The selling of these vessels is in line with the strategy of parent company Carnival Corporation to speed up the withdrawal from its fleet of less productive ships.

Sun Princess, the first ship in the Sun Class, debuted in the Caribbean in 1995, and was one of the largest ships in the world at the time.

Among other destinations, the 2,000-guest Sun Princess have sailed to Alaska and the Panama Canal before being homeported in Australia in October 2007.

“Sun Princess and Sea Princess contributed to significant growth in Australian cruising. Both ships defined the premium cruise experience with Australians and New Zealanders spending close to 14 million nights aboard these ships. While it is never easy to say goodbye to any ship in our fleet, this will allow us to deploy newer ships enhancing our offerings for Australia cruisers and focus on bringing into service exciting newbuilds like the upcoming delivery of Enchanted Princess," said Princess Cruises president Jan Swartz.

In the meantime, the 2,000-guest Sea Princess has become a synonym for World Cruises, having completed six full world cruises since 2013. The Sea Princess sailed in Europe and Alaska as well as the Caribbean prior to joining the Sun Princess in Australia, including operating as a homeport ship in the mid- to late-2000s in Barbados.

Maritime Business World