Emerald Princess

Emerald Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, one of a trio of enlarged, near-identical Grand-class vessels — sometimes grouped as the Crown sub-series alongside Crown Princess and the later Ruby Princess — that carried the line's Piazza-centred design language into the second half of the 2000s. Built by Fincantieri at its Monfalcone yard in Italy, her keel was laid on 14 September 2005 and she was floated out on 1 June 2006, with delivery to Princess Cruises following on 24 March 2007 at a reported construction cost of roughly US$500 million.

At 113,561 gross tons she measures 289.9 metres in length with a 36-metre beam and an 8.5-metre draught, rising across 17 decks of which 15 are given over to guests. In her standard configuration she accommodates about 3,090 passengers at double occupancy across 1,541 staterooms, expanding to some 3,660 when every upper and sofa berth is filled, and she is served by a crew of around 1,200. Registered in Hamilton, Bermuda, under the Bermudian flag, she carries the IMO number 9333151 and the call sign ZCDP8.

The ship's public spaces are organised around the three-deck Piazza atrium, a light-filled social hub ringed by cafes, shops and a central stage that functions as the heart of onboard life. Signature Princess features include Movies Under the Stars, a giant poolside LED screen showing films and events; the adults-only Sanctuary retreat with its shaded loungers and open-air massage cabanas; and the Skywalkers Nightclub, cantilevered high above the stern in the line's distinctive spoiler-shaped structure. Specialty dining spans the Crown Grill steakhouse and Sabatini's Italian trattoria, supplementing the main dining rooms and the buffet.

Emerald Princess was christened on 13 May 2007 at Piraeus, Greece, in a ceremony that named a group of well-known American television actresses — Florence Henderson, Marion Ross, Erin Moran and Susan Olsen — as her godmothers. Her maiden voyage had begun a month earlier, on 11 April 2007, with Mediterranean and Greek Isles sailings, establishing the seasonal pattern of European summers and North American winters that has characterised much of her career.

Over the years the ship has divided her deployments between European itineraries out of ports such as Southampton and Copenhagen and Caribbean, Canada/New England and other voyages from U.S. homeports including Fort Lauderdale, Houston and New York. She has undergone periodic refurbishments, including drydockings in December 2012 and late 2015. Emerald Princess remains in active service with Princess Cruises.