Emerald Princess
.jpg) Emerald Princess in Fremantle 2016
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Emerald Princess |
| Owner | Carnival plc |
| Operator | Princess Cruises |
| Port of registry | Hamilton,  Bermuda |
| Ordered | 23 September 2004 |
| Builder | Fincantieri, Italy |
| Cost | US$500 million |
| Laid down | 14 September 2005 |
| Launched | 1 June 2006[1] |
| Christened | 13 May 2007 by Florence Henderson, Marion Ross, Erin Moran and Susan Olsen |
| Acquired | 24 March 2007 |
| Maiden voyage | April 11, 2007 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | In service |
| Notes | [2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Grand-class cruise ship |
| Tonnage | |
| Length | 951 ft (290 m) |
| Beam | 118 ft (36 m) |
| Draught | 26.2 ft (8.0 m) |
| Decks | 15 passenger decks |
| Installed power | 6 × Diesel generators, 67 MW |
| Propulsion | 2 × PEM, fixed pitch propellers, 21 MW each |
| Speed | 21.5 knots (39.8 km/h; 24.7 mph) |
| Capacity | 3,114 passengers (Lower Beds) |
| Crew | 1,200 |
| Notes | [2] |
Emerald Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship for Princess Cruises that entered service in April 2007. Her sister ships include Ruby Princess and Crown Princess. She features two nightclubs, a piazza-style atrium, multiple pools and hot tubs, a spa, and a gym. Unlike her earlier sisters such as Caribbean Princess, Emerald Princess does not have a disco overhanging the stern, but the same stern as her near-sisters Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess.
Emerald Princess launched from the Italian shipyard of Fincantieri Monfalcone on June 1, 2006.[1] She was then handed over to Princess Cruises on March 24, 2007.[3] Emerald Princess was christened on 13 May 2007, in Greece.[4]
Service history
Emerald Princess began commercial service on 11 April 2007, offering 12-day Mediterranean and Greek Isles cruises, and continued sailing Europe for Summer 2007. She was then repositioned in Fort Lauderdale in Fall to offer Caribbean cruises.[4]
Emerald Princess had a power outage on July 25, 2010 on the first day of a seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. For extended periods during the 4+ hour outage, there was no air conditioning, no elevator service, limited lighting, and toilets could not flush. As a result of the outage, Emerald Princess missed its first port of call the following day. Passengers were credited US$300 per stateroom for the inconvenience. Princess Cruises has not yet[when?] determined the cause of the outage.[5][6]
Refurbishment schedule
The vessel entered dry-dock on November 30, 2015, for 13 days of minor freshening renovations. The ship will leave dry-dock on December 13. Previously Emerald Princess underwent dry-dock renovations from December 7 through December 17, 2012.[7]
Incidents
On May 17, 2011, the ship sustained considerable damage to several lifeboats when a fuel loading barge collided with the side of the ship while in the port of St Petersburg, Russia. After inspection by authorities, it was determined the ship still had enough passenger space in an emergency using inflatable life rafts, and the ship continued on her planned itinerary.
-
Damage to a life boat after the refueling incident. -
Damage to a life boat after the refueling incident.
Light Smoke
On September 17, 2016, whilst on route to Las Palmas, a fan belt for an air conditioning unit on deck 16 overheated and triggered alarms, which subsequently caused a crew alert. All passengers were asked to return to their staterooms and await further instructions. The incident was investigated, and determined to be relatively small, which did not affect safety aboard, the crew were then stood down. The vessel continued steaming toward Las Palmas for an on time arrival. [8]
Crew Fatality
An Emerald Princess crew member died in an accident following a failure of a gas cylinder, which took place while the ship was alongside at Port Chalmers, New Zealand.[9] First reports indicated that the incident happened during technical work on the hydraulic launching system on a tender vessel.
Cruises
Emerald Princess is usually based in Europe in the summer and in the United States in the winter. Past itineraries have included 11-day cruises to Scandinavia & Russia from Copenhagen and Warnemuende near Rostock, 10-day cruises to Canada/New England from New York (replacing Crown Princess), and 10-day cruises to the Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale.[10] In 2014 she was based in Southampton for cruises to the Baltic, Mediterranean, and the fjords of Norway, as well as to the Canary Islands.[11] She then repositioned to Houston for seven-day cruises to the western Caribbean in the winter 2014-15 season.
In April 2015 she was repositioned to Barcelona for cruises in the Mediterranean. In October 2015 she was repositioned to Fort Lauderdale for cruises to the Caribbean.[12] In the southern hemisphere summer of 2016/17, she has relocated to Sydney, Australia as home base.
In the summer of 2017 the ship will do 7 night Alaska cruises.
References
- ^ a b "Emerald Princess is launched in Monfalcone" (Press release). Fincantieri. 1 June 2006. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ a b Ward, Douglas (2008). Complete Guide to Cruising & Cruise Ships. London: Berlitz. pp. 353–354. ISBN 978-981-268-564-3.
- ^ "Fincantieri: Presentation of the Emerald Princess for Princess Cruises" (Press release). Fincantieri. 24 March 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ a b Emerald Princess christened on Mother's day. News Article. Princess Cruises. 13 May 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2010
- ^ "Princess Cruises: Cause of power loss on ship still a mystery". News Article. USA Today. 27 July 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ "Update: Emerald Princess Passengers Receive Compensation for Power Outage and Missed Port". News Article. Cruise Critic. 29 July 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ "Fleet Drydock Schedule - PrincessCruisesFAQ". Sites.google.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ^ http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2016/09/articles/fires-1/fire-aboard-emerald-princess-cruising-to-las-palmas/
- ^ Hurley, Sam (9 February 2017). "Crew member dead in Emerald Princess cruise ship explosion at Port Chalmers". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 28 July 2017.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "Pacific Coastal". Princess.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ^ "Europe 2014 - Page 3 - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums". Boards.cruisecritic.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
- ^ "Pacific Coastal". Princess.com. Retrieved 2016-02-01.
External links
- Emerald Princess official website
- "EMERALD PRINCESS Re-Trekked, Part One", "Part Two", "Part Three" and "Part Four" – review by Peter Knego in Maritime Matters of a cruise on the Emerald Princess.
- "Princess Cruise Line, ocean cruises: What to expect inside the Emerald Princess. Food, accommodation and entertainment." – review on traveller.com.au (Fairfax Media) of a cruise on the Emerald Princess