Grand-class cruise ship

The Grand class is a class of cruise ships. Ships in the class are operated by the cruise lines Princess Cruises or P&O Cruises. The class consists of several series (subclasses) of sister ships, most of which were built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone and Trieste, northern Italy. The first vessel of the original Grand class, Grand Princess, entered service in 1998.

Grand Princess, the first ship in the class.
Class overview
Builders:
Operators:
Preceded by: Sun class
Succeeded by: Royal class
Subclasses:
  • Gem class
  • Caribbean class
  • Crown class
  • Ventura class
Built: 1998–2010
In service: 1998 – present
Completed: 11
Active: 11
General characteristics
Type: Cruise ship
Tonnage: 109,000–116,000 GT
Length: 951 ft (289.86 m)
Beam: 118 ft (35.97 m)
Draught: 26 ft (7.92 m)
Decks:
  • Grand and Gem class: 17 total, 13 passenger
  • Caribbean class: 18 total, 14 passenger
  • Crown class: 19 total, 15 passenger
  • Ventura class: 19 total, 14 passenger
Propulsion: Diesel-electric
Capacity: 2,600–3,114 passengers
Crew: 1,200

Ships of the later subclasses are based on the Grand class, but have modifications such as additional decks and varied placement of facilities such as the nightclub and restaurants. The structure used as a nightclub is a signature element of Princess Cruises' ships in the Grand class and derived classes. The nightclub either overhangs the stern of the ship (Grand and Caribbean classes) or is located just aft of the funnel (Gem and Crown classes).

The Gem class of ships is based primarily on the Grand class, but modifies the placement of the nightclub to be just aft of the funnel and also modifies the number of restaurants. The two Gem-class ships were built by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki, Japan in 2004.

The Caribbean class is the third version of the design and has one additional deck. As in the original Grand-class design, the nightclub is suspended on the stern. Caribbean-class vessels also introduced a poolside theater, which was later added to other Princess ships.

The Crown class is the fourth Princess Cruises version of the Grand class. Crown-class ships have returned the placement of the nightclub adjacent to the funnel. Crown-class ships also feature a poolside theater like the Caribbean class.

The Ventura class has 19 decks like the Crown class. These ships both owned and operated by P&O Cruises and are marketed as Grand class, although they were given the Ventura class designation because they are not owned by Princess and are totally modified internally and externally. Ventura is also the largest ship in the Grand class. The second Ventura-class ship is MS Azura, launched in March 2010 which has a modified stern. Azura is also the only P&O Cruises ship to feature a poolside theater style outdoor screen.


Ships
ShipBuiltBuilderEntered serviceGross TonnageFlagNotesImage
Grand class
Grand Princess1998Fincantieri1998–present107,517 tons BermudaLargest and most expensive ship built in 1998 - Last refurbished in March 2019 - Former flagship of Princess fleet before Royal Princess
Golden Princess2001Fincantieri2001–present108,865 tons UKLast refurbished in 2015, Will transfer to P&O Cruises Australia in 2020.
Star Princess2002Fincantieri2002–present108,977 tons BermudaFire swept through berths in 2006. Last refurbished in 2008. Will transfer to P&O Cruises Australia in 2021
Gem class
A design difference on these ships is the relocation of the nightclub to directly aft of the funnel, rather than suspended over the stern.
The two Gem-class ships, Diamond Princess and Sapphire Princess, are the only two ships based on the Grand class to be built at Mitsubishi's Nagasaki Yard.
Diamond Princess2004Mitsubishi2004–present115,875 tons United KingdomOriginally named Sapphire Princess
Sapphire Princess2004Mitsubishi2004–present115,875 tons United KingdomOriginally named Diamond Princess
Caribbean class
The design for Caribbean Princess derives directly from the original Grand-class ships, with none of the Gem-class modifications being included. Caribbean Princess uses the original Grand-class design, but with an additional deck. This additional deck increases the ship's passenger capacity from 2,600 to 3,100.
Caribbean Princess was also the first ship to have a poolside theater. The three ships in the Crown class, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess, and Ruby Princess, were later built with this feature also included. It has since been added to the all of the ships in the class.
Caribbean Princess2004Fincantieri2004–present112,894 tons BermudaLast refurbished in April 2017
Crown class
These ships, which build on Caribbean Princess' design, also differ slightly. These ships have one more passenger deck than the original Grand class as well as the poolside theater. A nightclub is aft of the funnel.
Crown Princess2006Fincantieri2006–present113,561 tons BermudaMajor listing incident in 2006
Emerald Princess2007Fincantieri2007–present113,561 tons Bermuda
Ruby Princess2008Fincantieri2008–present113,561 tons Bermuda
Ventura class
Ships in the Ventura class are based on the Crown-class design. The ships in this class are owned and operated by P&O Cruises. Azura has a modified stern.
Ventura2008Fincantieri2008–present116,017 tons BermudaThe largest cruise ship to enter service with P&O Cruises, and the British market, until 2015.
Azura2010Fincantieri2010–present115,055 tons BermudaAzura has a modified stern.

References
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