MS ''Charming'' (formerly ''Sea Princess'' and ''Adonia'') is a formerly operated by Princess Cruises. She had three sister ships Pacific World, formerly ''Sun Princess'' in the Princess fleet, (formerly Oceana) in the P&O Cruises fleet and (formerly Dawn Princess) in the P&O Cruises Australia fleet.

History

The vessel was delivered to Princess Cruises from

Fincantieri Fincantieri S.p.A. () is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe, after the acquisition of Vard in 2013, Fincantieri group doubled in size to become the fourth largest in the world (20 ...

and began operation in 1998 under the name of ''Sea Princess''. ''Sea Princess'' was transferred to P&O Cruises in late 2002/early 2003. P&O renamed her ''Adonia'' on 21 May 2003 (not to be confused with a different P&O vessel of a different class which was also given the ''Adonia'' name later in 2011). The Princess Royal and her daughter

Zara Phillips Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall (''née'' Phillips; born 15 May 1981) is a British equestrian, an Olympian, and the daughter of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips. She is the niece of King Charles III and is 20th in the line of succe ...

renamed the vessel to ''Adonia'' at a launching ceremony with sister ship ''Oceana'', in the first double ship naming ceremony ever in the UK. ''Adonia'' filled the gap left in the P&O Cruises fleet in the period between ''Arcadia'' leaving the fleet to become ''Ocean Village'' and the launch of the new ''Arcadia'' in 2005, when the vessel was transferred back to Princess Cruises. When Princess Cruises reacquired her in 2005, the vessel was once more named ''Sea Princess'', in a ceremony by

Joanna Lumley Dame Joanna Lamond Lumley (born 1 May 1946) is an English actress, presenter, former model, author, television producer, and activist. She has won two BAFTA TV Awards for her role as Patsy Stone in the BBC sitcom '' Absolutely Fabulous'' ( ...

. As of 2019, ''Sea Princess'' was homeported in Australia and was intended to sail from new homeports in

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

and

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater A ...

for the 2020–2021 calendar season. However, in September 2020 Princess Cruises announced that it had sold the ''Sea Princess'' to undisclosed buyers. On 13 November 2020 ''Sea Princess'' was officially handed over to Sanya International Cruise Development and renamed ''Charming''. In early 2021, the ship was drydocked at China Merchants Industry Holding Co shipyard, Mazhou Island.

Accidents and incidents

Norovirus outbreaks

At the end of May 2006, 250 people, including 18 crew, were affected by a

norovirus Norovirus, sometimes referred to as the winter vomiting disease, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Infection is characterized by non-bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Fever or headaches may also occur. Symptoms usually deve ...

. Evidence of a gastrointestinal virus had been found during the last two days of the previous cruise, but the company stated that it did not believe the two outbreaks to be linked. The passengers were notified of this occurrence by a letter found in their cabins after boarding. Although the ship's itinerary had been altered, and the vessel ordered to dock away from other vessels, no other countermeasures were effected. ''Sea Princess'' returned to port in

Southampton Southampton () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire, S ...

a day early, and the vessel underwent a complete sanitisation and decontamination before resuming cruising. Passengers were offered a 30% refund and a £150 voucher for use on a later Princess cruise; some demanded a full refund. A norovirus outbreak occurred again on the following cruise, although to a lesser extent, and visible precautions included waiter service at the buffets and the absence of salt and pepper shakers. This cruise was also affected by force 11-12 winds in the vicinity of

Ushant Ushant (; br, Eusa, ; french: Ouessant, ) is a French island at the southwestern end of the English Channel which marks the westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and, in medieval terms, Léon. In lower tiers of gover ...

, causing the first scheduled port to be missed, while the remaining itinerary remained unaltered. The ship was undamaged, the nearby suffered broken windows, and terminated her Spain-bound voyage in France due to storm damage. It is likely that the rough seas caused increased use of the handrails, contributing to the difficulty of eradicating norovirus. In January 2018, about 200 passengers were reported to have been infected with norovirus during a two-week round trip from Brisbane to New Zealand.

Drug smuggling

On 28 August 2016, three Canadian nationals were arrested after ''Sea Princess'' berthed in Sydney Harbour. After the ship docked

Australian Border Force The Australian Border Force (ABF) is a federal law enforcement agency, part of the Department of Home Affairs, responsible for offshore and onshore border control enforcement, investigations, compliance and detention operations in Australia. T ...

officers along with drug sniffing dogs boarded the ship. During a search of the ship of cocaine was found packed in suitcases. The estimated value of the cocaine is $30 million AUD ($22 million USD). The maximum penalty for this offense is life in prison.

Gallery

File:MS Sea Princess, Sydney Harbour, 2013.JPG, ''Sea Princess'' passing underneath the

Sydney Harbour Bridge The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a steel through arch bridge in Sydney, spanning Sydney Harbour from the central business district (CBD) to the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded ...

, 2013. File:Martinique-fort-de-france-sea-princess-cruiser.jpg, ''Sea Princess'' at

Fort-de-France Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label= Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the Caribbean. Hi ...

, Martinique, 2006. File:Seaprincessdeck.jpg, The main deck of ''Sea Princess'' during a cruise in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

References

External links

www.princess.com
nbsp;– Princess Cruises site
Video clip of M.V. ''Sea Princess''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charming Ships of Princess Cruises 1998 ships Ships built by Fincantieri Maritime incidents in 2006 Ships of P&O Cruises