Princess Cruises celebrated a momentous construction milestone with the float out of the cruise line’s bespoke, next-generation ship – Sun Princess – at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.
Following the Italian shipyard’s tradition, the float out is marked by a special ceremony where a “Madrina” is named to offer blessings and best wishes for the vessel, celebrating the flow of water into the ship’s building dock. Princess Cruises Hotel General Manager Simona Stumberger was selected to serve in this special role as an ambassador for Princess, because she epitomises professionalism and always delivers service with a smile.
A native of Slovenia, where Stumberger studied hospitality management, she began her career at sea in the bar department and further diversified her hotel experience by working in guest services, and hand in hand with the hotel and food and beverage divisions. Stumberger has been with Princess Cruises for nearly five years.
“Simona is the ideal candidate to serve as Madrina of our newest ship, Sun Princess, because she embodies all the best qualities that our company has to offer – an unwavering commitment to service, hospitality and friendliness,” said John Padgett, president of Princess Cruises. “Sun Princess will usher in an exciting new era for our company and the industry, and we can’t think of a better person to serve in this important role.”
The float out completes the first comprehensive phase of construction for Sun Princess which now transitions to focus on building the ship’s interiors.
Princess also announced that it has appointed Gennaro Arma as captain, leading Sun Princess shipbuilding operations, readiness and delivery, and overseeing the ship’s final stages of construction, working closely with brand’s naval architects, engineers and shipbuilding experts, as well as the shipyard management team.
The 175,500-tonne, 4,300-guest Sun Princess will offer an array of exciting new dining, entertainment and activity offerings, as well as luxurious staterooms and suites across a broad spectrum of categories. The ship will be highlighted by amazing, never-before-seen spaces such as The Dome, a transformational entertainment venue inspired by the terraces of Santorini, the next-level, brand-iconic Piazza, and three-story Horizons dining room that are sure to have everyone talking.
In addition, Sun Princess has been designed to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. Sun Princess’ sustainability features include:
Fuel and Energy Management
- Although a duel-fuel ship Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) will be the primary fuel and Sun Princess will be the first ship in the Princess fleet to be powered by LNG. This cleaner burning fuel will significantly reduce air emissions and marine gas-oil to minimise the cruise line’s environmental footprint. The LNG tanks measure tanks are 25 meters long and nine meters high and have a capacity of 4,000m3 sufficient for almost 9 days of sailing at service speed. The secondary fuel is marine gas-oil, so no heavy or intermediate fuel oil will be carried on board.
· Two shore power connections, also known as “cold ironing,” on both the port and starboard side of the vessel to enable the ship to turn off the engines and connect to local electric power to run all onboard services during day-long calls in various ports. Sun Princess is outfitted with custom-built electrical connection cabinets that automatically connect the ship’s electrical network to the local electrical network ashore, reducing air emissions in the ports that support shore power.
· Another first for Princess to supply sustainable power and better maneuverability to save fuel, Sun Princess will be outfitted with two Azipod propulsions for forward and backward movements and the four largest Controllable Pitch Propellers, known as bow thrusters, on the market for sideways navigation.
Waste Management
· All Micro Auto Gasification System (MAGS) installed for waste. MAGS is the world’s most compact, efficient and environmentally safe technology to convert a variety of combustible materials into thermal energy – energy that can be used in other systems onboard.
· Food waste management designed with distributed and centralized bio-digesters and dehydrators as a clean alternative to recycle food waste and reduce the use of landfills.
As well as the above environmental features Sun Princess will also feature a waste-heat recovery optimization, an air lubrication system to reduce hull friction and high-efficiency LED lighting.
When Sun Princess debuts next February, she’ll spend her inaugural season in the Mediterranean before repositioning to Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) in the fall.
Sun Princess is the lead ship in Princess Cruises new Sphere-Class and will be followed by a yet unnamed sister ship in 2025.
Inaugural 2024 Sun Princess cruises to the Mediterranean and Europe are currently on sale. More ship information and images can be found at princess.com/sunprincess.
Additional information about Princess Cruises is available through a professional travel agent, by calling 0344 338 8663 or by visiting the company’s website at www.princess.com.
SUN RINCESS FACTFILE
Shipyard: Fincantieri (Monfalcone, Italy)
Year of launch: 2024
Vessel Class: Princess Cruises Sphere Class
Building Costs: EUR 950 Billion / USD 1 Billion
Length: 345 m
Beam: 47 m
Gross Tonnage: 17550 gt
Crew: 1550
Decks: 20
Decks with cabins: 10
Passenger Capacity: 4320 passengers/lower berths (max capacity is 5189)
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