Discovery Princess mystery

[Jemnibabe]

Why is the Discovery Princess such a mystery?  When will it first cruise?  How and when will it get to the west coast?  Usually there is an abundance of information about new ships so what is the problem with this new build?

 

Judy from SW Florida

[Sea Hag]

5 minutes ago, Jemnibabe said:

Why is the Discovery Princess such a mystery?  When will it first cruise?  How and when will it get to the west coast?  Usually there is an abundance of information about new ships so what is the problem with this new build?

 

Judy from SW Florida

I don't know either, but I'm hoping it's in Seattle by September of 2022. We're booked on it then, and it's in our favorite cabin. 

[CynCyn]

I have an April 2022 cruise booked.  My Medallion does not list Discovery as the ship.  It says Princess Property.  So weird.

[NavArch64]

She is currently scheduled ....

 

Cruises On Discovery Princess

 

Departures in 2022 March 2022 01 06 13 20 27 April 2022 03 10 17 24 29 May 2022 04 08 15 22 29 June 2022 05 12 19 26 July 2022 03 10 17 24 31 August 2022 07 14 21 28 September 2022 04 11 18 25 October 2022 01 08 15 22 29 November 2022 05 10 14 19 26 December 2022 03 10 17 21 28

Departures in 2023 January 2023 07 14 21 28 February 2023 04 11 16 20 25 March 2023 04 11 18 25 April 2023 01 08 15 22 26

[NavArch64]

Cruise Ship Order Book from Cruise Industry News ....see line 20.

 

2021:

Cruise Line	Ship	Cost1	Tonnage	Capacity	Yard	Sailing	Delivery
MSC Cruises	Virtuosa	$900	177,100	4,888	Chantiers	Europe	February
Coral Expeditions	Geographer	$75	5,500	120	VARD	Australia	Q1
Royal Caribbean	Odyssey	$950	167,000	4,200	Meyer	Carib	March
Quark	Ultramarine	$150	13,000	200	Brodosplit	World	April
Viking Ocean	Viking Venus	$400	47,000	930	Fincantieri	World	April
Ponant	Commandant Charcot	$324	30,000	270	VARD	World	May
SunStone2	Ocean Explorer	$65	8,000	140	CMIH	World	May
SunStone3	Ocean Victory	$65	8,000	186	CMIH	World	May
Holland America	Rotterdam	$520	99,000	2,660	Fincantieri	Eur/Carib	June
Hapag-Lloyd	H/Spirit	$155	16,100	230	VARD	World	Q2
Mystic/Atlas	World Navigator	$80	9,300	200	West Sea	World	Q2
Emerald	Azzurra	$100	10,000	100	Halong	World	Q2
Sea Cloud	Spirit	$100	6,000	136	Metalships	World	Q2
Tradewind Voyages	Golden Horizon	$100	8,770	300	Brodosplit	World	Q2
Crystal	Endeavor	$390	19,800	200	MV Werften	World	Q2
Ritz-Carlton	Evrima	$225	25,000	298	Barreras	World	Q2
MSC Cruises	Seashore	$1,100	169,380	4,560	Fincantieri	Europe	Summer
SunStone4	Sylvia Earle	$65	8,000	130	CMIH	World	September
Oceanwide	Janssonius	$85	6,300	174	Brodosplit	World	October
Princess	Discovery Princess	$760	141,000	3,660	Fincantieri	Eur/Carib	October
Lindblad	NG Resolution	$150	12,000	126	Ulstein	World	Q3
Seabourn	Venture	$225	23,000	264	Mariotti	World	Q3
AIDA Cruises	AIDAcosma	$950	183,900	5,400	Meyer	Europe	Q3
Virgin	Valiant Lady	$710	110,000	2,770	Fincantieri	Eur/Carib	Q3
Swan Hellenic	Minerva	$150	10,000	152	Helsinki	World	November
Silversea	Silver Dawn	$380	40,700	596	Fincantieri	World	Q4
Viking Ocean	Viking Octantis	$275	30,000	378	VARD	World	Q4
Costa Cruises	Toscana	$950	183,900	5,224	Meyer Turku	South Am	Q4

[Astro Flyer]

We’re on the Discovery in April however this Cruise Industry News article from 5/15/21 has me concerned about Discovery’s first scheduled cruise.

 

Discovery Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,660
Date: April 29, 2022
Homeport: Los Angeles to Vancouver 
Length: 5 nights
Itinerary: San Francisco and Victoria

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24998-princess-cruises-restart-dates-by-ship.html?fbclid=IwAR2QeXiLInotDQpnryyuz3CuNDsCe4yhDO6guDXP99bTNRjNn3tfp-es834

 

I asked my experienced career TA about their credibility & she said CIN is usually pretty reliable and that Princess doesn’t always update their website before changes are announced. CIN states that their info on all Princess ships is based on published deployment data.

 

Time will tell if the Discovery’s info is accurate or not and obviously any COVID-19 changes could change any of the scheduled first sailing dates in this article.

 

Edited May 20, 2021 by Astro Flyer

[Astro Flyer]

4 hours ago, CynCyn said:

I have an April 2022 cruise booked.  My Medallion does not list Discovery as the ship.  It says Princess Property.  So weird.

I don’t know your April date but my MedallionClass app doesn’t show a ship assigned for our 4/3/22 cruise. Hopefully that’s not an indication that Discovery won’t arrive for our cruises & that it’s just an app glitch.

[CynCyn]

7 minutes ago, Astro Flyer said:

I don’t know your April date but my MedallionClass app doesn’t show a ship assigned for our 4/3/22 cruise. Hopefully that’s not an indication that Discovery won’t arrive for our cruises & that it’s just an app glitch.

🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞

[skynight]

10 hours ago, NavArch64 said:

Cruise Ship Order Book from Cruise Industry News ....see line 20.

 

2021:

Cruise Line	Ship	Cost1	Tonnage	Capacity	Yard	Sailing	Delivery
MSC Cruises	Virtuosa	$900	177,100	4,888	Chantiers	Europe	February
Coral Expeditions	Geographer	$75	5,500	120	VARD	Australia	Q1
Royal Caribbean	Odyssey	$950	167,000	4,200	Meyer	Carib	March
Quark	Ultramarine	$150	13,000	200	Brodosplit	World	April
Viking Ocean	Viking Venus	$400	47,000	930	Fincantieri	World	April
Ponant	Commandant Charcot	$324	30,000	270	VARD	World	May
SunStone2	Ocean Explorer	$65	8,000	140	CMIH	World	May
SunStone3	Ocean Victory	$65	8,000	186	CMIH	World	May
Holland America	Rotterdam	$520	99,000	2,660	Fincantieri	Eur/Carib	June
Hapag-Lloyd	H/Spirit	$155	16,100	230	VARD	World	Q2
Mystic/Atlas	World Navigator	$80	9,300	200	West Sea	World	Q2
Emerald	Azzurra	$100	10,000	100	Halong	World	Q2
Sea Cloud	Spirit	$100	6,000	136	Metalships	World	Q2
Tradewind Voyages	Golden Horizon	$100	8,770	300	Brodosplit	World	Q2
Crystal	Endeavor	$390	19,800	200	MV Werften	World	Q2
Ritz-Carlton	Evrima	$225	25,000	298	Barreras	World	Q2
MSC Cruises	Seashore	$1,100	169,380	4,560	Fincantieri	Europe	Summer
SunStone4	Sylvia Earle	$65	8,000	130	CMIH	World	September
Oceanwide	Janssonius	$85	6,300	174	Brodosplit	World	October
Princess	Discovery Princess	$760	141,000	3,660	Fincantieri	Eur/Carib	October
Lindblad	NG Resolution	$150	12,000	126	Ulstein	World	Q3
Seabourn	Venture	$225	23,000	264	Mariotti	World	Q3
AIDA Cruises	AIDAcosma	$950	183,900	5,400	Meyer	Europe	Q3
Virgin	Valiant Lady	$710	110,000	2,770	Fincantieri	Eur/Carib	Q3
Swan Hellenic	Minerva	$150	10,000	152	Helsinki	World	November
Silversea	Silver Dawn	$380	40,700	596	Fincantieri	World	Q4
Viking Ocean	Viking Octantis	$275	30,000	378	VARD	World	Q4
Costa Cruises	Toscana	$950	183,900	5,224	Meyer Turku	South Am	Q4

This is an old chart. The Discovery has already been delayed from October 2021 until the spring of 2022.

[Jemnibabe]

7 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

I don’t know your April date but my MedallionClass app doesn’t show a ship assigned for our 4/3/22 cruise. Hopefully that’s not an indication that Discovery won’t arrive for our cruises & that it’s just an app glitch.

I am also on the 4/03/22 cruise and more and more feeling deflated.  I booked this so long ago and never gave a thought that it would be cancelled.  If they cancel our cruise can we move the benefits (3 for free) I think, to a different cruise or is that just lost?

 

Judy from SW Florida

[NavArch64]

The Cruise Industry News chart that I posted may not have been updated yet to show a January 2022 delivery of Discovery Princess from the Fincantieri Monfalcone Italy shipyard. If she is delivered in January 2022, there would be time to sail from the Adriatic westbound across the Mediterranean and Atlantic to a transit of the new Panama Canal locks and then north along the Pacific Coast of Central America and Mexico to San Pedro for a March 1 revenue sailing. It would also not be uncommon to "finish" the ship during this voyage. But, of course, only Carnival Corp and Fincantieri know what the current plan is. As usual, Santa Clarita is not telling us. (I am interested personally as we are booked on the July 3, 2022 sailing from Seattle.)

[skynight]

I have heard that Royal Class ships do not fit under the Bridge of the Americas. Thus, would have to sail eastbound across the Pacific or around South America. The original plan was to sail to F.L. a few voyages there and then around South America. 

[voljeep]

16 minutes ago, skynight said:

The original plan was to sail to F.L. a few voyages there and then around South America. 

yeah, we had booked the December 9, 2021 - little 4 day cruise to Grand Turk that was changed to Regal - which we cancelled ... bummer

Edited May 20, 2021 by voljeep
5 day, not 4, actually 4 on 12/9/21

[skynight]

7 minutes ago, skynight said:

I have heard that Royal Class ships do not fit under the Bridge of the Americas. Thus, would have to sail eastbound across the Pacific or around South America. The original plan was to sail to F.L. a few voyages there and then around South America. 

Chengkp75. Can you comment on Royal Class ships fitting under the Bridge of the Americas?

[NavArch64]

The Royal Princess (and in theory the class) is listed as having a height of 217 feet and a draft of 28 feet. If, and this is a big if, they mean height to be from the keel to the top of the highest mast or structure, then the air draft is 189 feet. Apparently, the air clearance under the center of the Bridge of the Americas at high tide is listed at 201 feet, although it is possible that the local authorities limit the air draft of ships passing beneath to 190 feet. If all of the above is true (and I am not certain that that is so ... I have not measured this myself), then Discovery Princess has 1 foot to spare. However, only Carnival Corp knows for sure.

[kitty2264]

https://cruiseradio.net/discovery-princess-floated-out-at-fincantieri-shipyard/#:~:text=Princess Cruises' newest ship%2C Discovery,milestone in the vessel's construction.&text=The 3%2C660-passenger vessel is,Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone%2C Italy.

 

She was floated out of the shipyard March 22, 2021, however, where she is now is a bit of a mystery, at least to me.

[NavArch64]

She was floated out of the drydock where her initial construction took place. After the hull and superstructure were completed and much of the machinery installed, she could be moved to what is known as an outfitting berth to finish her construction. This allows the shipyard to begin a new hull in that drydock. She is, of course, still in Monfalcone Italy. 

[NavArch64]

One more note about the new Panama Canal locks, the chambers are 1400 feet long, 180 feet wide, and 60 feet deep, large enough for Discovery Princess to be comfortable.

[lstone19]

1 hour ago, NavArch64 said:

The Royal Princess (and in theory the class) is listed as having a height of 217 feet and a draft of 28 feet. If, and this is a big if, they mean height to be from the keel to the top of the highest mast or structure, then the air draft is 189 feet. Apparently, the air clearance under the center of the Bridge of the Americas at high tide is listed at 201 feet, although it is possible that the local authorities limit the air draft of ships passing beneath to 190 feet. If all of the above is true (and I am not certain that that is so ... I have not measured this myself), then Discovery Princess has 1 foot to spare. However, only Carnival Corp knows for sure.

 

That 217' number has been around for years but it must be over the keel, not the waterline, as there are some other bridges it wouldn't fit under at 217' above the waterline. Royal Princess has been under the Lions Gate Bridge (Vancouver) which is listed as 200' clearance and I've been under the Storbaelt Bridge in Denmark on Regal Princess which is listed as 213' clearance.

[Cruise Wonderland]

In another previous thread, there was already some discussion on how Discovery Princess can sail from Italy (shipyard) to US West Coast.

 

 

[Astro Flyer]

6 hours ago, Jemnibabe said:

I am also on the 4/03/22 cruise and more and more feeling deflated.  I booked this so long ago and never gave a thought that it would be cancelled.  If they cancel our cruise can we move the benefits (3 for free) I think, to a different cruise or is that just lost?

 

Judy from SW Florida

My TA talked to Princess who stated that cruise is still scheduled to sail so hopefully that means that CIN was wrong.

 

A few days ago Princess notified passengers about a port change (SB replacing Monterrey) after the CIN article was published. It wouldn’t be necessary to send a port change for a cruise that was being canceled, right? 😉

 

Discovery floated out nearly a year before the first scheduled cruise from LA on 3/1/22 which should be sufficient time to complete the ship & to sail it to LA by whatever route possible…via Asia, South America or the Panama Canal. 🤞🤞

[MsSoCalCruiser]

20 hours ago, CynCyn said:

I have an April 2022 cruise booked.  My Medallion does not list Discovery as the ship.  It says Princess Property.  So weird.

We can order our medallions already? I totally forgot about that.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

16 hours ago, Astro Flyer said:

We’re on the Discovery in April however this Cruise Industry News article from 5/15/21 has me concerned about Discovery’s first scheduled cruise.

 

Discovery Princess
Capacity at 100%: 3,660
Date: April 29, 2022
Homeport: Los Angeles to Vancouver 
Length: 5 nights
Itinerary: San Francisco and Victoria

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/24998-princess-cruises-restart-dates-by-ship.html?fbclid=IwAR2QeXiLInotDQpnryyuz3CuNDsCe4yhDO6guDXP99bTNRjNn3tfp-es834

 

I asked my experienced career TA about their credibility & she said CIN is usually pretty reliable and that Princess doesn’t always update their website before changes are announced. CIN states that their info on all Princess ships is based on published deployment data.

 

Time will tell if the Discovery’s info is accurate or not and obviously any COVID-19 changes could change any of the scheduled first sailing dates in this article.

 

Are you saying that the first cruise won’t be until 4/29/22?  Ugh, our cruise is in March.

[Fat Albert]

When we cruised the canal in 2019 the ships that were north of us going from Caribbean to Pacific  that went through the new locks stayed north and diverted to the  new locks for the Pacific and I do not think they go under any bridge .  

[jennybenny]

@Astro Flyerwe have a March cruise on Discovery and that article from 5/15 concerned me as well, but things are constantly changing. Just today Princess has a new update on Alaska sailings starting end of June RT out of Seattle on the Majestic Princess.  
 

https://www.princess.com/news/notices_and_advisories/notices/alaska-sailings-departing-seattle-in-july-2021.html

Edited May 20, 2021 by jennybenny