Royal birth for Royal Princess

With these words Kate Middleton, the then Duchess of Cambridge, unleashed the Nebuchadnezzar-size bottle of Moet & Chandon champagne as the crowd, and bottle, exploded in raucous approval.

In what is scheduled to be her final solo public appearance before the birth of her child, Kate Middleton’s connection to the Royal Princess is a stroke of marketing genius by Princess Cruises.

Dressed in a Hobbs dalmatian-print coat for the launch, the Duchess is one of the most photographed, loved and influential women of her time. Such is her influence on fashion in the UK that the coat she was wearing at the launch – which costs £169 ($A278) – was completely sold out before the 30-minute ceremony had ended. Princess Cruises is hoping she has the same effect on ticket sales.

Seasoned cruise watchers waiting in the cold on the Southampton docks said that they had never seen a larger media throng at the christening of a ship.

The Royal connection

Ironically Princess Diana launched the last Royal Princess in 1984. Ships have had godmothers since the mid-19th century and Princess Cruises have bestowed the honour on many famous women, including Baroness Margaret Thatcher and film star Audrey Hepburn, for its previous 16 ships.

Princess Cruises said the link with Middleton had created a frenzy of positive press in the run-up to the launch. That’s something the industry needed after a series of bad-news disasters in the northern hemisphere had sapped consumer confidence.

“Choosing a godmother is important for a ship. It symbolises the spirit of the vessel for its entire life,” president and CEO of Princess Cruises Alan Buckelew said.

“We can think of no more fitting godmother for our magnificent new ship. Her Royal Highness is an inspiring ambassador for Britain and she is admired around the world for her style, her grace, and her compassion for others.”

When asked what characteristics the ship and Kate Middleton shared he said: “Both are magnificent, gracious and serene.”

The numbers for Royal Princess are impressive.

It can accommodate up to 3600 passengers at any one time. It has 36 suites, 314 mini-suites, 1070 balconies and 1780 staterooms.

Plenty of room in the shower

All outside cabins have balconies and the good news is that they have made the showers bigger on this ship. In what Princess says is a first all cabins also have access to an easy-to-use on-demand television that offers free movies, television shows and some live channels.

There are more than 1300 crew, including a smattering of Australians.

At 141,000 tonnes the Royal Princess, the first new ship in the fleet since 2008, is also the biggest ever made by this company. It is the first in a new generation of ships for Princess Cruises. Three years ago it was a dream, nothing more than sketches on spare pieces of paper, now it is being touted as the most beautiful ship in the world.

The ship has maintained the basic DNA of a Princess cruise liner. There is no doubt returning passengers will recognise the things that have influenced them to become frequent cruisers with Princess.

The first thing you will notice, however, is that the atrium area. It is about 50 per cent bigger than on earlier-design ships. It is a destination with restaurants, bars, lounge areas and the wickedly good Alfredo’s pizza bar on level six. Alfredo’s serves up a true pizza, one you are likely to find in Naples rather than fast-food chains. There is a flow through this area that makes sense for passengers. It encourages them to linger and, ultimately, spend more money at the bar or the gelato shop.

The spa has also been moved from the top deck to this atrium area. When asked about the move a Princess executive said that it had taken a while for the company to realise that spas don’t need views. “For the most part people are face down, with their eyes closed.”

Setting new standards

By cruise ship standards the Lotus Spa is setting new industry standards – on land and at sea. The enclave area with its Turkish Hammam, sensory showers and hydrotherapy pool is world class. There are 15 treatment rooms offering manicures to indulgent couples room spa treatments.

Where the spa used to be Princess has expanded its Sanctuary style of adult-only cruise area.

One of the ship’s big selling points is Seawalk, a glass-bottomed walkway that cantilevers almost 10m beyond the edge of the ship. When you walk out on it and look down, the water is more than 40m below.

Now it isn’t a theme park ride, but it is also not for people who don’t like heights.

There are no plans for Royal Princess to visit Australia at this time. Locally, Princess will continue to offer Australians the biggest choice of ships and destinations sailing from Australia.