Construction and debut

In January 1998, the then-unnamed ship was ordered as part of a two-ship order made by Princess with Fincantieri, with each ship costing US$425 million.^[1] The two 109,000 GT Grand-class ships were scheduled to be delivered in 2001, and slotted to sail in the Caribbean from Port Everglades year-round.^[1] Later, in October 2000, Princess announced Star Princess would instead be deployed to Los Angeles for Mexican Riviera cruises following her delivery,^[7][8] with Alaska itineraries during the summers.^[9] Star Princess would become the first then-dubbed "mega-ship" ever to be homeported in Los Angeles and also cruise from the West Coast on a full-time basis.^[8]

Star Princess was launched on 10 May 2001 at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.^[3] On 29 June 2001, a fire started in a galley on board when sparks from a welding torch ignited it.^[3] The fire spread into a dining room but damage was not extensive and construction continued until completion on 25 January 2002.^[3]

Star Princess was christened on 25 January 2002 at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard by her godmother, Gunilla Antonini, wife of Fincantieri's executive chairman, Corrado Antonini.^[4][10]

Service history

At the time of her delivery to Princess Cruises, Star Princess was too large to make a Panama Canal transit, so to arrive in Los Angeles, she embarked on an eastward voyage from Italy, taking her through the Mediterranean, the Suez Canal, the Indian Ocean, and a 26-day inaugural voyage across the Pacific Ocean.^[11]

Star Princess' first homeport was Los Angeles and her maiden season featured itineraries to the Mexican Riviera,^[8] with her first cruise from Los Angeles, a 3-day cruise, held on 10 March 2002.^[12]

She sailed to Alaska from Vancouver beginning summer 2003.^[3] In fall 2003, she became the first vessel of more than 100,000 GT to sail in Australian waters after she arrived in Sydney on 26 November 2003.^[3] She moved to Southeast Asia in the spring of 2004 before cruising the Mediterranean in the summer of 2004, the Caribbean that fall and winter, and the Baltic the following summer.^[3] She made her first trip to South America and Antarctica in January 2008.^[13][14]

For winter 2019–2020, she was homeported in Los Angeles and sailed itineraries to the Mexican Riviera, Sea of Cortez, and Hawaii.^[15][16] In summer 2020, she was scheduled to homeport in San Francisco for Alaska voyages.^[17] However, following Princess' suspension of operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all summer 2020 voyages were cancelled.

Background

In August 2018, Princess' sister brand, P&O Cruises Australia, announced that Star Princess would be transferred to the P&O fleet in late-2021, joining her sister ship, Golden Princess, which was set to join P&O in October 2020.^[18] It also announced in November 2019 that she would be renamed Pacific Encounter upon joining its fleet.^[19] However, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Carnival Corporation accelerated the transfer of Star Princess from Princess to P&O in October 2020, thus cancelling all final voyages she was originally scheduled to sail for Princess through 2021.^[20][21]

In January 2021, the ship entered the Sembcorp Marine Shipyard in Singapore for a dry dock to redesign the vessel and modify the design language of the interior to align her with those of her sister ships.^[22][23] The work included exterior repainting and rebranding, as well as new interior outfitting and maintenance.^[23][24] Modifications also included redesigned lounge areas and venues, a revamped atrium, and new restaurants.^[25]

Service history

In December 2019, P&O announced that Pacific Encounter would homeport in Brisbane beginning in November 2021 and cruise to different destinations in Oceania, including the Queensland coast and Melanesia islands.^[26] As of December 2021, the ship is subject to P&O's resumption of operations, which are scheduled to commence in March 2022.^[27]

Aftermath

The cruise was terminated in Montego Bay and passengers were evacuated to hotels in Jamaica and subsequently flew home. All passengers received a full refund and were reimbursed any out-of-pocket travel expenses they incurred.^[31] The ship had been on a Caribbean itinerary that departed from Port Everglades on 19 March 2006. With 79 cabins destroyed and a further 204 damaged, the ship was moved to the Bahamas where she was prepared for a transatlantic crossing to the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven, Germany, for repairs.^[32] Her remaining Caribbean cruises and a transatlantic cruise were cancelled, with the anticipation that she would begin her summer season in the Baltic on 15 May.^[33]

The ship set sail again on 13 May 2006, and resumed its regular service on 15 May from Copenhagen.^[34][35] Princess implemented new measures that aim to prevent a disaster of similar proportion, which include enhanced procedures for handling fires and clear communication during emergencies.^[35] Passengers reported that the only noticeable differences were a strong smell of new carpeting, the addition of sprinklers to all balconies and the replacement of plastic furniture with non-combustible alternatives. No interior decor was significantly modified in order to maintain consistency of the ship's interior design.^[35]

On 28 May 2023, a similar fire occurred on Pacific Encounter's sister ship Pacific Adventure. Both ships belong to the Grand-class cruise ship category.^[36]