In a very colorful ceremony that included a traditional Chinese lion dance, the keel was laid for what will be Princess Cruises' next ship for the Chinese market at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone.
The 143,000 GT ship is based on the design of the Royal Princess (2013) and the platform of the Regal Princess (2014). Its delivery was scheduled for 2017. It can carry 3,560 passengers.
The ship is scheduled to be deployed year-round from Shanghai. After a lion dance and a priest's blessing, the 500-ton keel was moved with the help of a crane onto the keel blocks in a computer-guided maneuver that took only a few minutes.
The festivities were attended by Princess officials including Tony Kaufman, SVP of Asia Operations; Julie Benson, long-term public relations trainer; and Cherry Wang, China country director. They were accompanied by Attilio Dapelo, director of the Monfalcone shipyard.
The lion dance is performed on auspicious occasions. According to traditional Chinese belief, the lion symbolizes courage, wisdom, and good fortune, bringing happiness, longevity, and prosperity. “We believe this special ceremony will bring prosperity and good fortune to Princess Cruises and our guests in China,” said Wang. Fincantieri has built 70 cruise ships since 1990, 47 of them since 2002, and 14 more are currently being designed or built at the group’s shipyards.
