Royal Princess is due in Southampton on Fri June 7th, where she will enjoy a week of festivities in the lead up to the inauguration. Princess Cruises have a wonderful history of previous cruise ship Godmothers, including the late Margaret Thatcher and Diana Princess of Wales.

Following a few short previous tours, Royal Princess’ maiden voyage will begin on June 16th, as she sets sail on her first of many Grand Mediterranean cruises, before switching to the Caribbean in the autumn.

It’s an excellent and fitting choice of Godmother, for a cruise line with such an elegant British heritage. We’ll be attending on June 13th to cover the event in detail, for what will no doubt be a fantastic event.

By 2014 Princess Cruises' fleet will boast one of the largest and newest at sea. Both Emerald Princess and Ruby Princess will be based in Southampton for summer 2014, meaning the cruise lines' four youngest and most modern liners will grace Europe during the summer months. Emerald Princess will sail to the Med, Canary Islands and Northern Europe, while Ruby Princess will offer a selection of British Isles cruises along with a North Cape & Summer Solstice cruise in June.

Royal Princess, who debuts latest this year, will be sailing her first season to Scandinavia and Russia — which will include two days in St. Petersburg. Regal Princess, who will debut in spring 2014, will sail a series of 12 night Med cruises between Venice and Barcelona for her inaugural season.

Written by Charlie Hamilton Beaufort
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Royal Princess elevates Princess Cruises into the realms of 5* cruising standards. The new ship, at 141,000 tonnes is the largest in the fleet, but as opposed to cramming on more guests — she will carry 3,600 passengers — Princess have redesigned her layout to offer some of the largest public spaces at sea, giving her a really luxurious feel.

The atrium, or the Piazza as it's now known, is the heart and soul of the Royal Princess. From the multiple stories of open space around stunning marble staircases, cafes and shops, you will find the ship's main restaurants, lounges, the spa, the purser's desk and more — giving you one central place to enjoy the social life onboard. The SeaWalk is another exciting addition, the glass floored walk extends 28ft out of the ship and 128ft above sea level — offering a unique and incredible view.

Many of Princess' favourites, such as the original Movies Under The Stars, have had a revamp. The screen now boasts HD quality and a mid-ship location. Great venues, such as Sabitinis and the Crown Grill, are also getting a makeover and being paried with one of Royal Princess' lounge bars for an all evening experience. Sabitinis has been combined with Vines Wine Bar, offering a great place for a pre or post drink dinner and an elegant, but lively Italian atmosphere. The Crown Grill, Princess' famed steakhouse, has been combined with the Wheelhouse Bar — bringing together a lively music bar and a high energy, great restaurant for a real American steakhouse experience.

These preview sailings give you the opportunity to see the ship in all its glory and as the first guests onboard, testing out the staterooms, facilities and food onboard, there are some incredible prices on offer.

If you have booked onto the maiden voyage, expecting to be the first passengers onboard, fear not as you have first refusal on any of these trips. Also, the maiden voyage will continue to be Royal Princess' official inaugural cruise and will benefit from all the gala dinners and celebrations planned.

Pre-registration is open today, with bookings beginning on 29th January for passengers on the maiden voyage and 30th January for everyone else. These cruises are expected to sell out in a matter of hours, so get in quickly.

• Royal Princess preview cruise, 9th June 2013, two nights from £339pp.
• Royal Princess preview cruise, 14th June 2013, two nights from £339pp.

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
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Sister ship to the forthcoming Royal Princess, Regal Princess will boast a similar experience with the new design features and layout. Regal Princess — another traditional ship name from the cruise line — will debut in spring 2014 and is estimated to carry 3,600 passengers across her 141,000 tonnes. Her shear size means she will boasts a fantastic size to passenger ratio.

Alan Buckelew, President and CEO of Princess Cruises, said: "Just as Royal Princess was named after one of our iconic early vessels, Regal Princess also takes a name from our past that we think is well suited for this spectacular ship. Today’s keel laying is an exciting event as it marks a key milestone in our new building program."

More details on the ship will follow once we have them — Regal Princess is expected to be a mirror image of Royal Princess, but with her own twist.

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
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The cruise line marked the occasion with a ceremony attended by Princess President and CEO Alan Buckelew, Royal Princess Captain Tony Draper, long-time Princess master Captain Nick Nash and his daughter, Victoria, who served as Royal Princess' godmother.

Buckelew said: "The original Royal Princess left our fleet some time ago, but we wanted to bring the spirit of that much-loved ship, also a prototype design, to the new Royal Princess. And who better to do that than Victoria, who has grown up into a beautiful young lady who will now have a special connection with both vessels"

As is tradition, the ship’s bell was used as her christening bowl during that ceremony in 1996, and Victoria’s name was subsequently engraved inside the bell to commemorate the occasion. Thanks to the Nash family, this same bell will be aboard the new Royal Princess.

Buckelew went on to further add: "Captain Nash was presented with the ship’s bell from our original Royal Princess following its decommissioning, and we are delighted that he has very generously offered this bell to be placed aboard our new Royal Princess, in honour of his daughter. Thank you Nick, for this wonderful gift."

Celebrity Cruises also participated in a float out, with the Celebrity Reflection, last week. Though they posted the event online, they didn't match the two day ceremony that the Royal Princess was afforded. As the cruise lines official new flagship — Royal Princess has been the tradition flagship's name for the fleet for year — and with the ship being a whole new class, you can see why they would make such a song and dance around the occasion.

Royal Princess will join the fleet in June 2013, carrying 3,600 passengers and boasting an incredible arrange of new innovations around the new atrium concept onboard.

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
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The 3,600 passenger ship — the largest and most innovative ship in Princess Cruises' fleet— will boast over 100 years of seagoing experience in her team of senior officers. The senior four-stripe team will also include fellow Brit Staff Captain Tim Stringer, Chief Engineer Fabio Braccelli, Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand, and Relief Captain Dino Sagani.

Paul Ludlow, Princess Cruises' UK Director, said: "It takes a talented team to launch a new ship of the calibre of Royal Princess, and we are particularly excited to announce that a British Captain will be at the helm on the ship's maiden voyage from Southampton. Captain Tony Draper and his team of experienced officers bring considerable seagoing and management skills that we believe will contribute to the success of the ship’s maiden season."

Captain Tony Draper has been in command of a number of the company’s vessels since 2006, including Ruby Princess, Crown Princess, Caribbean Princess, Dawn Princess, Sun Princess and Coral Princess, as well as ships for sister companies P&O Cruises Australia and Cunard. Draper began his seagoing career with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Service, the civilian manned supply and logistics division of the Royal Navy.

After gaining his Masters Certificate in 1994, he also pursued a lifelong interest in aviation, gaining a commercial pilot’s licence in the same year. In 1995, he joined Princess Cruises as Navigator of the original Island Princess. It was on this, one of the original Love Boats, that he met his wife Joanna. Originally from Scotland, Captain Draper now lives in Cornwall with his wife and young daughter, Alysia.

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
© Iglucruise

Royal Princess is currently in the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy and is due to debut in June 2013. Over the coming months more announcements are expected, following the previous news on Royal Princess's dining options. Princess are bringing a few firsts to their ships, such as the double lane jogging track — that features a circuit program with outdoor exercise stations set at intervals along the track — which has proven popular on sister line Carnival's newest ships, Carnival Magic and Carnival Breeze.

The Royal Princess mobile batting cage is another cruising first, though Norwegian Cruise Lines do have a pop-up version onboard Norwegian Epic. The batting cage will feature as part of Princess Sports Central on decks 18 & 19 — which also features the centre court that can be used for tennis, basketball, volleyball and badminton. Another new addition to Princess Sports Central is the laser shooting range, also a cruising first.

The upper deck will feature a lawn court, which is an artificial grassy area for boules, croquet and lawn bowling. A further addition is the game lounge, that will offer ping pong and virtual games with the Xbox Kinect — great for escaping the midday sunshine or rainy days at sea.

There will of course be the usual golf simulator, fully fledged fitness centre and Princess Cruises' Lotus Spa.

Royal Princess, at 3,600 passengers, will be among the largest ships in the Princess fleet. But unlike other ships with the same capacity, the ship will be slightly larger in size and with a more efficient lay-out, meaning much larger public spaces, without compromising elsewhere onboard. And with all the great food onboard, these fitness facilities will definitely be needed!

Written by Charlie Hamilton-Beaufort
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The 141,000 tonne ship will carry 3,600 passengers and the cruise line's largest ship has concentrated on more public space, as opposed to cramming in as many people as possible. The signature of the Royal Princess, and her yet to be named sister ship, will be the new, larger atrium and piazza. The atrium is 50% larger than other ships with similar capacity, along with new venues and more entertainment.

The piazza will boast many of the popular current venues, such as Vines Wine Bar, the International Cafe and Sabatini's Italian Bistro, as well as new venues, such as the new designer Gelateria and Bellini's — an Italian inspired cocktail bar. Alfredo's Pizzeria, introduced to the cruise line after the Grand Princess, will also feature, but with a new, more extensive menu.

The new atrium looks like it will become a stunning, social hub of the Royal Princess, from intimate cocktails in Crooner's Bar to shopping in the boutique, all in a very elegant and modern surrounding. Have a sneak peak of Princess's concept with the virtual tour hosted by Princess Cruises' President and CEO, Alan Buckelew, and Executive Vice President of Fleet Operations, Rai Caluori:

As well as showcasing the new design and layout of this stunning new ship, Princess also announced that she will be arriving in June 2013 offering a variety of Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona and Venice.

Though the Royal Princess will carry up to 3,600 passengers, she is nearly 30,000 tonnes heavier than the cruise lines current largest ships the Emerald class ships, which carry a similar number of passengers (3,100 standard capacity and a maximum of 3,600 passengers), making her public spaces much more accommodating and comfortable. The Royal Princess will definitely be up there with the finest ships to offer affordable luxury, going by this first video.

Written by Stephen Adam
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The first of the Grand class ships will be bought up to date with her newer sister ships and will take on the cruise line's new signature features such as the Piazza atrium. One of the biggest changes will see the deck 18 nightclub, Skywalker, completely removed and placed on deck fifteen, aptly re-named One5. Princess cruises believe that removing the deck will significantly improve the operational performance of the ship, along with offer much great fuel efficiency.

The Grand Princess will also benefit from some fantastic new venues. The first is the unique tea lounge, Leaves, which offers customers the chance to custom-blend a variety of teas with herbs, fruits and spices. Alfredo's Pizzeria, is already known for offering the best pizza at sea and will be a welcome addition. The Crown Grill is a classic steakhouse set in rich wood surroundings and benefits from and open kitchen, where chefs custom-prepare premium aged beef and fresh seafood.

Pieter van der Schee, head of brand marketing Princess Cruises UK said: “This is the largest makeover we’ve ever undertaken for any of our ships... Grand Princess was the most innovative cruise ship when she was launched and is already very popular in Britain. With the latest innovations from her recent sister ships added she will be an even greater attraction for British cruisers looking for a pampering, relaxing holiday.”

The 24 day refit takes place in the Grand Bahama Shipyard in Freeport from 11th April until 4th May. The new additions will bring Princess Cruises' UK based ship up to their highest standards and will offer a refreshing experience for Princess fans looking to cruise from Southampton.

Written by Stephen Adam
© Iglucruise