Princess Cruises marked the beginning of construction of the second of its new generation of ships with the official keel laying ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. At the same time the line announced that the ship’s name will be Regal Princess.
The vessel, a sister ship to Royal Princess, will debut in Spring 2014. The company and shipyard officials started the countdown to the ship’s launch today as the keel – the bottommost part of the ship – was ceremoniously lowered into position in the building dock.
Following a traditional blessing by a priest, the ship’s keel – which weighs approximately 500 tons – was moved into position by a crane onto the keel blocks. The 3,600-passenger, 141,000-ton ship will remain in the building dock until its float-out next summer.
Regal Princess will offer many of the same features as Royal Princess, which debuts in June 2013. Among these are an expanded atrium, the social hub of the ship; an over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending more than 28 feet beyond the edge of the vessel; plush private poolside cabanas that appear to be floating on the water; the new Princess Live! television studio; a pastry shop; a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, a private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light; and balconies on all outside staterooms.
Additional details including schedules and itineraries for Regal Princess will be announced next year.
For more information, visit www.princess.com.