Sapphire Princess
 The Sapphire Princess in the Port of Auckland, New Zealand. |
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| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Sapphire Princess |
| Operator: | Princess Cruises |
| Port of Registry: |  Bermuda |
| Builder: | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries |
| In service: | 2004 |
| Status: | In service |
| Notes: | ships cost $400 million US |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Cruise ship |
| Tonnage: | 116,000 GRT |
| Length: | 290-metre (951 ft) |
| Beam: | 37-metre (121 ft) |
| Decks: | 18 |
| Speed: | 22-knot (41 km/h/25 mph) |
| Crew: | 1,100 crew, 2,670 passengers |
The "Sapphire Princess" is a cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises which entered service in 2004. It is one of the world's largest cruise ships, with a capacity of approximately 2670 passengers and is the sixth Grand Class ship built by Princess Cruises.
The ship currently operates a trans-Tasman circuit during the southern hemisphere summers, from Sydney down to Hobart before cruising across the Tasman to Milford Sound and going around New Zealand up to Auckland.
The "Sapphire Princess" (2008) travels the Alaskan inside passage route one way from May to September in conjunction with an optional Alaska inland land tour, and the Mayan Riviera in the winter, with a Pacific Coast cruise during the transition weeks.
It was built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, an oddity given that most cruise ships today are constructed in Europe. Its only "sister" ship is the Diamond Princess. The ship's hull was originally called the Diamond Princess. Construction was delayed when a huge fire swept through the ship during construction. Because the ship's completion would be delayed, her sister ship which was being constructed at the same time assumed the role of the Diamond. This name swap assisted in keeping the delivery date of the current "Sapphire Princess" on time, while slightly delaying the delivery of the Diamond Princess. It was the second Princess Cruises ship to be built in a Japanese shipyard and lacks the "wing" or "spoiler" across the rear (which can be seen on the Grand Princess.)
Princess Cruises has recently announced that Sapphire Princess will be fitted with the "Movies Under the Stars" feature sometime in 2011.
Gallery
 The Sapphire Princess docked in Sydney Harbour, Australia. |
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sapphire Princess |
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