Princess to Offer More Sailings From "The City by the Bay"
Than Any Other Cruise Line in 2008
Nearly 40 Years After First San Francisco Cruises, Passengers Can Sail through the Golden Gate to
Head Across the Pacific, North to Alaska, Even Far East
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (December 11, 2007) - Nearly 40 years after Princess Italia set off from San Francisco on its first Alaska cruise, Princess is marking its long history of sailing from the city with more than 20 departures in 2008.
In addition to yearly favorites such as the breathtaking beauty of Alaska and the fun and sun of the Mexican Riviera, Princess has a number of "exotic" sailings on tap from San Francisco, including several luxurious month-long Pacific crossings to (or from) Sydney, a special voyage to Central and South America, and the opportunity to travel "Aussie style" to Asia. The latter option is part of Princess' new Australia-based cruise program on Sun Princess, which will bring that ship to town as part of a Pacific Circle voyage, with segments ending and beginning in San Francisco.
"San Francisco has long been an important port for us, and we're continuing to offer more departures from 'The City by the Bay' than any other cruise line next year," said Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president of customer service and sales. "I think many travelers might be surprised by the variety available, with these unique sailings to South America, across the Pacific and even to Asia."
Cruises departing from or arriving in San Francisco include:
Alaska - Dawn Princess will return for a series of popular Inside Passage cruises. The 10-day roundtrip sailings run between May 7 and September 14. The ship will offer 14 San Francisco departures on varying itineraries that include calls at Victoria, Juneau, Ketchikan, and either Skagway, Sitka, Haines or Icy Strait Point, plus the premiere glacier viewing of Tracy Arm.
Mexican Riviera - Star Princess offers an in-depth exploration of the Mexican Riviera with 10-day sailings from San Francisco featuring calls at Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta and Cabo San Lucas. The ship will offer six roundtrip sailings between Oct. 11, 2008 and April 27, 2009.
Panama Canal - Coral Princess also offers a full Grand Canal 15-day transit between Ft. Lauderdale and San Francisco with calls at Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Huatulco, Costa Rica (Puntarenas), Panama Canal, Cartagena and Aruba. Sailing departs on April 25, 2008.
Pacific Crossings - Dawn Princess offers a Pacific crossing to Australia with a 31-day sailing that takes passengers from San Francisco to Sydney on September 24, 2008, including Honolulu, Kona, Christmas Island, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Moorea, Rarotonga, Pago Pago, Fiji, Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, plus cruising through Fiordland National Park.
Meanwhile, Sun Princess offers a 28-day itinerary from Sydney to San Francisco departing on July 14, 2008 that visits Auckland, Dravuni Island, Apia (Western Samoa), Pago Pago, Rarotonga, Moorea, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Christmas Island, Honolulu, Maui and Hilo before arriving in San Francisco.
Alaska and Asia Adventure - Sun Princess offers a chance to travel north to Alaska and to the Far East in one 23-day sailing from San Francisco to Beijing. After a dramatic departure under the Golden Gate Bridge, the ship calls at the Canadian ports of Victoria and Vancouver, then showcases Alaska will calls at Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay, and Kodiak. Russia is next, with a call at Petropavlovsk, followed by Yokohama (for Tokyo), Osaka (for Kyoto), Nagasaki, Pusan, and finally arrival in China at the port for Beijing. This sailing departs on August 10, 2008.
Andes and South America - This 18-day Pacific Ocean sailing between San Francisco and Santiago features a variety of iconic Latin America destinations including the opportunity to visit the famed Machu Picchu. The itinerary includes Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Nicaragua (Puerto Corinto), Costa Rica (Puntarenas), Panama Canal (Puerto Amador), Quito (Manta), Lima (Callao - overnight for visits to Machu Picchu), and La Serena (Coquimbo). Star Princess will offer two departures, on November 20, 2008 and the reverse itinerary on March 30, 2009.
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