Princess sells Pacific Princess cruise ship

Another cruise ship has been sold by a major cruise line.

Princess Cruises announced it has sold the Pacific Princess to an undisclosed buyer.

Princess said the sale of the ship was in line with parent company Carnival Corporation's plans to accelerate the removal of older ships from the fleet.

Pacific Princess has been a part of the fleet since 20002, and originally entered service in 1999 as R3 for Renaissance Cruises. The boutique-style ship offered an intimate cruising environment, with a total of just 670 passengers, but incorporated many of the dining and entertainment options available on the cruise line’s larger cruise vessels.

Pacific Princess had the distinction of being the smallest ship in Princess' fleet.

Pacific Princess sailed more than 1.6 Million nautical miles, 11 World Cruises and offered distinctive itineraries to sought-after destinations all over the world.

In fact, The Love Boat’s “Captain Stubing” and Princess Cruises Ambassador Gavin MacLeod was on the ship’s navigation bridge as the ship sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time to kick off the inaugural season sailing to Alaska from San Francisco in May 2003.

"Pacific Princess holds so many memories and cherished experiences to all who sailed upon her," Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president, said in a statement.

"Pacific Princess offered a traditional style of cruising to unique destinations. While it's difficult to say goodbye to our 'Love Boat,' our World Cruise and exotic itineraries continue onboard our Medallion Class-enabled Island Princess and Coral Princess, featuring the best Wi-Fi at sea, allowing guests to keep in touch with loved ones and share vacation memories along the way."

Guests who were booked on the ship have been notified of their compensation options, including being able to book another Princess Cruise sailing or a refund.