ROYAL VOYAGE: Meet Royal Princess As She Gets Ready to Cruise on The Most Expensive Ship Ever

 

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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

1,082: 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

 

The ultimate sneak peek of the new Royal Princess

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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