who owns princess cruises

Princess Cruises is owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, a large global cruise and leisure travel company that also owns several other major cruise brands.
Who Owns Princess Cruises? (Quick Scoop)
Princess Cruises, the line behind ships like Discovery Princess and Royal Princess, is not an independent company anymore â it sits under the big corporate umbrella of **Carnival** Corporation & plc.The Short Answer
- Princess Cruises is owned by Carnival Corporation & plc.
- It has been part of Carnivalâs portfolio since 2003, when the former P&O Princess Cruises group was acquired.
- Princess does not own Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Holland America, or P&O; instead, all of those âsisterâ brands (like Holland America and Carnival Cruise Line) share Carnival Corp. as a common parent.
Think of Princess Cruises as one brand in a big family of cruise lines, all ultimately controlled by Carnival Corporation & plc.
Who Exactly Is Carnival Corporation & plc?
Carnival Corporation & plc is one of the worldâs largest leisure travel companies, publicly traded and owning multiple cruise brands across different market segments.
Some key points:
- Carnival Corporation & plc owns and operates Princess Cruises and its fleet of ships.
- Other brands in the same wider group include Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (UK and Australia), and more.
- Princess sits under the Holland America Group âumbrellaâ inside Carnivalâs internal structure, along with Seabourn, P&O Cruises Australia, and Holland America Line.
Who Runs Princess Day to Day?
Ownership is one thing; dayâtoâday leadership is another.
- Carnival Corporation & plc is the corporate owner.
- Princess Cruises has its own dedicated leadership team and president who oversee operations, guest experience, and brand strategy.
- As of late 2024, Gus Antorcha was announced as the new president of Princess Cruises, succeeding John Padgett, who had led the brand since 2021 and helped drive innovations like the Ocean Medallion tech.
This means that while Carnival Corporation owns Princess, the line still has its own brand identity , ships, and management focused specifically on the Princess guest experience.
Common Confusions (Forum-Style Q&A)
âIs Princess owned by Carnival Cruise Line?â
- No. Princess Cruises is not owned by Carnival Cruise Line the brand; both Princess and Carnival Cruise Line are owned by the same parent, Carnival Corporation & plc.
âIs Princess owned by Royal Caribbean?â
- No. Royal Caribbean Group is a completely separate company that owns Royal Caribbean International and other brands, not Princess.
âDoes Princess own any other cruise lines?â
- Also no. Princess doesnât own other lines; it is itself one of several brands owned by Carnival Corporation & plc.
Quick Ownership Snapshot (Table)
| Brand / Entity | Who Owns It? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Princess Cruises | Carnival Corporation & plc | [1][3][5][7]Part of the Holland America Group umbrella inside Carnival. | [1]
| Carnival Cruise Line | Carnival Corporation & plc | [3][7]Sister brand to Princess; separate branding and ships. | [7][3]
| Holland America Line | Carnival Corporation & plc | [1][3][7]Sister brand; grouped with Princess under Holland America Group. | [1]
| Seabourn | Carnival Corporation & plc | [5][1]Luxury sister brand in same internal group as Princess. | [1]
| P&O Cruises Australia | Carnival Corporation & plc | [3][1]Another sister brand under the Holland America Group umbrella. | [1]
âWho Owns Princess Cruisesâ as a Trending Topic
The question âwho owns Princess Cruisesâ often pops up in:
- Investment and stock discussions: people mixing up Princess with Carnival Corporation stock, which is where the actual ownership is traded.
- Forum threads comparing Princess to rivals like Royal Caribbean or Norwegian, wondering if theyâre secretly all one company (theyâre not: Princess is Carnivalâowned, Royal Caribbean is not).
- Travel planning posts where cruisers ask if their loyalty benefits or shareholder perks apply across different brands owned by Carnival Corporation & plc.
Since recent years have seen a lot of cruise industry news â from ship launches to leadership changes â itâs very normal to see this ownership question trending whenever Princess announces a new ship, tech feature, or leadership shift like Gus Antorchaâs appointment.
TL;DR: Princess Cruises is owned by Carnival Corporation & plc, not by Royal Caribbean or an independent private owner, and it operates as one major brand within Carnivalâs large family of cruise lines.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.