Grand-class cruise ship

The "Grand" class is a class of cruise ships. Ships in the class are operated by the cruise lines Princess Cruises or P&O Cruises. The class consists of several series (subclasses) of sister ships, most of which were built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone and Trieste, northern Italy. The first vessel of the original "Grand" class, , entered service in 1998.
Ships of the later subclasses are based on the "Grand" class, but have modifications such as additional decks and varied placement of facilities such as the nightclub and restaurants. The structure used as a nightclub is a signature element of Princess Cruises' ships in the "Grand" class and derived classes. The nightclub either overhangs the stern of the ship ("Grand" and "Caribbean" classes) or is located just aft of the funnel (Gem and "Crown" classes).
The Gem class of ships is based primarily on the "Grand" class, but modifies the placement of the nightclub to be just aft of the funnel and also modifies the number of restaurants. The two Gem-class ships were built by Mitsubishi in Nagasaki, Japan in 2004.
The "Caribbean" class is the third version of the design and has one additional deck. As in the original "Grand"-class design, the nightclub is suspended on the stern. "Caribbean"-class vessels also introduced a poolside theater, which was later added to other Princess ships.
The "Crown" class is the fourth Princess Cruises version of the "Grand" class. "Crown"-class ships have returned the placement of the nightclub adjacent to the funnel. "Crown"-class ships also feature a poolside theater like the "Caribbean" class.
The "Ventura" class has 19 decks like the "Crown" class. These ships both owned and operated by P&O Cruises and are marketed as "Grand" class, although they were given the "Ventura" class designation because they are not owned by Princess and are totally modified internally and externally. "Ventura" is also the largest ship in the "Grand" class. The second "Ventura"-class ship is MS "Azura", launched in March 2010 which has a modified stern. "Azura" is also the only P&O Cruises ship to feature a poolside theater style outdoor screen.