The cruise industry is back and look no further for proof than Santa Clarita, the headquarters of Princess Cruises. The cruise line is launching its largest vessel yet this summer. The 141,000-ton Royal Princess will be the latest in a new wave of big ships to be built after a recession-induced lull. The vessel is about 20 percent larger than the line’s current largest ship, and will carry 3,500 passengers on its inaugural 12-day Mediterranean run this summer. Princess won’t release its cost but outside experts place it at roughly $770 million. The ship is the first the line – operated by industry giant Carnival Corp. & PLC – has built in five years. Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor-in-chief at CruiseCritic.com¸ a Pennington, N.J. consumer website, said most cruise lines over built in the early-to-mid 2000s. “In terms of new building, the industry goes through cycles,” Brown said. “Princess just had to stop producing and fill up to capacity.” Other new ships include the behemoth 5,400-passenger Allure of the Seas that Royal Caribbean International launched in 2011. Locally, the industry took a hit in December when the Port of Los Angeles waved goodbye to the Disney Wonder, which represented about a third of the port’s cruise ship traffic. The ship is now based in Miami. And Carnival Cruise Lines will send its 3,000-passenger Carnival Splendor from the Port of Long Beach to New York next year. The Royal Princess will be the 17th ship in the Princess fleet, and is thoroughly modern, with a futuristic look and large outdoor screen where passengers can watch movies poolside. It also will feature an industry first: an over-the-water walkway that extends 28 feet beyond the edge of the vessel. “It’s an evolution of our classic style,” said Princess spokeswoman Karen Candy. – Elliot Golan
Cruise Line Thinking Big Again
