Royal Princess is a cruise liner constructed by Fincantieri for the British-American cruise line Princess Cruises. Princess Cruises is a brand owned and operated by the Carnival Corporation. The ship was christened in a naming ceremony held in Southampton in June 2013. She is the third in the cruise liner fleet to be named Royal Princess by the company. She can accommodate 3,600 passengers.
The ship conducted a seven-day maiden voyage from Southampton to Barcelona in June 2013. The inaugural season itineraries included the Grand Mediterranean voyage from Barcelona to Venice and then Venetian Passage from Venice to Fort Lauderdale by October 2013.
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The Royal Princess has 1,346 crew members. She can cruise at a speed of 22kt.
Construction of Carnival Corporation’s ship
Carnival awarded a contract to Fincantieri – Cantieri Navali Italiani for building two new cruise ships for Princess Cruises, in May 2010.
Construction of the ship was started in March 2011. Her keel, weighing about 500t, was laid in October 2011.
She entered into service in June 2013. Fincantieri built the ship in its Monfalcone shipyard, Italy. The second ship is scheduled to be launched in 2014.
Both will become the largest of the fleet operated by Princess Cruises. Each ship is estimated to cost €558m ($768m).
Design by Giacomo Mortola and Teresa Anderson
Giacomo Mortola was the architect of the ship. Her interiors were designed by the in-house director of Princess Cruises, Teresa Anderson. The new Royal Princess has a gross tonnage of about 141,000t. The ship is 1,083ft long and 217ft high.
The cruise ship is spacious with 260,000 square feet of public space and features many new and expanded elements, besides maintaining the classical profile associated with Princess Cruises’ ships.
Accommodation on the new Royal Princess
The Royal Princess has 19 decks. She has 1,780 passenger cabins with 730 balcony cabins, 314 mini suites, 342 inside cabins, and 358 deluxe balcony cabins. The ship has 36 cabins with wheel chair access and 780 additional upper berths. About 81% (1,438 cabins) of the exterior cabins of the staterooms include a private balcony.
Entertainment on Princess Cruises’ vessel
The ship features an over-water walkway, called SeaWalk. The cantilevered walkway is an extension to the edge of the vessel by 20ft, with a glass bottom and enclosures.
The passengers get views of the sea below and off the side of the vessel. The other end of the ship features an over-water sea bar offering cocktails.
The top decks are built with an adults-only pool. It is surrounded by seven private cabanas which float on water.
An outdoor dance club and two swimming pools with seating are also included. The signature bar, Sanctuary, has been expanded to include more space and amenities.
The ship has pool-side theatre called Movies Under the Stars. The central atrium, the signature Piazza of the new Royal Princess, is 50% larger and has entertainment, dining and retail facilities. It features two marble spiral staircases lit with glass domes.
Restaurants on the Royal Princess cruise liner
The new features also include several restaurants and lounges such as the Forward Dining Room, the Chef’s Table Lumiere, Vines wine bar, Crown Grill, International Café, Sabatini’s Italian restaurant, Crooners martini bar, Horizon Court buffet, Wheelhouse Bar and Wine Cellar-inspired dining facilities. She will also have the Horizon Court for Kids, Horizon Bistro and Horizon Bistro Pastry Shop.
Other new features include a gelateria, the Ocean Terrace seafood bar, Bellini’s Italian cocktail bar and the Celebrations gift shop.
Deck seven features Princess Live!, a 280-seat entertainment area with studio and café space for musical performances, television broadcasts and other events.
