Princess Cruises received the Enchanted Princess from the Fincantieri Shipyards in Monfalcone, Italy, through a virtual delivery ceremony, broadcast over the Internet to the whole world.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 54 – October 2020
The award ceremony was attended virtually from the United States by Micky Arison, Chairman of Carnival Corporation; Arnold Donald, President and CEO of Carnival Corporation; Stein Kruse, CEO of the Princess Cruises Group, Holland America Line, Seabourn, Carnival Australia, and Carnival UK; and Jan Swartz, President of the Princess Cruises Group and Carnival Australia. Fincantieri was represented by CEO Giuseppe Bono, while Chairman Giampiero Massolo participated online. The ceremony, presented through a multimedia show, was streamed live worldwide.
The Enchanted Princess is the 100th cruise ship built at the Italian shipyard Fincantieri. This milestone is significant for both companies, as the Crown Princess was the first ship to launch Fincantieri into the passenger shipbuilding business, being delivered in 1990. The completion of the Enchanted Princess also marks the milestone of being the first cruise ship completed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, Fincantieri was one of the first companies to reopen in Italy, helping to revitalize the economy by working with new and innovative procedures to ensure a safe and productive work environment.
MedallionClass™
With the arrival of this 145,000-ton ship with a capacity of 3,660 passengers, the Enchanted Princess expands the MedallionClass™ fleet. This fleet, featuring the OceanMedallion™ wearable device, completely transforms vacations by making the entire cruise experience seamless, offering highly personalized service, and enabling contactless interactive entertainment. Among the enhancements, guests enjoy expedited boarding, à la carte dining, beverages, shopping, and services; keyless cabin access; contactless payment; a family and friends locator; betting anywhere; interactive games; and live movies and TV.
The Enchanted Princess expands the MedallionClass™ fleet of ships.
The Enchanted Princess also features the best Wi-Fi at sea, MedallionNet™, a tool that allows passengers to stay connected to everything they love and easily share their experiences. MedallionNet offers unprecedentedly fast, unlimited, reliable, and affordable connectivity with an access point in every stateroom, so guests can access their favorite movies, shows, games, and music, connect to their websites and social networks, and make video calls from anywhere on the ship.
This ship offers the new luxury Sky Suites, a first for the Sky Princess, featuring exceptional amenities and exclusive service from the Suite Manager. In addition, the Enchanted Princess boasts "Take Five," the only jazz theater at sea, celebrating the iconic sounds, culture, and history of jazz.
During the delivery ceremony, Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, commented: “We officially welcome the Enchanted Princess to the Princess Cruises fleet and recognize the strong bond between Carnival Corporation, Princess Cruises, and Fincantieri, our oldest shipbuilding partner.” She added: “Fincantieri shares Princess Cruises’ ethos of delivering the highest level of excellence, and we know they will proudly share our excitement as the ship welcomes its first guests.”
Swartz added: “The team is always the heart and soul of the ship, and I know it is in very good hands, cared for with great dedication, care, and pride by our crew. We eagerly look forward to brighter days when we can officially welcome the first guests aboard the Enchanted Princess to enjoy all that this beautiful ship has to offer.”.
Cutting-edge technology:
The Enchanted Princess, like its sister ships, represents a technological benchmark in Europe and the world thanks to its innovative design, outstanding performance, and high-quality state-of-the-art technology. As the 18th ship built by Fincantieri for Princess Cruises at the Monfalcone shipyard, the Enchanted Princess represents an evolution of the design platform used in its sister ships: the Regal Princess, the Royal Princess, the Majestic Princess, and the Sky Princess. It also offers the innovation and spectacular elegance that distinguishes Princess Cruises. The new cruise ship features new dining experiences, state-of-the-art pools and whirlpools, spectacular public entertainment lounges, and the impressive Sky Suites, which offer sweeping views from the largest balconies at sea.
The Enchanted Princess is scheduled to arrive in North America in December 2020.
The Enchanted Princess is scheduled to arrive in North America in December 2020, offering a Caribbean cruise season with departures from Fort Lauderdale and several 8- and 15-day itineraries, visiting destinations such as Grand Cayman, Roatan, Belize, St. Maarten, among other Caribbean destinations, from December 19, 2020, until the end of April 2021: Western Caribbean via Grand Cayman and Belize, Riviera Maya, and Eastern and Western Caribbean via Riviera Maya.
In April 2021 the ship will undertake a transatlantic cruise, positioning itself throughout the summer and autumn of 2021 in Civitavecchia (Rome) to conduct 7 and 14 night cruises through the Western Mediterranean visiting Ajaccio, Gibraltar or Marseille, the Adriatic with a stop in Kotor, and the Greek Islands, with visits to Corfu or Katakolon.
New Ships:
The partnership between the Monfalcone shipyard and Princess Cruises will continue with two next-generation cruise ships. These will be the largest ever built in Italy, with a gross tonnage of 175,000, and are expected to be delivered in late 2023 and spring 2025. The ships will accommodate approximately 5,300 passengers and will be Princess Cruises' first dual-fuel vessels, primarily powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
In Spain and Portugal, Princess Cruises is exclusively represented by Mundomar Cruceros.
