The Port of Boston welcomed Princess Cruises' flagship Royal Princess on Monday, September 29, marking her inaugural call to the city with a plaque presentation, the Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport) announced.
Royal Princess arrived from New York City for a port of call in Boston and will continue on to Maine as part of her Canada/New England itinerary. Royal Princess is 1,083 feet long, 217 feet tall, and carries 3,560 passengers making her one of the largest vessels ever to call the Port of Boston. "We are proud to welcome Royal Princess as one of eight maiden calls this season at Cruiseport Boston," said Massport CEO Thomas P. Glynn. "It shows the partnerships that we continue to build and our commitment to providing good-paying blue-collar jobs in the cruise industry as well as contributing to the regional economy."
Cruiseport Boston had back-to-back record-breaking seasons in 2012 and 2013 and is responsible for nearly 2,000 direct jobs and over $187 million in annual economic impact.
Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, both part of Carnival Corporation, announced last year that they, along with Seabourn, would be working more closely together as part of the newly formed Holland America Group. "Holland America Line is a long-time customer of Cruiseport Boston," said Massport Port Director Deborah Hadden. "We welcome the new relationship between Holland America Line and Princess Cruises and look forward to working closely with both lines to continue to bring new and exciting ships and itineraries to Boston in the future.
"Boston is both an extraordinary homeport and a great port of call and our economy benefits each time someone cruises into or out of Boston." Hadden says many of these passengers often come back to the city for a longer stay and enjoy the many museums, award-winning restaurants, shopping centers, and professional sporting events the city offers.
This is the third vessel to bear the name Royal Princess, having been christened by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge (Kate Middleton), on June 13, 2013. Previous Royal Princess ships, including the original Royal Princess-which was christened in 1984 by Diana, Princess of Wales, called Boston during the fall of 1992, '93, '98, '99, 2001, '02, and '08 respectively. Princess Cruises is the world's third largest cruise line and first set sail in 1965 with a single ship cruising to Mexico. Today, Princess Cruises offers nearly 1.7 million passengers the opportunity to travel through 150 different itineraries aboard a fleet of 18 modern vessels.
Cruiseport Boston is a favorite port-of-call with cruise passengers. A record 382,885 passengers used the facility in 2013.