Sun Princess and Sea Princess - two cruise ships that have been popular with New Zealanders - are set to leave the Princess Cruises fleet.
On Wednesday, Princess Cruises said the two ships had been sold to undisclosed buyers.
The sale of these vessels comes after parent company Carnival Cruises committed to removing the less efficient ships from its fleet.
"Sun Princess and Sea Princess contributed to significant growth in Australian cruising," Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz said.
"Both ships defined the premium cruise experience with Australians and New Zealanders spending close to 14 million nights aboard these ships.
"While it is never easy to say goodbye to any ship in our fleet, this will allow us to deploy newer ships enhancing our offerings for Australian cruisers and focus on bringing into service exciting newbuilds like the upcoming delivery of Enchanted Princess."
The Sun Princess was the first ship in the 'Sun Class', introduced in 1995 debuting in the Caribbean. At the time it was one of the largest cruise ships in the world.
The 2000-guest Sun Princess also sailed in Alaska and Panama Canal, among other destinations, before being homeported in Australia in October 2007.
The Sea Princess became synonymous with world cruises, having completed six full world cruises since 2013. During her time based in Australia, Sea Princess travelled the equivalent of 35 times around the world.
Due to the imminent departure of these two ships from the fleet, Princess Cruises has cancelled two planned cruises:
- Sun Princess sailings from December 28, 2020 through August 14, 2021
- Sea Princess sailings from December 23, 2020 through November 9, 2021
Customers with bookings will be notified, and along with their travel agents, will receive information on how to book another Princess Cruise when operations resume. Guests who prefer a refund will get one.
According to ship tracking websites, both ships are currently birthed in Singapore.
The Sea Princess last visited New Zealand in January.
