Newbuild is the first-ever ship to be built and designed specifically for Chinese market
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Fincantieri laid the keel for Princess Cruises’ latest newbuild at its Monfalcone yard in Italy on 10 July.
The 500-ton keel block for the unnamed newbuild, which is the first to be designed and built specifically for the Chinese market, was lowered into place following a traditional Chinese lion dance and a blessing from a local priest.
“The lion dance has been part of the Chinese culture for thousands of years and is performed on various auspicious occasions and celebrations,” said Cherry Wang, country director of Carnival China. “According to traditional Chinese belief, the lion signifies courage, wisdom, and good fortune and brings happiness, longevity, and good luck. We believe this special ceremony will bring prosperity and good fortune to Princess Cruises and our guests in China.”
Due to debut in summer 2017, the unnamed 3,600-passenger ship will remain in the building dock until she is floated out to undergo final outfitting stages next summer.
“We’re incredibly excited to mark this step in the ship’s construction,” said Anthony Kaufman, Princess’ senior vice president of Asia operations. “We’re very pleased to be working with our long-term partner, Fincantieri, on our newest ship and we appreciate their partnership and collaboration to customise and tailor the ship for the Chinese market.”
Built as the third of Princess’ Royal Class ships, the 141,000gt newbuild will offer many of the features available on Royal Princess and Regal Princess, which were launched in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
These features include a multi-storey atrium; the Princess Live! interactive studio; the largest pastry shop at sea; the private Chef’s Table Lumiere dining experience; the Princess Watercolor Fantasy fountain and music show; Movies Under the Stars; and the SeaWalk, a cantilevered, glass-bottomed walkway extending more than 28ft beyond the edge of the vessel. Accommodation will be configured to suit families and multi-generational travellers, while all outside staterooms will have balconies.
In addition, the newbuild will have a number of new innovations tailored for the Chinese market. For example, it will offer the exclusive Princess Class experience, which enables guests to participate in cultural, culinary and entertainment programmes including the World Leaders Dinner, traditional English afternoon tea, a Lobster Grill, Ultimate Balcony Dining, an ocean-view hotpot dinner option, ballroom dancing and duty-free shopping.
Guests will also be able to sample traditional cuisine from China, Japan, Italy, France and North and South America, while the line will recreate various international festivals onboard the ship to celebrate cultures around the world.
Additional details about the new ship’s features and deployment schedule will be revealed over the coming months.