Discovery Princess leaving CA

[MsSoCalCruiser]

I read on FB that the Discovery Princess was leaving California after September 2023. Has anyone heard any rumors about where she may be going?  This news makes me so sad!

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Since fall 2023 to Spring 2024 Mexico, Hawaii, California Coastal, Caribbean and Panama Canal cruises have not yet been announced there is no way to A) Know if this is true and B) If true where she would be repositioned. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

2 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Since fall 2023 to Spring 2024 Mexico, Hawaii, California Coastal, Caribbean and Panama Canal cruises have not yet been announced there is no way to A) Know if this is true and B) If true where she would be repositioned. 

Yes, unfortunately it is true because it was Princess that said it.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Well, time will tell I guess.  Latest rumor is that the remaining fall 2023 to spring 2024 deployments will now not be announced until September. There may still yet be changes for existing deployments Princess plans on making once the finish the Emerald/Regal redeploy. 

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

 

We got off Discovery in Seattle Washington yesterday.  Its doing Alaska tours all season.

So its sure not in Calif now.... 😉

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Just now, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

 

We got off Discovery in Seattle Washington yesterday.  Its doing Alaska tours all season.

So its sure not in Calif now.... 😉

 

Yes, I know it’s not in CA during Alaska season but it is going somewhere else. I just wondered if anyone has heard any rumors.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

33 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

Well, time will tell I guess.  Latest rumor is that the remaining fall 2023 to spring 2024 deployments will now not be announced until September. There may still yet be changes for existing deployments Princess plans on making once the finish the Emerald/Regal redeploy. 

I did a screenshot and I hope it’s OK if I post it here…

[AtlantaCruiser72]

12 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I did a screenshot and I hope it’s OK if I post it here…

That could very easily be worded that way since she has no schedule published beyond September 2023, so cannot officially speak to her deployment past then. What it also does not say is that when the fall 2023- spring 2024 deployment IS announced that she will be deployed elsewhere. 
 

Edited July 19, 2022 by AtlantaCruiser72

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 hour ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

That could very easily be worded that way since she has no schedule published beyond September 2023, so cannot officially speak to her deployment past then. What it also does not say is that when the fall 2023- spring 2024 deployment IS announced that she will be deployed elsewhere. 
 

That makes me feel better.  😊

[bubbaed]

Cruise lines reassign home ports for ships all the time. As older ships retire or are moved to other regions or sister companies, the lines typically shuffle ships around with the newest vessels deployed from the busiest/most popular ports. In 2023, the new Sphere-class ships are scheduled to debut, and since they are LNG powered, they will need to home port somewhere with (or near) LNG bunkering capabilities. Does this mean LA will get new Sphere-class ship once Discovery is redeployed since LA already has easy access to LNG bunkering (via Ensenada)? Time will tell...

[MsSoCalCruiser]

58 minutes ago, bubbaed said:

Cruise lines reassign home ports for ships all the time. As older ships retire or are moved to other regions or sister companies, the lines typically shuffle ships around with the newest vessels deployed from the busiest/most popular ports. In 2023, the new Sphere-class ships are scheduled to debut, and since they are LNG powered, they will need to home port somewhere with (or near) LNG bunkering capabilities. Does this mean LA will get new Sphere-class ship once Discovery is redeployed since LA already has easy access to LNG bunkering (via Ensenada)? Time will tell...

I’m not sure what LNG bunkering is but it would be nice to have one of the new sphere-class ships.  I will need to read up on the newest vessels. Thank you.

[msmoger]

6 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I’m not sure what LNG bunkering is but it would be nice to have one of the new sphere-class ships.  I will need to read up on the newest vessels. Thank you.

LNG is Liquified Natural Gas.  Bunkering is referring to the way the gas is delivered to the ship.  Only some ports have this ability.

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

2 minutes ago, msmoger said:

LNG is Liquified Natural Gas.  Bunkering is referring to the way the gas is delivered to the ship.  Only some ports have this ability.

 

Thank you. Do you know which ports have this capability?

[mowogo]

9 hours ago, bubbaed said:

Cruise lines reassign home ports for ships all the time. As older ships retire or are moved to other regions or sister companies, the lines typically shuffle ships around with the newest vessels deployed from the busiest/most popular ports. In 2023, the new Sphere-class ships are scheduled to debut, and since they are LNG powered, they will need to home port somewhere with (or near) LNG bunkering capabilities. Does this mean LA will get new Sphere-class ship once Discovery is redeployed since LA already has easy access to LNG bunkering (via Ensenada)? Time will tell...

Carnival Mardi Gras is in Port Canaveral where they have a ship from GA delivering it, and Carnival Celebration is going to be based in Miami. Corporate may push for it to be east coast to be able to leverage the investments for the Carnival ships.  

[AtlantaCruiser72]

15 hours ago, mowogo said:

Carnival Mardi Gras is in Port Canaveral where they have a ship from GA delivering it, and Carnival Celebration is going to be based in Miami. Corporate may push for it to be east coast to be able to leverage the investments for the Carnival ships.  

However, going back at least 20-25 years, Princess has not has a ship based in either port that I can remember. All the Princess ships have been homeported in Ft. Lauderdale which to my knowledge will not have LNG capability.  If Sphere were to be homeported in Ft Lauderdale she would be entirely reliant on visiting a Caribbean port each week that offers LNG bunkering with that capability (are there any?).  Which is also unlikely unless she is restricted to a single itinerary pattern as Princess likes to offer alternating Eastern/Western itineraries to sell as b2b.  

[woodscruise]

Sydney Ports is listing  Discovery Princess in 2024/25

[mowogo]

3 hours ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

However, going back at least 20-25 years, Princess has not has a ship based in either port that I can remember. All the Princess ships have been homeported in Ft. Lauderdale which to my knowledge will not have LNG capability.  If Sphere were to be homeported in Ft Lauderdale she would be entirely reliant on visiting a Caribbean port each week that offers LNG bunkering with that capability (are there any?).  Which is also unlikely unless she is restricted to a single itinerary pattern as Princess likes to offer alternating Eastern/Western itineraries to sell as b2b.  

Remember, trucks are an option and it wouldn't be too hard to truck between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. And while Princess has not served Miami as a primary cruise port, being forced to contribute significantly to support LNG bunkering at Ft. Lauderdale might change the economics enough to push the Sphere class to Miami.  Though I wouldn't be surprised to see a push to make all the large ship Itineraries in Alaska to LNG which would really throw things off.  

[1emerald1]

3 hours ago, woodscruise said:

Sydney Ports is listing  Discovery Princess in 2024/25

I see that the Discovery starts 12/3/2024, but I also see the Grand, Majestic, Coral and Island starting in 2023.  Wonder what ships us west coast folks will get.