cancelled, Travel Mole reported.

Princess and leading Italian ship builder Fincantieri announced a mutual decision to postpone the delivery of the Sphere Class ship from July 29, 2025, to September 26, 2025.

So bad luck if you have a booking.

“Despite our relentless pursuit to deliver the ship in late July, it has become evident that additional time is required,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises.

The new inaugural sailings of Star Princess will be round-trip from Barcelona and include an 11-day Mediterranean cruise on October 4, 2025, and a seven-day Mediterranean cruise on October 15, 2025.

They will precede a 14-day transatlantic crossing to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on October 22, 2025, for the ship’s first Caribbean season.

Guests booked on any of the cancelled voyages will be given three options: book any Princess cruise worldwide, including aboard the new Star, sister ship Sun Princess, or any other Princess ship.

Guests who elect to re-book will receive future cruise and onboard-credits depending on the cruise they select.

But customers will also have the option to cancel and receive a full refund, which you'd expect many of them to take.

Star Princess is the second in the new Sphere Class of ships for Princess, following sister ship Sun Princess, which debuted in February.

These ships feature The Dome, an industry-first geodesic feature on the top deck, and The Sphere, the suspended glass Sphere Piazza at the centre of the ship.

The dirty secret the cruise industry would rather you did not know about

It is the little secret that cruise lines would rather passengers did not know.

Your cruise ship can change its itinerary at any time - with little or no recourse for customers.

You may recall last month when cruise passengers on board the P&O ship Pacific Adventure had booked for a cruise to some of the best ports in New Zealand - only to find themselves visiting Hobart and Eden in Australia after their ship was denied entry to New Zealand.

And also had a proposed docking in Port Arthur scrapped due to bad weather.

Some the guests from Hobart were less than pleased to find themselves back in their home city rather than exploring New Zealand.

Cruise schedules are created by cruise lines many months in advance - but passengers are never certain of actually visiting the ports advertised.

Guests sailing on board Regal Princess (above) on January 21 out of Galveston, Texas, will be missing out on a highlight destination: the island of Roatan off Honduras.

Princess Cruises announced that instead of sailing to the tropical island paradise of Roatan, guests will spend the day at Belize City, Belize, instead.

The change in itinerary was made by Princess Cruises in light of congestion in Roatan. The small island has a limited number of berths and can only accommodate three cruise ships at the same time.

In a statement sent to guests booked onboard, Princess Cruises said: “Itinerary Change, please be advised that due to cruise ship congestion in Roatan, Honduras, Regal Princess will no longer call on Roatan on Thursday, January 25, 2024. Instead, we will now visit Belize City, Belize from 7am to 5pm on the same day."

If you booked because you wanted to visit Roatan: tough luck.

It is a fact that cruise lines are fully within their rights to make changes to itineraries for a wide variety of reasons.

This can include port congestion, as is the case with Regal Princess, but also adverse weather conditions, or even to make an itinerary more fuel effective. 

Like it or lump it. Check the terms and conditions before you pay. Caveat emptor.

Meet a bigger-than-ever floating casino

Bigger is better. That's often the motto in the US, and also the cruise industry, which just loves big things.

Now Princess Cruises is set to launch its biggest-ever casino at sea.

The 4,300-guest Sun Princess will have an expanded ship casino with 50% more space and 30% more machines than the line’s regular Royal Class ships.

Sun Princess sets sail in February 2024 and sounds like a floating RSL to me. 

I guess the market will decide. It might appeal to folk from Big Butt, Arkansas, where they don't have RSLs.

Located on deck 8 adjacent to the ship's piazza, there will be over 200 slot machines, video poker games and live table games.

“Princess has embraced the casino experience and is proud to offer such exciting gaming surrounded by dining and entertainment,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises, said in a media statement.

The cruise ship casino will have a high-limit slot area, with high-end seating and other new gaming experiences.

Sun Princess is currently under construction at the famous Fincantieri shipyard in Italy.

Inaugural 2024 cruises to the Mediterranean, Europe and Caribbean are on sale now. For more information, visit www.princess.com.