SANTA CLARITA — Princess Cruises has announced the sale of two of its ships as part of parent company Carnival Corporation’s plan to remove less efficient ships from its fleet.

Both the Sun Princess and Sea Princess have been sold to undisclosed buyers. According to Princess Cruise president Jan Swartz, the ships played an integral role in the cruise line’s growth.

“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,” she said.

Swartz added that while it’s hard to say goodbye to the two ships, “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.”

The 2,000-guest Sun Princess, the first ship in the Sun Class, first debuted in 1995 in the Caribbean and was considered one of the world’s largest ships at the time. It also sailed in Alaska and Panama Canal, among other destinations, before being homeported in Australia in October 2007. Sun Princess is also credited with helping to open the Japanese market in 2013 as the first foreign-flagged cruise ship to offer cruises designed specifically for the Japanese.

The 2,000-guest Sea Princess became synonymous with World Cruises, having completed six full world cruises since 2013. During its time based in Australia, it travelled the equivalent of 35 times around the world. Prior to joining Sun Princess in Australia, Sea Princess sailed in Europe and Alaska as well as the Caribbean, including serving as a homeport ship in Barbados in the mid- to late-2000s.

Due to the imminent departure of both ships from the fleet, Princess Cruises will cancel the following published itineraries:

• Sun Princess sailings from December 28, 2020 through August 14, 2021
• Sea Princess sailings from December 23, 2020 through November 9, 2021

Guests with bookings will be notified, and along with their travel agents will receive information on how to book another Princess Cruise when operations resume. Guests who prefer a refund will be accommodated.