I name this ship…Royal Princess!

Adding a new ship to a fleet is a time of great celebration, and all vessels owned by Princess Cruises, follow nautical tradition, and are launched with a ceremonial naming. It seems only fitting that their newest vessel the Royal Princess, was christened by our own Royal Princess Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge on June 13 at Southampton Port.

It was a spectacular morning with much pomp and ceremony.The Band of Her Majesty\’s Royal Marines Portsmouth striked up to announce the arrival of the Duchess of Cambridge. Performances followed from the Pipers of the First Batallion Irish Guards, Natasha Bedingfield, Broadway star Kerry Ellis, along with Mass Ensemble to the absolute delight of the mass crowds at the port.

The Duchess of Cambridge, Royal Princess\’ godmother, blessed the 3,600 passenger ship, then proceeded to cut the ribbon for the traditional Champagne smash whilst saying \”I name this ship Royal Princess, May God bless her and all who sail in her.\”

The maiden voyage will take Royal Princess to Barcelona, via Gibraltar, Lisbon and Malaga. After that, she heads across the Atlantic to Fort Lauderdale Florida.

Facts: Built in Venice and weighs in at 141,000 tons. With 15 decks the Royal Princess is 1083 feet long – longer than the height of the Eiffel Tower & 217 feet high – taller than London’s Tower Bridge. She has a top speed of 23 knots, and can accommodate 3,600 passengers. Features the “SeaWalk”, a cantilevered, glass-enclosed walkway that extends 28ft beyond the edge of the ship and 128ft over the water.