By
Rebecca Gibson |
Italian shipyard Fincantieri has officially unveiled Princess Cruises’ latest flagship Regal Princess at its Monfalcone yard in Italy.
The ceremony was attended by Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi; Debora Serracchiani, the governor of Friuli Venezia Giulia; Claudio De Vincenti, the deputy minister of economic development; and Cosimo Maria Ferri, the undersecretary of state for justice. Also in attendance were Arnold Donald, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation; Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group; Jan Swartz, chairman of Princess Cruises; Giuseppe Bono, CEO of Fincantieri; and Vincenzo Petrone, chairman of Fincantieri.
Weighing 141,000 gt and measuring 330 m in length and 38 m in width, Regal Princess is the largest cruise ship Fincantieri has ever built, along with her recently launched sister ship Royal Princess. Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard has previously built 31 other cruise ships including 13 Princess vessels.
The second of Princess’ new-generation cruise vessels, the 3,600-passenger Regal Princess features 1,780 cabins, outside balcony staterooms, private poolside cabanas and the new Princess Live! television studio, as well as a variety of dining and entertainment venues and SeaWalk, a cantilevered, glass-bottomed walkway extending more than 28ft beyond the edge of the vessel.
Regal Princess is scheduled to depart for her inaugural cruise from Venice, Italy, to Athens, Greece, on 20 May 2014, which includes calls at Corfu, Mykonos and an overnight visit in Istanbul. The vessel will then sail a six-day trip from Athens to Venice, calling at Kusadasi, Santorini, Katakolon and Dubrovnik. Both voyages can be combined into a 13-day Grand Adventure or added to a 2 June cruise for a full 20-day Mediterranean trip. The ship will then sail two itineraries on Princess’ signature Grand Mediterranean cruises throughout the summer.