Regal
Princess reached
a significant construction milestone recently, when the Princess Cruises
vessel was “floated out” at its building dock at the Fincantieri
shipyard in Italy. A traditional ceremony marked the occasion as the
ship met the ocean for the first time.
Following
the Italian shipyard’s custom, the float out of a ship begins when
a “madrina,” or godmother, cuts the cord that begins the flow of
water into the ship’s building dock. Carolyn Spencer Brown, editor
in chief of Cruise Critic, served in this role to begin the two-day
process of setting the ship afloat.
“To
mark this important milestone we selected a woman who lives and
breathes the cruise industry,” said Alan Buckelew, president and
CEO of Princess Cruises. “Carolyn has been the editor-in-chief for
Cruise Critic for 10 years and not only is she a champion of
cruising, she’s helped to build an avid community of cruisers. Her
passion for cruising made her the perfect choice to serve as madrina
for our new Regal Princess.”
Once
afloat, the ship will be moved to the outfitting dock where final
construction and interior outfitting will take place. Regal
Princess, a
sister ship to the soon-to-debut Royal
Princess, will
debut in June 2014 with a season of Mediterranean cruises.
Regal
Princess and Royal
Princess are
new-generation ships for Princess Cruises.
Source:
Princess Cruises
