Since that heady time of small-screen stardom, the Princess fleet has grown both in the number and size of ships. Princess Cruises may be best known for introducing cruise travel to millions of viewers, when its flagship became the setting for The Love Boat television series in 1977.
Surprising intimacy is achieved by the number of public rooms and restaurants that swallow up passengers. Inside spaces on all three vessels are quietly neutral, with touches of glamour in the sweeping staircases and marble-floor atriums. Several signature public spaces have been redesigned or relocated on these ships as well-the atrium on Crown, Emerald, and Ruby Princess resembles an open piazza and sidewalk café Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria is found on a top deck with views on three sides and alfresco dining and Skywalker’s Disco is forward near the funnel (where it’s topped with a sports court). Not quite identical to Caribbean Princess, the younger ships in the class, Crown, Emerald, and Ruby Princess have introduced more dining options. With dramatic atriums and Skywalker’s Nightclub (the spoiler hovering 150 feet above the stern), Caribbean Princess is a supersize version of the older Grand-class vessels with an extra deck of passenger accommodations.
