Cruise

Sky Princess in line for 2019 debut

Baird Maritime

California-based Princess Cruises will name its fourth Royal-class ship Sky Princess.

Scheduled to debut in October 2019 on a series of Mediterranean voyages, the 143,700-tonne, 3,660-passenger vessel will feature a piazza-style atrium, outdoor theatre, adults-only sanctuary, numerous dining venues and youth centres.

About 80 per cent of all staterooms on Sky Princess will have balconies.

The company's fifth Royal-class vessel is also under construction at Fincantieri and will debut in 2020.

Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia Group President Jan Swartz said the Sky Princess was named after a previous ship that sailed when Princess merged with Sitmar Cruises in 1988.