My first cruise occurred in 1969, when, as a teenager, my family took Princess Cruises to the Mexican Riviera on the Princess Italia. We boarded the Italia again for a cruise to Alaska the following year. Fast-forward about 50-plus years, and I enjoyed a cruise on the Discovery Princess. A lot has changed from Princess Italia to the Discovery Princess, and it is not just my age. I will share my then-and-now experiences aboard these ships.
Researching for this article took me down memory lane. From the images I still have of the events on board the Princess Italia, my memories were quite vivid. Through my research, I learned about cruising history and how it all began for Princess Cruises.
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History of Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises began in 1965 by Stanley McDonald, who originally chartered. It all started when he had a material handling business called Air Mac. The company provided ground transportation to the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962. At the time, he hired a ship to bring people to the Fair. His experience at the World’s Fair inspired him to start Princess Cruises in 1965.
The cruise line began with the Princess Patricia sailing to the Mexican Riviera without air conditioning. In 1967, the Princess Italia arrived with air conditioning. The third ship to join the fleet was the Princess Carla. In 1974, P&O purchased the cruise line, but McDonald remained chairman until 1980. From 1974 to 2003, P&O continued to operate the cruise line until Carnival acquired it. Today, Princess Cruises has 16 ships in its fleet, with the Star Princess’ maiden voyage in October 2025.
The ships in the 1960s and 1970s were more modest, but they would be considered glamorous for the era. As a teenager, I could not be a judge. Today, the ships are more dazzling, with grand staircases and more opulence. The pools are larger. The offerings, including shows, are bigger and better. I am sure a cruise director has more challenges today than back in the day.
Princess Italia History
The Princess Italia was built in Italy and christened in 1967 for the Sunsarda SpA. It was one of the first purpose-built cruise ships. Gustavo Finali and Romano Boico designed the Italia’s interiors. The company went bankrupt during construction, leaving an incomplete hull that Crociere d’Oltremare purchased. She was rebuilt to include self-operational air-conditioning, closed-circuit televisions, a radio, and telephones in most of her staterooms. The Italia could accommodate 425 passengers. The ship featured 213 deluxe cabins and had upper berths for families.
The Italia’s cruise life was speckled with different owners. She set sail on three chartered cruises in the Mediterranean until Princess Cruises chartered her. Princess Cruises renamed her Princess Italia. She began cruising to Mexico from Los Angeles in 1968. In 1969, the Alaska cruise was added. She cruised both areas until 1973, when Crociere d’Oltremare canceled her charter.
Costa Cruise chartered her, changing her name back to Italia. In 1977, Costa purchased the ship and began chartering her to various companies until 1983, when they sold her to Ocean Cruise Line. She was renamed Ocean Princess and cruised the Mediterranean during the summer and the Caribbean and Latin America in the winter. In March 1993, while cruising through the Amazon, the Ocean Princess struck a sunken wreck on the river bottom, causing flooding in the engine room and lower decks. The ship herself was declared a loss.
Princess Italia: From the Late 1990s through 2012
Sunshine Cruise Line purchased her after extensive repairs. Before re-entering service as the Sea Prince in 1995, a fire broke out on board, forcing another sale. A Cyprus-based cruise line, Louis Cruises, purchased her, naming her Princesa Oceanica. But Princess Oceania did not keep her new name long because the British cruise company Thomson Holidays chartered her and renamed her Sapphire. Sapphire went on to cruise with Thomson until 2002, when she returned to Louis Cruises. Under Louis’s ownership, she retained the name Sapphire. Sapphire’s itinerary before she retired included cruises to the Greek Islands.
Many safety regulations changed, and Sapphire did not meet the new standards, so she retired in 2010. In 2012, the ship was beached for scrapping in Alang under the name Aspire. The Princess Italia aspired to be something great, and those who sailed her were fortunate to experience her beauty because she was a legend in making cruises what they are today.
Mexican Riviera Cruise Princess Italia 1969
As a teenager, I shared a twin-bedded room with my sister while traveling with my family. On the Princess Italia, we traveled to several ports, including Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Acapulco. In those days, we dressed up for dinner nightly. I remember not having a full-length mirror and standing on a stool while docked in Puerto Vallarta. The boat shifted ever so lightly, and I fell off the stool. Balance has never been one of my strengths, but it makes for a humorous story, especially when falling in port and not at sea.
Visiting a doctor in Puerto Vallarta back then was not the idea of how I wanted to spend my onshore day in port. I returned to the ship in a sling due to a hairline fracture. The good news is that the incident helped me develop a costume for costume night on the boat. I dressed up as the walking wounded.
Fortunately, my Puerto Vallarta faux pas happened after Acapulco. After years of not attempting waterskiing at camp, I took the plunge, no pun intended, and realized how much I missed by choosing horseback riding over waterskiing. These are the lessons we learn in life.
Alaska Cruise Princess Italia 1970
On this trip, we cruised from San Francisco to Alaska, stopping in Victoria, Vancouver, and several Alaska ports.
My memories take me back to our departure from the San Francisco Bay. It was not the Golden Gate Bridge that dazzled us as it does today, both entering and leaving the bay, but it was all the boats spewing fountains of water. It was an amazing sight as fire boats, etc., gave us a grand send-off.
Another highlight of our ship’s cruise was costume night. What is more famous in Vancouver than the totem poles of Stanley Park? Being a family of four, we created our totem pole. But not just any totem pole, the gambling totem pole, because we were constantly the winners at Bingo, the horse races, and other games. My mother and I were the wings, and my sister, who was five years younger, sat perched on my dad’s shoulders. I think we won for best costume. See what you think of the picture.
On the Italia, I remember my mother decked out in an outfit where the ladies on board demonstrated their prowess at dancing the Can Can in costume.
Cruising Today on the Discovery Princess
Cruising has changed a lot since the late 1960s and early 1970s. The ships were more modest back then. Today, the ships are more elaborate, luxurious, and have more passengers. With 19 decks compared to Princess Italia’s 11 decks, there are a lot of stairs to climb if you prefer not to take the elevator. Exercise is not a concern.
The Discovery celebrated its christening and grand opening in 2022. The ship can hold 3660 passengers with a crew of 1,346 and sails during the spring and summer to Alaska and Winter and Fall to the Mexican Riviera. This route is similar to the Princess Italia, with the significant difference being that the summer and spring sailings are out of Vancouver rather than San Francisco. Food offerings are more diverse, and you do not have specific seating. One can dine in a multitude of restaurants at any time.
The cruise goers expect more out of the cruise lines today. A perfect example is the 360, An Extraordinary Experience, a dining experience like no other. Think of a visual and immersive dining tour that evokes all your senses of sight, taste, smell, and touch. It’s a visual trip abroad, taking you to the Mediterranean with stops in Santorini, Sicily, Pompei, and Italy’s Amalfi Coast. Continuing the adventure, you visit Spanish cities like Barcelona. Finally, you end your journey in France’s Provence and Champagne regions.
My favorite dining room was the Crown Grill, which I visited twice. In addition to its regular menu, the Crown Grill offers a special dining experience for wine lovers featuring the wines of Caymus. It is a six-course paired meal chosen by Caymus owner Chuck Wagner, known as the Caymus Vineyards Winemaker’s Dinner.
Traveling from Vancouver to Los Angeles with stops in Victoria and San Francisco highlighted my trip. It was the San Francisco portion that delighted me. As I mentioned earlier today, we are greeted by the Golden Gate Bridge, but no big fanfare as I had on my first trip from San Francisco.
While in port, we were delighted by the Blue Angels taking practice runs over the bay for the upcoming Fleet Week. What a sight to see as the groups of Blue Angels flew up and across the horizon.
The staterooms are more deluxe and more appealing. I enjoyed a mini suite with a balcony.
Cruising
One thing I can say for all cruises is that they are an excellent way for a family to vacation, with lots of activities for any age group. Although I have been on many cruise ships over the years, my fondest memories are aboard the Princess Cruise line.
Note that many of the photos in this article were from a collection of family photos taken aboard the Princess Italia or taken by the Princess Italia photographer.
Also note: As is common in the travel industry, this writer received a couple of hosted meals aboard the Discovery Princess. While it has not influenced this review, the writer believes in full disclosure.