The floating out of the Sun Princess, the first of two LNG cruise ships for Princess Cruises, has taken place at Fincantieri’s yard in Monfalcone.
At 175,500 gross tons, the Sun Princess is the largest ship built so far in Italy, as well as the first LNG cruise ship ever built by Fincantieri, and the first dual-fuel vessel powered primarily by LNG to enter Princess’ fleet. LNG is the marine industry’s most environmentally friendly advanced fuel technology and the world’s cleanest fossil fuel, which will significantly reduce air emissions and marine gas oil usage, Fincantieri said.
The Sun Princess will be delivered in Q1 2024 and starts the Sphere class, which includes a sister-ship to be delivered in 2025. They will each accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and are based on a next-generation platform design.
After months of limited operations in Europe, the brand has been gradually adding destinations and ships back into its active lineup for the past year.
With the Musica kicking off its summer program in the Eastern Mediterranean, all of the fleet’s 19 cruise vessels are now in service again.
Sailing from Monfalcone every Sunday, the 2006-built vessel will offer week-long cruises to the Greek Islands and Italy through November.
Passengers will also be able to board the ship in Bari before sailing to Santorini, Katakolon and Heraklion.
After completing its European deployment, the vessel is set to cross the Atlantic, ahead of a winter program in South America.
Starting in December, the vessel will serve the Argentinean market, with cruises to Brazil and Uruguay departing from the Port of Buenos Aires.
The MSC Musica originally entered service in 2006, introducing a series of four ships known as the Musica Class.
Built by the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, the 92,400-ton cruise ship can carry 2,550 passengers in double occupancy and features more than 236,800 square feet of common areas.
Among them are five different dining venues, including two main dining rooms and a Japanese speciality restaurant.
The vessel is also equipped with two outdoor pool decks, a large spa, a two-deck theatre, a mini-golf course, a nightclub, a casino, a cigar room and several lounges and bars.
As the second ship to resume service for MSC Cruises this month, the MSC Musica follows the MSC Orchestra.
After a winter season in South Africa, the vessel returned to Europe on June 4, kicking off a summer program in the Western Mediterranean.
The steel of the first of two LNG cruise ships for Princess Cruises took place in San Giorgio di Nogaro (Udine) at Centro Servizi Navali, a company specialized in logistics and production of sheet metal for the Fincantieri yards located in northeastern Italy.
The ship will be built in the Monfalcone yard.
At 175,000 gross tons, the “Sphere” vessels will be the largest ships built so far in Italy. They will each accommodate approximately 4,300 guests and will be based on a next-generation platform design, being the first Princess Cruises ships to be dual-fuel powered primarily by LNG.
.jpg)
Wetravel2u's Weblog 