Princess Cruises Celebrates 50th Anniversary with Nostalgic Sailing to Mexico

Before "The Love Boat" appeared on our television sets in the 1970s, Princess Cruises was making its mark on the cruise industry. Now, to cap a year of 50th anniversary activities, the line will celebrate the five decade mark in 2015 by creating a special Mexico itinerary departing on Dec 3, 2015, exactly 50 years to the day that the line's original ship, Princess Patricia, set sail on the company's very first cruise in 1965.

Offered on the intimate Pacific Princess, next year's unique sailing is the same length as the company's first cruise--14 days--and will include a blend of ports from the maiden itinerary such as Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan and Manzanillo, with some newer destinations such as La Paz and Loreto.

Guests on the cruise will be treated to an array of activities and entertainment commemorating half a century of cruising by the famous line, and will also be joined by some surprise guests. Our bet is that "Captain Steubing" will be on board, if not at the helm.

"This nostalgic cruise to Mexico will be the perfect finale to what's sure to be a special 50th anniversary year for Princess," said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. "For this significant milestone we couldn't resist recreating, with some new touches, the very first cruise our company operated. And because the name Pacific Princess is so integral to our company's history, we wanted to offer the cruise aboard the current ship with this iconic name."

One of the best-known names in cruising, Princess Cruises first set sail in 1965 with a single ship cruising to Mexico. Nearly 50 years later, the line has grown to become the third largest cruise line in the world and a recognized leader in taking travelers to some of the most fascinating places around the globe. This anniversary sailing on Pacific Princess, which carries 670 guests, is available for sale on May 13 and additional information is available at Princess.com.

Image Courtesy Princess Cruises