Rising from modest beginnings in 1965 with a single ship cruising to Mexico, Princess Cruises has grown to become one of the premier cruise lines in the world. Today, its fleet carries more than 800,000 passengers each year to more worldwide destinations than any other major line.

Princess was catapulted to stardom in 1977 when the Pacific Princess became the sea-going star of The Love Boat television series, which introduced millions of viewers to the then-new concept of a sea-going vacation. The company and its famous "seawitch" logo have remained synonymous with cruising ever since.

Princess ships offer the line's innovative Personal Choice Cruising program, an individualized, unstructured style of cruising that provides a "what you want, when you want" atmosphere of onboard choice and flexibility designed to give passengers the opportunity to customize their cruise experience to fit their personal interests, needs, and desires. Princess introduced the concept of putting passengers in control of their own cruise experience in the mid-1990s when it introduced the revolutionary Sun-class ships. These revolutionary vessels gave passengers the freedom to choose from a wide range of flexible onboard facilities and services in order to create a vacation experience to suit their own preferences.

Princess' Personal Choice Dining program offers two main dining options. Passengers can choose between traditional fixed seating, where they will have an assigned dinner time, table, companions, and wait staff, or restaurant-style Anytime Dining, which allows them to dine when, where, and with whom they wish.

The Personal Choice Entertainment program encompasses a wide variety of options. Passengers can choose from multiple show lounges featuring Princess' award-winning original Broadway and Las Vegas-style productions, an extensive daily lineup of shipboard activities, and an ever-changing array of special features specific to each ship and its itinerary.

Princess has also distinguished itself by sailing to more worldwide cruise destinations than any other major line. Offering more than 150 itineraries ranging from seven to 72 days, Princess sails to all seven continents and calls at nearly 260 ports around the world.

Destinations include the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Europe, Mexican Riviera, South America, South Pacific, Hawaii, Tahiti and French Polynesia, Asia, India, Africa, Holy Land, Canada and New England, and Antarctica.

Princess Kids offers a wide range of fun activities for children between the ages of three and 17. While youth facilities vary by vessel, games and activities are available on all Princess ships, and children are always supervised by a dedicated staff of youth activity professionals. Three distinct, age-specific programs have been created: Princess Pelicans for ages three to 7, Princess Pirateers for ages eight to 12, and Off Limits for ages 13 to 17.

Princess Pelicans and Pirateers are entertained with nonstop activities including arts and crafts, pool games, scavenger hunts, deck parties, backstage and galley tours, afternoon ice cream, videos, and cartoons. Off Limits keeps teens on the go with events such as dancing in their own private disco, casino night, shipboard Olympics, karaoke and lip-sync shows, pizza parties, and movie fests.

"Pete's Pals" is a program that allows children to learn more about endangered species living in areas in which Princess sails. Each year, the line will issue a specially designed plush animal depicting a species in danger. In conjunction, kids will learn about the plight of many such creatures, including humpback whales, white pelicans, manatees, sea turtles, and pandas.

What you can expect onboard Princess cruises... and Princess Cruise Tour Offers and Sailings