WHY IT RATES: Sapphire Princess has ended her homeport in Southeast Asia and will set sail for new destinations, including her first trans-Atlantic crossing. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Senior Writer
In a spectacular royal rendezvous marking the end of her Singapore homeporting season, Sapphire Princess berthed alongside Queen Mary 2 at Marina Bay Cruise Centre. Queen Mary 2 made an overnight stop in Singapore from Hong Kong. After a successful season in Southeast Asia, Sapphire Princess has embarked on a 37-night Indian Ocean & Europe Grand Adventure on 10 March, arriving in Southampton on 16 April to commence her second season of Europe cruises.
This year, Sapphire Princess will offer a host of new sailings allowing guests to experience some of the great wonders of nature such as the 12-day Search For the Northern Lights cruise with an overnight stay in Alta and a late-night departure in Tromso to increase the chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis.
The 14-night Land of the Midnight Sun cruise will visit far-flung cruise destinations in Norway that are not easily accessible, such as Flam which is a village of 400 people surrounded by snow-capped mountains and other old Viking settlements. Sapphire Princess’s visits to other awe-inspiring destinations include Norwegian Fjords, Iceland, Scandinavia & Baltics, Canary Islands and other Mediterranean cruise ports.
For the first time, Sapphire Princess will make a trans-Atlantic crossing roundtrip from Southampton on a 24-night New England and Eastern Canada Cruise to visit the most scenic ports of call along the stunning and dramatic coasts of this region including stops in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Boston, New York and Halifax.
“We cannot think of a more exciting year for our guests cruising onboard Sapphire Princess especially millennials who love bucket-list itineraries. They’ll have even more opportunities to experience fascinating natural wonders, many of them hidden from the eyes of land-only tourists. Sailing across the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, guests will also enjoy one of life’s greatest travel experiences,” said Farriek Tawfik, Director Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.
Sapphire Princess will end her European cruise season on October 31, 2019, and set sail for Singapore from Southampton on the return leg of another 37-night Indian Ocean & Europe Grand Adventure. She will arrive on 1 December to commence her sixth Singapore cruise homeporting season of which the highlight is an 11-night Grand Southeast Asia cruise where guests will be able to watch the solar eclipse on Boxing Day 26 December along the Straits of Malacca.
“Many of our guests from Southeast Asia love cruising on Sapphire and feel more comfortable exploring new destinations outside of Asia onboard their favorite cruise ship. At the same time, we’ve had huge interest in our solar eclipse cruise that is taking place right on our doorstep. Watching this natural phenomenon at sea further adds to the exhilaration of a unique voyage,” added Tawfik.
SOURCE: Princess Cruises press release.
