Carnival Corporation & plc, parent company of Valencia-based Princess Cruises, officially announced the opening of its new Carnival Japan office today, launching the Princess brand into the growing Japanese market. Carnival Japan represents the largest deployment ever by a global cruise line in the Japanese market, the company said. Carnival Japan, Inc. was formed in March to sell Princess Cruises and other Carnival brands in Japan. From April to July of next year Princess will operate an 87-day program featuring a total of nine cruises on seven different itineraries sailing from both Yokohama and Kobe. The cruises are nine to 12 days in length. Alan Buckelew, Princess’ president and CEO, and Jan Swartz, the line’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and customer service, attended the office opening and ribbon cutting festivities. “The grand opening of Carnival Japan’s new office is an important milestone in Princess’ expansion into the Japanese cruise market,” Buckelew said in a prepared statement. “Having a strong, dedicated team in Tokyo underscores our commitment to Japan homeport cruising and we’re excited to have such an experienced and passionate team in Tokyo supporting this new program.” The Princess cruises were especially designed with Japanese customers in mind. The first ship, the Sun Princess, is set to sail in April, 2013. Judy Temes
