Princess Cruises christened its newest ship, Regal Princess, in Fort Lauderdale, Miami, on November 5, 2014.
The cruise line, which was made famous as the backdrop of the iconic Love Boat television series, paid tribute to the show by naming all six of the original cast members as the ship’s godparents. The Love Boat themed festivities, which launched the line’s 50th anniversary, also featured 25 of the show’s past guest stars.
You're no doubt wanting to see images of Regal Princess, so photos of the festivities from the launch are at the end of this post...AFTER all the stunning photos of the ship!
***All photos courtesy of Princess cruises. Text supplied by Princess Cruises and edited by me (Giulio).
NOTE -I have discovered that this post runs slowly if viewed on Internet Explorer. It's best viewed on Google Chrome or Firefox (not as fast as Chrome).
NOTE -I have discovered that this post runs slowly if viewed on Internet Explorer. It's best viewed on Google Chrome or Firefox (not as fast as Chrome).
Regal Princess under full steam. She was built by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone, Italy,
and her inaugural cruise was on May 20, 2014.
Other facts about the ship:
Number of Crew: 1,346
Registry: BermudaLength: 1,083 feet
Height: 217 feet
Number of Decks: 19
Service Speed: 22 knots
Guest Cabins: 1,780 total
40 Suites with private balconies
306 Mini Suites
360 Deluxe Balcony cabins
732 Balcony cabins
342 Inside cabins
Wheelchair Accessible Cabins: 36 including: 29 balcony/7 inside
Cabins with Private Balconies: 1,438 (81 percent of all outside cabins)
The 141,000 tonne, 3560-guest Regal Princess begins her maiden season of Caribbean cruises out of Fort Lauderdale. Among the features found onboard the ship are a multi-storey atrium serving as the social hub of the ship, offering a host of dining and entertainment options; an over-the-water SeaWalk (a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending more than eight metres beyond the edge of the ship); the Princess Live! Television studio; the largest pastry shop at sea; a special Chef’s Table Lumiere (private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light); Princess Watercolour Fantasy, a fountain and music show; the Night Sky Lounge that enables guests to enjoy a chic and contemporary poolside nightclub under the stars, and balconies on all outside staterooms.
The Piazza
The Piazza
Some of what can be found onboard Regal Princess...
Dining and Snacks: Three main dining rooms, Chef's Table Lumiere, Wine Cellar dining, Sabatini's Italian Restaurant, Crown Grill – Steak and Seafood, Gelato – gelateria serving ice cream & Italian crepes, International Café – coffee, snacks and light meals, Tea Tower, Vines Wine Bar, Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, Alfredo's Pizzeria, Horizon Court Buffet, Pastry Shop, Prego – Poolside pizza, Trident Grill – Hamburger and hot dog grill, Swirls – Ice cream bar, Ultimate Balcony Dining, 24-hour room service.
Showrooms/Lounges: Princess Theatre, Vista Lounge, Princess Live! – television studio, Wheelhouse Bar, Club 6 Nightclub, Bellini's – Italian-inspired cocktails, Crooners – martini bar, Churchill's Cigar Lounge.
Guest Services: The Sanctuary, Movies Under the Stars poolside screen, Lotus Spa and Fitness Centre, Piazza Atrium, Wedding Chapel, Casino, Sports Central, Lawn Court – golf putting and lawn games, Jogging/Walking track, Kid's and Teen's Centres, Internet Café, Photo/Video Gallery, Library Art Gallery, Duty-free Boutiques, Concierge Lounge (dedicated lounge for suite passengers), Guest Services Desk, Shore Excursions Desk, Medical Centre.
Chef's Table Lumiere
The Sea Walk
Gelato
Regal Princess Mini-Suite
Fountain on Pool Deck
The Wheelhouse Bar
The Sanctuary
The Casino
Lotus Spa
Bellini's
Inside Stateroom
The Sanctuary
Vista Lounge
Club 6 (dance club)
Sabatini's
The Enclave (thermal suite)
Wheelhouse Bar
Terrace Pool
Passenger Services
Princess Theatre
Vines (wine bar)
Wheelhouse Bar
* * * * *
The Naming Ceremony
All six Love Boat cast members - Gavin MacLeod (Captain Stubing), Fred Grandy (Gopher, the chief purser), Ted Lange (Isaac, the bartender), Bernie Kopell (Doc, the ship’s doctor), Lauren Tewes (cruise director Julie) and Jill Whelan (Vicki, the captain’s daughter) - pulled a lever that first sent 50 champagne bottles smashing against the ship’s hull, followed by the breaking of a giant Nebuchadnezzar-size 51st bottle signifying Princess Cruises’ continued success into the future.
Frequent show guest-star Florence Henderson, who appeared in numerous episodes of The Love Boat but is most noted as her role as Carol (Mrs) Brady from the Brady Bunch, served as the Master of Ceremonies.
Other celebrities who appeared in the show walked the 50th Anniversary gold carpet and included: Loni Anderson, Joyce DeWitt, Jamie Farr, Pam Grier, Christopher Knight, Diane Ladd, Lorenzo Lamas, Carol Lawrence, Rich Little, Kristy McNichol, Lee Meriwether, Don Most, Tracy Nelson, Mackenzie Phillips, Doris Roberts, Marion Ross, Frank Sinatra Jr., Charlene Tilton, Joan Van Ark, Dick Van Patten and Adrian Zmed.
The guest star with the most number of appearances on the show, Charo, entertained the guests with a classical guitar number and Jack Jones, who sang the original version of the Love Boat theme, reprised the famous song.
Top - The Love Boat cast all smiles at the launch.
Middle - The Love Boat cast break a bottle of bubbly and christen Regal Princess.
Bottom - What christening wouldn't be complete without fireworks?!
Jack Jones, who sang the The Love Boat theme, croons it one more time
for the assembled devotees.
for the assembled devotees.
Two stars who appeared on The Love Boat but made their names elsewhere -
LtoR Florence Henderson, aka Mrs Brady from the Brady Bunch, and Marion Ross, aka Mrs Cunningham from Happy Days.
The guest star with the most number of appearances on the show, Charo, entertains the guests with a classical guitar number.
Gavin MacLeod, aka Captain Stubing, poses for selfies galore with some of the Regal Princess crew.
The Love Boat cast with the invited celebrities who appeared on the show.
* * * * *
I hope you enjoyed this post and a big thank you to Princess Cruises for supplying such great photos, especially, so that I could show you all this stunning new cruise ship.
Bon voyage!
Giulio
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All photos and text by © Princess Cruises
Use of photos/text must be via written permission
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