Princess to send fewer ships to Europe in 2014. Any guesses why?

[Jason]

Princess Cruises will reduce the number of ships it sends to Europe in Summer 2014 to five from seven this year, with two vessels moving to Alaska.

The cruise line's 2014 European cruise season will comprise five ships sailing on 94 departures to more than 120 destinations, including its two newest and largest vessels.

Princess said it would offer more British Isles cruises in 2014, but has reduced its Holy Land itineraries to Turkey, Israel and Egypt, by moving the 680-passenger Pacific Princess to Alaska for the season. The 3,080-passenger Crown Princess, sailing out of Southampton, England, this summer, also will move to Alaska in 2014.

Next year's Europe fleet will include the 3,600-passenger Regal Princess, which makes its inaugural voyage in June 2014 from Venice, and its sister ship, the 3,600-passenger Royal Princess, set to debut this summer.

"With Regal Princess' debut we will have our two newest and largest vessels sailing on our most popular routes in Europe," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises' executive vice president, in a statement.

The Royal Princess will offer 11-day Scandinavia and Russia cruises, including two days in St. Petersburg. The Regal Princess will debut on June 2, 2014, with a seven-day inaugural voyage from Venice to Barcelona, visiting Kotor, Montenegro; Rome; Florence/Pisa, Italy; and Toulon, France.

During the 2014 season Princess will offer more British Isles cruises than it ever has before, on both the 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess, offering 12-day British Isles cruises out of Southampton, England, and the 680-passenger Ocean Princess, offering cruises to both Northern Europe and the Mediterranean including eight-day British Isles cruises.

The 3,100-passenger Emerald Princess also will be based in Southampton and offer sailings to the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and the Canary Islands.

Princess will make three maiden calls during the 2014 Europe season in Alta, Norway; Salerno, Italy; and Jersey, Channel Islands.

By Johanna Jainchill, Special for USA TODAY

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[Eph60]

I would love to see the Pacific Princess in Alaska. It would be great if they put back the 14 day cruise that they use to do with the smaller ships there. It had a great itinerary and was my favorite cruise in Alaska and I know the larger ships could not go to some of the places that the smaller ships went on that 14 day schedule.

With the ships getting so much larger perhaps they do not need as many ships heading to the med, especially with problems in Egypt and Isreal.

I personally would like more options from England into the baltic. My mothers family came from England and my dads family came from the baltic areas so it is high on my wish list.

[JohnG]

The Europeans aren't spending money due to the economic crisis over there, and as a result Princess isn't the only line reducing the number of berths available over there.

[Jan115]

Good. By the time we get to the Mediterranean next summer 2014, maybe we'll have the ports to ourselves!

One thing I am happy about is that Princess is putting a ship back in the Caribbean again this summer. We sailed that region in 2010 on Emerald, the final year the line had a ship there during the summer months.

[WeCruiseToo]

There are some really great itineraries mentioned in this story! There’s so much (most!) of Europe that we haven’t seen yet but the price of air is so high we can go on two (or three?) cruises closer to home. And you certainly can’t fault them for putting extra ships in Alaska – that’s an amazing destination too!