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- The 1,082ft luxury vessel was built in Montefalcone in Italy and sailed into home port, Southampton, last week
- Royal Princess will be officially christened by the Duchess of Cambridge in a ceremony tomorrow
- After the christening, the ship will depart on its maiden voyage to Barcelona via Malaga, Lisbon and Gibraltar
- The multimillion pound ship has 1,780 staterooms and its own spa, casino, games room and TV studio
The 1,082ft cruise ship set to be
named by the Duchess of Cambridge has been unveiled ahead of tomorrow's
launch with a set of images that reveal the lavish interior and
impressive rooms of the multimillion pound boat.
Named the Royal Princess, the latest ship to be built by Princess Cruises certainly lives up to its regal name.
Due
to be launched in a traditional naming ceremony, the spectacular
cruiser has everything the well-heeled guest could possibly want,
including a fully-equipped games room, casino and a spa.
The
Royal Princess also has a 28ft glass-bottomed viewing gallery, 10
different restaurants including one that specialises in steak and
lobster, and 1,780 luxury statero
Fit for a princess: The Royal Princess steams
towards Southampton Docks from Italy where it was built ahead of the
launch and naming ceremony tomorrow, set to be presided over by the
Duchess of Cambridge
Opulent: The sun deck has its own private
cabanas while the Lotus Spa is fully equipped and offers a huge range of
facial and body treatments to guests
Vast: The enormous Royal Princess dwarfs the
tiny tugboat guiding it through the Solent as it eases into the docks at
Southampton
The
vessel arrived in Southampton last week from the Italian shipyard in
Montefalcone where she was built, and was met with a rousing welcome
from the Southampton University Brass Band, who played God Save The
Queen as the ship hove into view.
The
welcoming serenade was answered back by the Royal Princess which boasts
a specially made horn that plays the first notes of the theme song from
the television show The Love Boat.
At tomorrow's naming ceremony,
the Duchess of Cambridge will see performances from Natasha
Bedingfield and West End singer, Kerry Ellis before officially
christening the ship - now the largest in Princess Cruises' 16-strong
fleet, although it will be joined by a similarly sized sister ship,
Regal Princess, next year.
The Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines
Portsmouth and The Pipe Band of 1st Battalion Irish Guards will open the
event.
Despite the ship's
regal name, the vessel was not named after the Duchess of Cambridge.
Instead, the name was taken from the original Royal Princess ship which
launched in 1984 and is no longer in service.
'Appointing
a godmother to name a new ship is one of maritime’s oldest traditions,'
said Paul Ludlow, UK Director of Princess Cruises.
'Historically
their role is to be entrusted with the safe guidance of a vessel and
its passengers. We are thrilled to welcome HRH Duchess of Cambridge,
godmother to Royal Princess, to Southampton and look forward to
celebrating this historic occasion.'
After the naming ceremony, the
3,600-passenger Royal Princess will depart on her maiden voyage, which
will take her round the coastline of Spain to Barcelona, via Vigo,
Lisbon, Gibraltar and Malaga.
From
Barcelona, the ship will embark on a 12-day voyage around the
Mediterranean before a longer 30-day cruise that will take it across the
Atlantic to the sunny Florida city of Fort Lauderdale.
It will then depart on a five-day Caribbean cruise that takes in
Princess Cays in the Bahamas, the pretty island of St Maarten, the
British Virgin Islands and St. Thomas before returning to the American
port.
Among with the
spa and the casino, lucky travellers able to cough up the £1,508 price
tag for the 12-day trip or £2,632 for the longer voyage, will be able to
enjoy luxury suites that have their own 37" flat screen television, 100
per cent Egyptian cotton bed linen and deluxe en suite bathrooms.
Other special features include plush private poolside cabanas that appear to be
floating on water, a 'Princess Live!' television studio and what Princess Cruises describe as the 'largest
pastry shop at sea'.
Detail: Nothing has been left to chance on Royal Princess, which is full of opulent extras such as these gorgeous sunbeds
Homecoming: The Royal Princess steams through
the English Channel en route to Southampton and a date with the Duchess
of Cambridge
Spectacular: The piazza is crammed with high end
boutiques, while the staircase leading to the upper decks looks like
something a Bond villain would own
Luxury: Along with a casino, a spa and a gym, the Royal Princess also has its own fine art gallery for guests to enjoy
Plush: The Allegro Dining Room (left) serves up
a'la carte meals and has a light-swathed chef's table. Club 6 (right) is
the ship's own nightclub
THE ANATOMY OF A ROYAL PRINCESS: PRINCESS CRUISES' NEW SHIP IN NUMBERS
3,600: Number of passengers the ship can accommodate at any given time
1,780: The number of staterooms on the Royal Princess
30: The number of days the leisurely voyage to Fort Lauderdale will take
Four: The number of Caribbean islands the Royal Princess will visit. They include the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and St. Maarten.
1,082: The ship's length in feet
141,000: The gross tonnage of the Royal Princess
Five: The number of stops the ship will make on her maiden voyage. These include Barcelona, Gibraltar, Malaga, Lisbon and Vigo
10: The number of restaurants on board
One: The number of casinos on the Royal Princess
Two:
The number of royal princesses to attend the naming ceremony. One is
the ship itself, the other is the Duchess of Cambridge.1,780: The number of staterooms on the Royal Princess
30: The number of days the leisurely voyage to Fort Lauderdale will take
Four: The number of Caribbean islands the Royal Princess will visit. They include the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands and St. Maarten.
Luxurious: Each suite comes complete with 100
per cent Egyptian cotton bed linen, a 37" flat screen television and a
deluxe en suite bathroom
Panorama: The stunning Sea View bar offers
commanding views of the surrounding ocean as well as a fully stocked bar
staffed by expert mixologists
Bird's eye view: The 28ft SeaWalk is a
glass-bottomed promenade that gives guests a panoramic view of the
surrounding area from above
Maiden voyage: The Royal Princess' inaugural
trip will take it to Barcelona, via Gibraltar, Lisbon and Malaga. After
that, it heads across the Atlantic to Fort Lauderdale
Appearance: The Royal Princess' naming ceremony
will be the last time the Duchess of Cambridge appears in public until
after the birth of her first child next month
Haven: The vessel's youth centre is the perfect
place for bored teens to settle down and watch TV, while their parents
head to the spa or the casino
Deluxe: Crooners bar has marble fittings, a fully stocked bar and luxe mahogany furniture
Glamorous: The Crown Grill & Wheelhouse Bar
is the perfect spot for a relaxing sundowner after a long day browsing
the shops in the spectacular atrium (right)
Welcome:
The Royal Princess arrived last week to an orchestral fanfare conducted by actor
Simon Callow and the Southampton University Brass band
Titan: The Royal Princess is the largest ship in
the Princess Cruises fleet and dominates the tiny Svitzer Alma as it
guides her through the Solent
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