# The end of Swan Hellenic?



## Principe_Perfeito (Aug 21, 2005)

Hello to all.

Recent press release by Princess Cruises, no replacement ship for the MINERVA II as yet been named.

*
Princess Adds Another 680-Passenger Ship to Fleet

Vessel to Debut as Royal Princess, Further Expanding Line's Exotic Offerings
Sister Ship to Popular Pacific Princess and Tahitian Princess to Enter
Service in Spring 2007

SANTA CLARITA, Calif., March 9
Princess Cruises today announced that it will expand its fleet with a
sister vessel to the line's popular Tahitian Princess and Pacific Princess.
The 680-passenger ship will be named Royal Princess, taking the name of a
much-beloved Princess ship which had long been cruising in Europe and other
exotic worldwide destinations. Its new successor will take over a similar
deployment when she enters service in spring 2007.

The 30,000-ton ship originally entered service in 2001 as a Renaissance
vessel (named R8) and is currently cruising as Swan Hellenic's Minerva II.
Royal Princess will join its sisters Tahitian Princess and Pacific Princess
to give passengers a cruising environment with all the hallmarks of choice
for which Princess is known, including a variety of dining and
entertainment options and a large number of cabins with private balconies.

"We're delighted to welcome the new Royal Princess to our fleet," said Alan
Buckelew, the company's president. "The Princess cruise experience is all
about choice, and we're sure this new ship addition will please our
passengers who enjoy traveling aboard a smaller vessel to exotic
destinations. We're expecting that this ship will rapidly achieve the same
loyal passenger following as her sisters Pacific and Tahitian."

Buckelew added that the company's smaller ships nicely complement its fleet
of larger vessels, furthering Princess' commitment to providing passengers
with exotic itineraries and providing a "boutique version" of the company's
Personal Choice Cruising program. This includes a variety of dining
experiences such as a 24-hour Lido cafe and alternative dining venues, and
nearly three-quarters of all cabins featuring private balconies.

The ship will begin sailing for Princess in April 2007 after a two week dry
dock to make some interior modifications. Her first itineraries will be in
Europe with 12-day sailings in the Mediterranean, Holy Land and Black Sea,
and details of these cruises will be announced shortly.

"With the addition of Royal Princess, this further modernizes the Princess
fleet, which is already one of the youngest in the industry," added
Buckelew. "In 2007 our average ship age will be just under six years, and
we know that our passengers appreciate the features and amenities we can
offer with newer ships."*

Best regards from Lisbon,
Paulo Mestre


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## Principe_Perfeito (Aug 21, 2005)

Further developments on the future of the Swan Hellenic:

David Dingle of parent company Carnival UK admitted the future of Swan
Hellenic is now 'up in the air' after the Minerva II was assigned to
Carnival's sister line Princess Cruises. A new ship is 'out of the
question' and the sale of Swan Hellenic is a possibility. In the
meantime, says Dingle, Swan Hellenic cruises will continue until April
2007.

Best regards from Lisbon,
Paulo Mestre


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