Regal Princess returned to Southampton on Tuesday morning (3 August) following a three-night scenic cruise from Southampton, the first time the line has sailed ex-UK with guests since the onset of the Covid crisis.
The line was among the very first to voluntarily paused all guest operations last March; Majestic Princess last month became the first Princess ship to return to service, departing for Alaska.
Regal Princess will be joined in the UK later this month by Sky Princess, and together the ships will offer a range of three- and seven-night UK scenic cruises and itineraries calling in Portland, Liverpool, Belfast and Greenock.
Tony Roberts, Princess Cruises vice-president UK and Europe, said: “Our Summer Seacations have officially begun and we couldn’t be more delighted to have Princess Cruises sailing from the UK once again. The atmosphere onboard Regal Princess was electric and it was fantastic to see guests and crew so excited to be back onboard a Princess ship.
"We would like to thank travel agents for their continued commitment and support to Princess over the past 16 months. We’ve waited a long time for the moment when we can say, ‘we are back’. We’re confident guests will agree that is has been worth the wait.”
Speaking to TTG last month, Roberts said the line was committed to getting agents onboard Sky Princess "as soon as we can". “I’m looking forward to getting back to all those things we could do previously [pre-Covid] in engaging and supporting the trade," said Roberts.
During the pause, Princess has rolled its MedallionClass token and app out to all of its ships to offer guests a touchless experience when they next board. Princess said the move would also enhance its new Covid-era health protocols.
