Princess Cruises’ 2016-2017 Americas Season Adds Overnights, Panama Canal Route

Princess Cruises has announced its 2016-2017 Americas cruise itineraries, as well as land and sea vacations. The cruise vacations departing from U.S. ports range from three to 28 days and go on sale May 21.

Highlights include new six- and eight-day Caribbean itineraries, evening and overnight stays in certain destinations, the first roundtrip Panama Canal voyage for Princess Cruises departing from Los Angeles since 2009, shorter five-day fall Canada & New England getaways, a more expansive 14-day Canada & New England itinerary and new land and sea vacations to explore the East Coast.

Full details of Princess Cruises’ 2016-2017 Americas cruise season include:

Caribbean

The line's newest ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess, will be joined by Caribbean Princess on new itineraries. A new port of call in the Dominican Republic – Amber Cove – will be included on every seven-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary aboard Regal Princess.

Caribbean Princess will have a brand-new deployment this season with six- and eight-day voyages departing from Ft. Lauderdale, which can be combined for a longer 14-day Caribbean Adventurer voyage spanning both the Western and Southern Caribbean. Caribbean Princess’ eight-day Southern Caribbean sailings will visit Bonaire, Curacao and Aruba, and as a new offering for the 2016-2017 season, will include an evening stay in Aruba – home to Eagle Beach, which has been named one of the Travel Channel’s Top 10 Caribbean Beaches. Caribbean Princess’ six-day itinerary will offer visits to the Western Caribbean destinations of Cozumel, Belize and either Roatan, Honduras or Costa Maya, Mexico.

Regal Princess will return to alternating the line’s seven-day Eastern Caribbean and Western Caribbean voyages departing from Ft. Lauderdale, which can also be combined for 14 days onboard. The seven-day Eastern Caribbean itinerary offers a new port of call – Amber Cove – in the Dominican Republic and choices between stops in St. Kitts, Antigua or St. Maarten, with every sailing calling at St. Thomas, including a new evening stay at this port – which is home to Magens Bay, one of the most highly rated beaches in the Caribbean. Seven-day Western Caribbean voyages will visit Princess Cays, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman and include a full day and evening stay in Cozumel – rated by US News & World Report as having one of the best beaches in Mexico.

Royal Princess returns on the line’s 10-day Southern Medley and 10-day Eastern Voyager itineraries, which can be combined for a 20-day cruise vacation. These sailings offer stops at St. Kitts, Barbados and St. Lucia, as well as at off-the-beaten-path ports such as Dominica, Grenada and Bonaire.

For a shorter weekend getaway, Princess will offer two voyages. Royal Princess will sail a four-day Eastern Caribbean Getaway, visiting Grand Turk and Princess Cays, while Crown Princess will depart on a five-day cruise with stops in Princess Cays and new port Amber Cove.

Guests will also be able to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza and ring in the New Year with Princess as all three ships will offer a variety of holiday sailings ranging from seven to 21 days. All holiday voyages of seven days and 10 days offer a choice of Eastern, Western or Southern regions, while the longer voyages from 14 to 21 days include two of these regions spanning the Caribbean.

Pacific Princess will sail on a special two-week Caribbean Connoisseur voyage over the holidays that visits remote islands, including the Grenadines, Tobago, the British Virgin Islands, as well as a maiden call to Cruz Bay, on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John.

Hawaiian Islands, Mexican Riviera and the West Coast

On the West Coast, four ships will be deployed from three homeports – Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver – to Hawaii and Mexico, as well as the Pacific Coast, with voyages ranging from three to 28 days.

The line will offer a quick West Coast cruise getaway on three-, four- and five-day departures from Los Angeles throughout the season on Crown Princess, Ruby Princess and Star Princess, with visits to Santa Barbara, Catalina, San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico. Ruby Princess will depart on a five-day Baja Getaway with an overnight in Cabo San Lucas.

Crown Princess will offer a fall departure of the 28-day Hawaii, Tahiti & Samoa itinerary, which allows guests departing from Los Angeles to visit the South Pacific islands of French Polynesia and Samoa without the need to take a flight.

Grand Princess continues year-round cruising from San Francisco to Hawaii, Mexico and the California Coast after the Alaska season.

Panama Canal

Coral Princess and Island Princess return to the Panama Canal to offer either 10-day partial transit or 15-day full transit Panama Canal voyages through the famed locks.

Island Princess will also offer 15-day voyages with two-day Canal experiences that combine a Canal transit with a day at Fuerte Amador, where guests can either tour Old Panama City and visit the surrounding rainforests, or tour the Gatun Locks to learn the history of the Canal and visit the Expansion Observatory Platform overlooking the waterway.

On November 20, 2016, Island Princess will embark on the line’s first roundtrip Canal voyage from Los Angeles since 2009. This 19-day cruise offers guests various adventures, including Mayan ruins, Mexico’s largest ecological preserve, the rainforests of Costa Rica, the volcanoes of San Juan Del Sur, the cobblestone streets and colonial architecture of Antigua, Guatemala –  a UNESCO World Heritage Site – and an overnight stay in Panama.

Pacific Princess will also join the Panama Canal lineup on several 17-day itineraries, offering guests a choice of ship size to see the waterway.

Canada & New England

Guests will be able to enjoy the fall foliage on sailings from the East Coast with both Regal Princess and Caribbean Princess returning to the destination, but with more itinerary options to choose from.

Regal Princess will continue on the seven-day Canada & New England itinerary departing on Saturdays from New York, visiting Newport, Boston and Bar Harbor, as well as the North Atlantic Canadian port cities of Saint John and Halifax. Regal Princess will also sail on a new, shorter five-day fall getaway itinerary sailing from New York to Saint John, New Brunswick, and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Caribbean Princess will sail between Quebec City and New York on the line’s 10-day Classic Canada & New England itinerary, including an overnight stay in Quebec and calls to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, as well as Boston, Massachusetts, and Newport, Rhode Island. Caribbean Princess will also offer a more expansive 14-day Canada & Colonial America itinerary from Quebec City to Ft. Lauderdale, including visits to Bar Harbor, Maine; Norfolk, Virginia; as well as more off-the-beaten-path destinations including Port Saguenay and Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Land and Sea Vacations

Princess offers a choice of two options to combine a land tour with an East Coast cruise.

The Historic America Land and Sea Vacation brings guests to historic sites such as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello estate, Colonial Williamsburg, Independence Hall in Philadelphia and the Gettysburg Battlefield. The Maple Explorer Land and Sea Vacation takes guests to the capital of Ottawa and Montreal and includes guided tours of the Canadian Museum of Civilization, cathedrals and the historic 19th century Rideau Canal – a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tour guests are also treated to a cruise through the Thousand Island during the land portion of their vacation.