Emerald Princess to Join Australian Fleet

[AZbeachboy]

We deserve to get some newer ships down here. Princess has been having trouble engine wise with the Sun, Sea and Dawn for quite some time and even have had to cancel a couple of cruises on the Sea.

 

Celebrity has been sending the lovely Solstice down here for the past 2 years, as well as RCCL with their lovely ships and I think that Princess has finally woken up that we Aussie's don't want the dregs anymore and therefore, unless we get some newer ships they are going to lose a huge market. Apparently after the U.S. we are the fastest growing area for cruising and we have the money to spend.

 

Jennie

 

Hi Jennie, good to see you. If all these people who love the Emerald would cruise out of there, they would meet such wonderful people as you. I would love to cruise with you again.

 

I know what great cruisers you are and know you have talked about better ship down there for some time.

 

Btw, we are doing another Mexican Rivera trip next month. Happy Cruising.

[Putterdude]

Well we will certainly be sad to see the Emerald go to Australia but we now have another good reason to get Australia off the bucket list.

[Aussie Gal]

Thanks AZ Beachboy, we love having visitors down here. We have a wonderful country to show everyone plus our cousins in New Zealand also have a fantastic country, just different to ours.

 

Putterdude,

 

I know it is a long way to come down here but once here it is worth it. At least having the Emerald here in our summer months, you get to experience warm weather whilst leaving your winter behind.

 

Perhaps that is what Princess is thinking, it is a way to get Northern Americans down here to see what our two countries are like.

 

Jennie

Edited January 8, 2015 by Aussie Gal

[Brismarg]

We deserve to get some newer ships down here. Princess has been having trouble engine wise with the Sun, Sea and Dawn for quite some time and even have had to cancel a couple of cruises on the Sea.

 

Celebrity has been sending the lovely Solstice down here for the past 2 years, as well as RCCL with their lovely ships and I think that Princess has finally woken up that we Aussie's don't want the dregs anymore and therefore, unless we get some newer ships they are going to lose a huge market. Apparently after the U.S. we are the fastest growing area for cruising and we have the money to spend.

 

Jennie

 

I agree wholeheartedly. We have done plenty of cruising on Princess and I feel they are dropping their standards so maybe time to change allegiance.

[Austcruiser84]

It's funny how some posters are complaining that Australia is somehow getting an unfair deal. I'd argue that the Emerald is an older ship and so counts as a hand me down.

 

That said, I like the Diamond, although her refit wasn't really a refit since the bulk of the ship's decor went unrenovated.

 

Happy to see the introduction of AUD on Australian based cruises from this year. It will make everything so much easier!

 

Clearly there is money to be made down under - we do have the fastest growing cruise market in the world. However, I do feel the itineraries offered by Princess to be a little limited. Some Queensland and Barrier Reef cruises on the big ships from Sydney would be fantastic (I've done NZ twice now).

[Brismarg]

It's funny how some posters are complaining that Australia is somehow getting an unfair deal. I'd argue that the Emerald is an older ship and so counts as a hand me down.

 

That said, I like the Diamond, although her refit wasn't really a refit since the bulk of the ship's decor went unrenovated.

 

Happy to see the introduction of AUD on Australian based cruises from this year. It will make everything so much easier!

 

Clearly there is money to be made down under - we do have the fastest growing cruise market in the world. However, I do feel the itineraries offered by Princess to be a little limited. Some Queensland and Barrier Reef cruises on the big ships from Sydney would be fantastic (I've done NZ twice now).

 

The Dawn, Sun and Sea have had AUD for a long time. We sailed from Sydney to Dover in 2011 and the Dawn had engine problems for 53 days or more causing shortened time in ports and several missed ports. I'm not complaining about the ships -love the Dawn- but there is more competition now. All ships itineraries are limited when sailing from Australia.

[Brisbane41]

Don't feel too bad. As one Australian I wish we kept the older ships like Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess and would love to see more of the Golden Princess and others. As far as I am concerned I would love to see you keep the Emerald Princess in the Northern Hemisphere preferably as far away from Australia as possible. Far too crowded for my liking. If you are offering the Royal or Regal Princess then the jury is still out on those ships as I have not cruised on either yet.

[bhopal21]

I would love to see you keep the Emerald Princess in the Northern Hemisphere preferably as far away from Australia as possible. Far too crowded for my liking. If you are offering the Royal or Regal Princess then the jury is still out on those ships as I have not cruised on either yet.

 

Well the Royal/Regal are just 39m longer than the Emerald but carry an additional 500 passengers.

 

Mike:)

[Coral]

Don't feel too bad. As one Australian I wish we kept the older ships like Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess and would love to see more of the Golden Princess and others. As far as I am concerned I would love to see you keep the Emerald Princess in the Northern Hemisphere preferably as far away from Australia as possible. Far too crowded for my liking. If you are offering the Royal or Regal Princess then the jury is still out on those ships as I have not cruised on either yet.

 

I would love to get rid of the Crown, Ruby, Emerald and Caribbean Princess and bring back the Sapphire, Diamond and a Sun class ship. They can go to the Australia or Japanese market as far as I am concerned.

 

I found the Crown incredibly crowded and haven't sailed the sister ships due to that.

 

I am so glad we still have Grand, Golden and Star Princess. It is probably only a matter of time.

 

The Royal and Regal do have a better space ratio compared to the Crown, Ruby, Emerald and Caribbean Princess. They should feel less crowded. I haven't sailed on these 2 new ships and there are things I would really miss if I did sail on them.

Edited January 8, 2015 by Coral

[pablo222]

I am so glad we still have Grand, Golden and Star Princess. It is probably only a matter of time.

 

It's like old people -- you reach a certain age, and you have

to retire to florida.

 

Time for grand to relocate to Australia.

[Coral]

It's like old people -- you reach a certain age, and you have

to retire to florida.

 

Time for grand to relocate to Australia.

 

I guess I disagree. Australians are a booming market and there is no reason they should not have newer ships. They don't always deserve "old ships". RCCL's Quantum of the Seas is going to China after she turns one.

[flamomo]

I think the Royal/Regal are tooo big for many of the Ports around Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

 

That's too bad because I would happily send you those 2 ships PLUS the unnamed clone to come, if we could keep the Emerald and get the Sapphire back from Asia.

 

 

 

Come on, PRINCESS!! It's time to remember where your a lot of your revenue comes from ... us loyal frequent cruisers. How about listening to OUR wants too??

We don't want to Ocean to leave the fleet, or the Emerald to be moved permanently to Aussieland, or the Sapphire to stay in Asia. Loan them out for a season here and there, but then send them back where they belong ... back to US!!

[AZbeachboy]

I guess I disagree. Australians are a booming market and there is no reason they should not have newer ships. They don't always deserve "old ships". RCCL's Quantum of the Seas is going to China after she turns one.

 

I agree. Some come to Arizona to retire. What strikes me is the conversation on this thread about sending the newer ships down under. I don't think I have heard as much mixed opinion about newer ships than we get about the Royal and Regal and we know that there will be atleast one more of that class.

[UpcountryTravelers]

That's too bad because I would happily send you those 2 ships PLUS the unnamed clone to come, if we could keep the Emerald and get the Sapphire back from Asia.

 

 

 

Come on, PRINCESS!! It's time to remember where your a lot of your revenue comes from ... us loyal frequent cruisers. How about listening to OUR wants too??

We don't want to Ocean to leave the fleet, or the Emerald to be moved permanently to Aussieland, or the Sapphire to stay in Asia. Loan them out for a season here and there, but then send them back where they belong ... back to US!!

 

Partially agree. I would certainly wish they would keep the Ocean. However, there is nothing wrong with the Emerald going there, as my friends from that part of the world certainly deserve a fine ship or two. As for the Sapphire, I wouldn't sail on her if they did bring her back - that's our least favorite Princess ship.

 

My problem is the trend to nothing but mega-ships (Regal, Royal) in the Caribbean. We go to escape, not to deal with huge crowds. That's why we love, love, love the Ocean Princess.

[Sanibel*Gal]

Just got back from first cruise on the Regal and we enjoyed it very much. However, the Emerald has always been my favorite so I'm glad we have a cruise booked on her for October. I really hate to break the news to DH when he gets home from work, that she is going to Australia.:(

[pablo222]

I guess I disagree. Australians are a booming market and there is no reason they should not have newer ships.

 

I don't know what they 'deserve', but sending older ships to

australia has been princess' business model.

 

There, and Ocean Village. (RIP)

[icat2000]

I don't know what they 'deserve', but sending older ships to

australia has been princess' business model.

 

There, and Ocean Village. (RIP)

 

Well it might have been Princess business model of dumping the old ships down under but that is changing now and its driven by rival cruise lines sending newer and larger ships and that the huge increase in the number of people cruising in Australia.

 

We talking one Grand class ship. We still have the old girls and the Diamond. The Golden is only seasonal and the Emerald will be seasonal too. There are plenty of ships for Americans to cruise on that are not named Royal or Regal.

Edited January 8, 2015 by icat2000

[pablo222]

Well it might have been Princess business model of dumping the old ships down under but that is changing now and its driven by rival cruise lines sending newer and larger ships and that the huge increase in the number of people cruising in Australia.

 

I will agree with you when Princess sends a ship that is less

than 10 years old to Australia for longer than a season.

 

I'm not saying it is right or wrong, nor nothing about what

people 'deserve' -- only that the only ships princess sends

to australia are older. That is my historical observation.

[Brisbane41]

What I really don't get is why other Australians are complaining "we only get old ships" This is really not the case at all and the ones saying this must have started cruising very recently. My cruise history goes much further back than most of the new generation Australian cruisers and can remember things much differently.

 

In 2003 we had the brand new Star Princess sail across the Pacific from Los Angeles to do a short season in Australia.

 

In 2004 we had the brand new Sapphire Princess do a season in Australia.

 

In 2005 we had the brand new Diamond Princess do a season in Australia.

 

All of these brand new Princess ships were sent here after the line had expanded so much that it could. Prior to that we had an earlier Regal Princess doing cruising here.

 

It is P&O Australia that have the hand-me-down ships that have been rejected by the rest of the world and they continue to operate with a very loyal following of people that just love and adore mediocrity.

 

It is true that Princess has deployed the Sun, Dawn and Sea Princess here permanently and they are old and past their use-by date with North America, BUT the seasonal visitors Princess sends are NOT to be laughed at. Having the brand new Star, Sapphire and Diamond do regular seasons here in Australia for our summer is not something we should forget. Princess have looked after us very well by sending these brand new ships here for many years long before any other line took notice of us.

[icat2000]

What I really don't get is why other Australians are complaining "we only get old ships" This is really not the case at all and the ones saying this must have started cruising very recently. My cruise history goes much further back than most of the new generation Australian cruisers and can remember things much differently.

.

I think you find those comments are in reference to ships based here permanently. Not just passing through for the summer.

[Brisbane41]

I think you find those comments are in reference to ships based here permanently. Not just passing through for the summer.

 

I am happy with the ships based here for the summer.

 

As I see it Princess has looked after Australia very well. They are celebrating 50 years of business this year and the company is a successful cruise line.

 

What a lot of us forget is that their rapid expansion has only recently started. They had humble beginnings in America cruising Mexico from LA. Their first ship was 16 years old when the company was founded. They acquired many Sitmar ships and expanded at a rapid pace. They have a loyal following and before Carnival got its claws in the line they were quite a strong rival.

 

Princess's current modern fleet of new builds started rapidly in the late 90's and in the early 2000 years. The Sun class started from 95 onwards, Grand class around 98 onwards.

 

I think it was very generous of Princess to see fit to send some brand new ships here in the years they have. Considering their beginnings and how quickly they found their way cruising the Mexican Riviera, Caribbean, Alaska, Europe, UK, Mediterranean and also Asia and South Pacific.

 

North America started their cruising like us with older ships. We were lucky to get what we have off them. The Sun class is not a class of ship to be laughed at or scoffed.

 

I can understand the frustration at a line like P&O Australia, after years of proving a loyal following the head company is not prepared to invest in a new build. P&O Australia has the capacity for a new build, but quite clearly the line keeps getting the hand-me-downs.

 

Even when Emerald Princess comes here it will be 9 years old. The Star, Sapphire and Diamond Princess all came here in their first year of service or well before they were 3 years old. The Emerald Princess in reality is not much younger than the Sun Princess was when it first came here.

[MrYellowDuck]

It's a question only of competition versus numbers of passengers.

 

People cruising in Australia and New Zealand pay significantly more than US cruisers on just about every itinerary. Access the Princess website from an NZ ip address and you'll see prices 30%+ higher than accessing at the same time from a US ip address (using a VPN to disguise your actual location).

My family is US based for cruising purposes - being so saves an enormous amount of money.

 

The Emerald will make more profit for Princess if deployed to Australia. If US cruisers were to pay more then I imagine the ship could stay.

 

P&O Australia operate a bottom-feeder brand where they run with fewer staff and charge for everything they can get away with. They charge as if the product is full service when it is not. This they get away with because many cruisers down here do not know what should be included and at what price point. Until quite recently they had zero competition - times are now changing and suddenly we see better equipment being deployed.

[seafish]

Sorry to hear this move. Agree - IMO I'd much prefer to move both Regal & Royal permanently to Australia/New Zealand and keep Emerald as is. Won't sail Regal & Royal that occupies most Caribbean Winter Get-Away itineraries - so choices are now limited with Princess marketing position.

[MrsFops&FopsC5]

Well if you ask Dear Parents after a B2B last year on the Royal they couldn't get off her fast enough....Since then they have done a B2B on the Ruby and doing a B2B on the Emerald next month. They ABSOLUTELY love that class of ship; kind of like an old pair of shoes, you just are comfortable wearing them...:D

[seafish]

Well if you ask Dear Parents after a B2B last year on the Royal they couldn't get off her fast enough....Since then they have done a B2B on the Ruby and doing a B2B on the Emerald next month. They ABSOLUTELY love that class of ship; kind of like an old pair of shoes, you just are comfortable wearing them.

 

Totally agree! By eliminating Royal & Regal for us and moving Emerald to Sydney - there really (ain't) much to pick from for warm weather Princess cruising out of FLL. Love Princess but - JMO it would be great if Princess would add (some) new Caribbean ports rather than (all)the same old stuff.