Line Introduces New 21-day Roundtrip Escape from San Diego

SANTA CLARITA, CA (August 2, 2004) -- In 2005-06 Princess will once again offer travelers a variety of opportunities for a front-row view of one the world's engineering marvels, the Panama Canal. Offering both roundtrip sailings and full transit voyages, Princess' three Canal-bound ships -- Coral Princess, Regal Princess and Sun Princess -- will offer a plethora of Canal choices.

Among the 28 seasonal sailings, Regal Princess introduces a new 21-day roundtrip sailing from San Diego. This new option gives West Coast passengers a convenient and intriguing itinerary with unusual ports of call such as San Juan del Sur in Nicaragua and Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala, as well as a unique overnight in the Canal. Coral Princess will again offer roundtrip sailings from the East Coast from Ft. Lauderdale, and all three ships also sail on full Canal adventures.

"Princess continues to innovate the Panama Canal cruise experience with ships and itinerary choices," said Jan Swartz, Princess' senior vice president of customer service and sales. "And what better way to enjoy the transit process than from a private balcony -- we'll have more than 1,000 standard balcony staterooms available on Canal cruises this season."

Roundtrip Panama Canal

Coral Princess returns to offer 21 departures on its popular 10-day roundtrip voyages from Ft. Lauderdale. The ship, which was designed especially for Canal cruising, takes passengers on a partial transit of the Panama Canal followed by an afternoon visit to the Panamanian port of Colón, plus visits Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Limon in Costa Rica, and Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Sailings depart between October 5, 2005 and April 23, 2006.

In addition, Regal Princess debuts a new 21-day roundtrip Canal sailing from San Diego. The itinerary includes a rare opportunity to spend the night under the Panamanian stars as the ship stays overnight in the Canal's Gatun Lake with an evening transit back through the locks the next day. In addition, the cruise features port calls in Puerto Vallarta, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo, Puerto Quetzal (Guatamala), Puerto Corinto (Nicaragua), San Juan del Sur (Nicaragua), Puntarenas (Costa Rica), and Huatulco, Acapulco and Cabo San Lucas in Mexico. This special sailing departs on November 15, 2005.

Grand Panama Canal

For those wanting to experience the full ocean-to-ocean Canal transit, Princess will offer several Grand Panama Canal sailings in spring and fall. These repositioning voyages offer the opportunity to sail on a variety of ships, including Sun Princess as well as Coral Princess and Regal Princess. The 15-day or longer itineraries include not only the full transit through the Panama Canal, but also calls at Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco, Puntarenas, Cartagena and Aruba.

In Fall 2005 passengers can choose a Vancouver (or Los Angeles) to Ft. Lauderdale sailing on Coral Princess on September 17 (or Sept. 20 from L. A.). Sun Princess offers a similar itinerary via San Francisco on September 12 (or Sept. 14 from San Francisco). In addition, Regal Princess sails from San Diego to Ft. Lauderdale on December 6.

Spring 2006 options include Coral Princess sailing from Ft. Lauderdale to Vancouver (via San Francisco) on May 3; Regal Princess cruising from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco on May 1; and Sun Princess traveling between Ft. Lauderdale and Vancouver (via Los Angeles) on April 27.

Early booking fares for Princess' Panama Canal voyages begin at $1,199 per person, based on double occupancy.

Additional information is available through a professional travel agent.