Princess Cruises has announced the sale of two of its Aussie based ships – the Sun Princess and Sea Princess.

The Sun Princess and Sea Princess which have been sailing since 2007 and 2011 respectively in Australia, have been a staple of Princess’ local itineraries and have been sold to undisclosed buyers.

Thousands of Australians have sailed on the two vessels and when the Sun Princess arrived, she was the largest ship to ever sail under the Sydney Harbour Bridge, causing quite a spectacle.

The original Sun Princess became a household name during the 70s when the hit TV show ‘The Love Boat’ was filmed on the ship.

The newer version of the Sun Princess which graced our shores for 13 years, hosted Captain Stubing from ‘The Love Boat’ when he visited Australia for Valentine’s Day.

The first ship from the Sun Class, the 2,000-guest Sun Princess also sailed in Alaska and the Panama Canal. She was also one of the first Princess ships in Japan.

The Sea Princess is known for carrying thousands of guests on six full world cruises since 2013. Prior to joining the Sun Princess in Australia, the Sea Princess sailed in Europe, Alaska as well as the Caribbean.

“Sun Princess and Sea Princess contributed to significant growth in Australian cruising,” said Princess Cruises President Jan Swartz.

“Both ships defined the premium cruise experience with Australians and New Zealanders spending close to 14 million nights aboard these ships. While it is never easy to say goodbye to any ship in our fleet, this will allow us to deploy newer ships enhancing our offerings for Australia cruisers and focus on bringing into service exciting newbuilds like the upcoming delivery of Enchanted Princess.”

The imminent departure of these two ships from the fleet, Princess Cruises will cancel published itineraries which include:

  • Sun Princess sailings from December 28, 2020 through August 14, 2021
  • Sea Princess sailings from December 23, 2020 through November 9, 2021

Guests with bookings will be notified, and along with their travel agents, will receive information on how to book another Princess Cruise when operations resume. Guests who prefer a refund will be accommodated.

Sun Princess going under the Harbour Bridge
Sun Princess going under the Harbour Bridge