This week Princess Cruises celebrates its 50th Anniversary by retracing its first cruise route from Los Angeles to Mazatlan, then to Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco.
The company’s first ship, Princess Patricia, departed Los Angeles on December 3, 1965 with 400 passengers cruising the Mexican Riviera.
Princess Patricia was a converted ferry boat that first grabbed attention at the 1962 World Fair in Seattle, Washington when the city ran out of hotel rooms and Stanley McDonald shared his dream of his hotel on the sea.
The Pacific Princess will be the ship retracing Patricia’s voyage 50 years ago. Also this week, The Sound of Music is celebrating 50 years and will be viewed on the ship’s big screen.
In the past 50 years, Princess has grown to over 18 ships cruising to over 300 destinations. The cruise line became a household name featured on the weekly television show ‘The Love Boat’, who regularly scheduled stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.