New ship Sun Princess is currently “performing better” than Sky Princess did during its first two weeks on sale, according to Princess Cruises’ new UK boss.
A “nice build-up” of bookings were coming through for the 4,300-passenger ship’s opening three voyages, which went on sale on September 16, said Eithne Williamson, the line’s UK and Europe vice-president.
Like Sky Princess in 2019, Sun Princess, the line’s first Sphere-class ship, will debut in the Mediterranean. The vessel is slated to launch in February 2024.
Sun Princess – the third Princess ship to be named Sun Princess – will be based in Mediterranean throughout the summer 2024, before repositioning to Fort Lauderdale, US, and offering Caribbean sailings.
Princess is yet to confirm Sun Princess’ full Mediterranean programme, but has initially released three departures between February 8 and February 28, 2024.
Asked what kind of sales opportunity Sun Princess represented for UK agents, she said: “It’s a new class of ship which is brilliant.
“Sun Princess will have an entire season in the Mediterranean, rather than just a few sailings, and then she will move to Fort Lauderdale and offer Caribbean itineraries so our UK agents can benefit from that.”
Williamson, who has worked at Carnival UK for more than seven years, said new-build ships often created a “nice halo effect” for any line launching a vessel.
But she described UK bookings for Sun Princess as “evolving”. She said she believed UK demand would pick up as details about the ship were released by the line.
Williamson highlighted how factors such as the recent passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth may have caused demand to dip in the UK.
Conversations with the line’s US team about how UK agents could experience the vessel were ongoing, said Williamson.
She went on to say that Princess’ president John Padgett planned to visit the UK in the coming months. “There is a lot being worked on,” she added.