Princess Cruises Lays the Keel for New Royal Princess

A significant construction milestone occurred on 10-20-2011 when the keel for the new Royal Princess was laid in the building dock at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy. As the keel – the bottommost part of the ship – was ceremoniously lowered into position, Princess Cruises and shipyard officials marked the occasion with a celebration and countdown to the ship’s debut in spring 2013.

Following a traditional blessing by a priest, the ship’s keel – which weighs approximately 500 tons – was moved into position by a huge crane onto the keel blocks. The computer-guided maneuver took only minutes, belying the more than two million man hours that will ultimately go into building the vessel. The 3,600-passenger, 141,000-ton ship will remain in the building dock until its float-out next summer.

“It’s always very exciting to mark this step in a ship’s construction, when several of the pre-built sections come together to form a new addition to our fleet, especially with a prototype design,” said Alan Buckelew, president and CEO of Princess Cruises who traveled to Italy for the ceremony. He explained that Royal Princess’ evolutionary design will include some exciting new elements and expanded spaces, while maintaining the classic profile and popular features passengers have come to associate with Princess.

"The keel laying in the building dock marks a fundamental step in the construction of Royal Princess, an innovative prototype ship for one of the most prestigious brands of Carnival Corporation, the world cruise leader, for which Fincantieri has built many vessels in the past,” said Giuseppe Bono, Fincantieri CEO. “We are particularly proud and strongly believe that Fincantieri will build the most beautiful ship in the world."

One of the most dramatic new design elements of Royal Princess is an over-water SeaWalk – a glass-bottomed enclosed walkway extending more than 20 feet beyond the edge of the vessel. From here passengers will enjoy dramatic views off the side of the ship and to the sea below. On the ship’s opposite side, an over-water SeaView bar will also extend over the waves to provide cocktails and unbeatable vistas.

On her top decks, Royal Princess will feature a new adults-only pool surrounded by seven plush private cabanas that appear to be floating on the water. Two additional pools will flank a tropical island that will offer pool seating by day, and by night will become an outdoor dance club, complete with a dazzling water and light show. Princess’ signature adults-only haven, The Sanctuary, will be expanded both in size and amenities. The popular poolside theater, Movies Under the Stars, will play a starring role mid-ship with an expanded size and high-definition viewing.

Royal Princess will feature an expanded version of the company’s signature Piazza – the ship’s central atrium incorporating a myriad of dining, entertainment and retail experiences. And each of the vessel’s outside cabins will include a balcony, meaning 80 percent of all staterooms will offer this popular feature.
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional Links:

Cruises From New York and New Jersey - Main Page
Cruises From New York and New Jersey - Cruise News

Cruises From Boston
Cruises From Baltimore
Cruises From Norfolk

Sign Up for Free Cruise Newsletter

Keel Laid For Cunard's New Queen Elizabeth

2 July 2009 – Today a ceremony to mark the keel laying of Cunard Line’s new Queen Elizabeth was held at the Monfalcone shipyard of Fincantieri near Trieste, Italy. The second largest Cunarder ever built, Queen Elizabeth’s keel is the third Cunard has lain in the space of seven years. When she enters service in October 2010, she will join Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria as not only the most famous ocean liners in the world but also the youngest fleet in passenger travel.

The keel laying involves the placement in the dry dock of the first section of the ship’s hull. This section is made up of six pre-manufactured blocks, weighs 364 tons and is fitted with 104 tons of pipes, cables, insulation and other equipment.

The ceremony followed an intensive period of design and development. Fifty-three sections will be used in the construction of Queen Elizabeth and she will take to the water for the first time at her float out in December.

“We are delighted to be back here among our friends at Fincantieri so soon after we took delivery of Queen Victoria in 2007—the first Cunarder to be built in Italy—and I am sure that Queen Elizabeth will be just as popular and successful as her two sister ships,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line. “We at Cunard are always impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of everyone at Fincantieri, and we look forward to the next year-and-a half of working closely with them on this ship, which will be nurtured by their skill and vision and built into a vessel equal in stature to the other great Cunard liners,” she added.

Paolo Capobianco, director of Fincantieri Shipyard, said, “Our company is the heir to the Italian shipbuilding industry and the world leader in cruise ship construction and believes, as Cunard does, in the possibility and the need of actively matching tradition and innovation. Building a new liner for Cunard is a special achievement for Fincantieri and takes us right to our roots, fostering both our determination to build once again a passenger ship of high technological content and unmistakable style, reflecting the best of the industry and tailored to the needs and requirements of the ship owner.”

Queen Elizabeth will feature the unique Cunard traditions linking her with her sisters Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria and their predecessors, together with all the modern day luxuries Cunard’s guests have come to expect and some exciting features that will give the vessel her own style and personality.

Named after the first Queen Elizabeth, one of Cunard’s greatest ships, the new Queen Elizabeth will reflect her predecessor in interior grandeur, décor and style, but with a modern twist. From the outside, her distinctive black and red livery will hint at an experience that differentiates a Cunard liner from a modern-day cruise ship. This will be most evident in the ship’s adherence to liner traditions, with elegant double and triple height public rooms on a grand scale, luxuriously endowed with rich wood panelling, intricate mosaics, gleaming chandeliers and cool marbles. Art Deco features will pay homage to the original Queen Elizabeth and will allow the new ship to reflect a more civilized era of travel.

Furthermore, in addition to the extensive Cunard entertainment programme on board, Queen Elizabeth will offer some unique strands inspired by the era of the first Queen Elizabeth, such as country house parties at sea, evening piano sing-a-longs and period dancing, from traditional ballroom to the jitterbug and the jive, all within the setting of this 21st century ship.

As successor to Queen Elizabeth 2, the ship will also reflect this great liner through artworks and memorabilia and its very own “Yacht Club.”

Queen Elizabeth will also pay homage to the links that Cunard has enjoyed with royalty and the maritime world over the years with photography, memorabilia and exhibits.

Queen Elizabeth will depart on her Maiden Voyage on 12 October 2010—a voyage which sold out in a record-breaking 29 minutes 14 seconds in April 2009. This 13-night celebration will leave from Cunard’s home port of Southampton and will call at Vigo (for Santiago de Compostela), Lisbon, Seville (Cadiz), Gran Canaria (Las Palmas), Tenerife (Santa Cruz de Tenerife, an overnight call), La Palma (Santa Cruz de La Palma) and Madeira (Funchal).

Her Maiden Season will run from October 2010 to January 2011 and include voyages to the Western and Central Mediterranean and the Caribbean. Fares start from just $1,195 per person for the five-night 26 November 2010 Gallic Debut voyage with ports of call at Amsterdam, Zeebrugge and Le Havre; while the 13-night Iberian Discovery voyage departing 1 December 2010 features fares from $2,395 per person, with ports of call at Vigo, Lisbon, Seville, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and Madeira.

The world’s newest ocean liner will depart Southampton on 5 January 2011 on her 103-night epic Maiden World Voyage, which has just been released for sale. This will see her make 35 maiden calls, including Cunard’s first call ever at Port Denarau (Fiji). In total, Queen Elizabeth will call at 38 ports in 24 countries as she makes her way west around the globe, with maiden transits of both the Panama and Suez Canals and calls at Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Lisbon. Queen Elizabeth will be in great company as her sisters will be present on several occasions during the voyage: she will sail in tandem to New York with Queen Victoria before all three Queens will meet for a Cunard Royal Rendezvous in New York on 13 January 2011; and then she meets with Queen Mary 2 in Sydney and Civitavecchia and Queen Victoria again in Aruba. Full World Voyage fares aboard Queen Elizabeth start from $19,995; Queen Elizabeth’s Segment World Voyage fares start from $2,545. Fares are based per person, double occupancy.

Fincantieri Lays Keel For Oceania Cruises' New Marina

March 7, 2009 - A ceremony marking the Keel Laying for Oceania Cruises’ Marina was held yesterday at the Sestri Ponente shipyard of Fincantieri near Genoa, Italy. During the age-old ceremony which was attended by members of both Oceania Cruises’ and Fincantieri’s management teams, Frank Del Rio, Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings and founder of Oceania Cruises, welded a US Silver Dollar and a pre-Castro Silver Cuban Peso into the keel of the new ship. The welding of the coins into the keel is long-standing maritime tradition which is believed to solicit good fortune for the ship, its crew and its passengers during its seagoing life. After the coins were welded into the keel, the first of the 55 steel blocks which comprise Marina was lowered into the building dock thus marking the official start of the construction of Oceania Cruises’ first purpose-built ship.

“This is a momentous day in the history of Oceania Cruises, one which will only be eclipsed on the day we take delivery of Marina in 2010. We want to express our sincere thanks to our loyal guests, travel partners and the entire Oceania Cruises team for all their dedication and hard work in making this new ship become a reality,” stated Frank Del Rio, Chairman and CEO of Prestige Cruise Holdings.

Marina, the first of the new Oceania-Class, represents an evolution of the line’s extremely popular Regatta-Class ships, retaining all of the warmth, popular design elements and signature amenities the line is renowned for while affording guests an additional level of comfort, convenience and many new luxury amenities. Designed to cruise to all corners of the globe, the new ships will boast a cruising speed 20% faster than the Regatta-Class.

The new ships will be awash in rich woods, Italian marble, lustrous granite, fine wool carpets and sumptuous leather. No detail is being overlooked to create an array of spacious, yet intimate public spaces and luxurious staterooms and suites. They will accommodate 1,252 guests in 626 staterooms and suites who will be served by more than 780 staff members. 96% of all accommodations will feature private teak verandas and guests will dine in their choice of six open seating restaurants.

Additional details on the Marina’s suites and staterooms, restaurants, guest facilities and itineraries will be released in the coming months.