COUNTDOWN to REGAL PRINCESS: News, updates, and general information!!!

[POregon]

There still doesn't seem to be any conclusive word on the naming and godmother of Regal. Although someone reported that the daily paper the Mirror in the UK said that she will be named in Florida in November?? This would seem very odd. We in the UK don't always believe what we read in the Mirror or any other paper for that matter! Anyone heard anything?

 

I just asked on the Princess facebook page and the moderator responded with the following. Seems like bad luck to me....never heard of this before.

 

 

 

Princess Cruises Hi Pamela, we're excited for Regal Princess to set sail later this month! The naming ceremony will take place this fall when the ship comes to the US before her maiden Caribbean season. So stay tuned for details as we get closer to the Regal Princess' US debut!

[POregon]

I just asked on the Princess facebook page and the moderator responded with the following. Seems like bad luck to me....never heard of this before.

 

 

 

Princess Cruises Hi Pamela, we're excited for Regal Princess to set sail later this month! The naming ceremony will take place this fall when the ship comes to the US before her maiden Caribbean season. So stay tuned for details as we get closer to the Regal Princess' US debut!

 

And I don't mean bad luck, I'm not superstitious, it just seems weird is what I should have said.

[Ethel5]

Hi Pamela, we're excited for Regal Princess to set sail later this month! The naming ceremony will take place this fall when the ship comes to the US before her maiden Caribbean season. So stay tuned for details as we get closer to the Regal Princess' US debut!

 

And I don't mean bad luck, I'm not superstitious, it just seems weird is what I should have said.

 

Oh Dear! This is not good. Even the old sailors in wooden boats with sails had their superstitions. Going out on an un-Christened ship is scary.:(

[POregon]

Oh Dear! This is not good. Even the old sailors in wooden boats with sails had their superstitions. Going out on an un-Christened ship is scary.:(

 

well, there's whole bunches of us (including me!) that are doing just that. :( I wrote that it was bad luck on that same facebook post, but deleted it so as not to be chastised. That page can be brutal, but yeah...it feels a little uncomfortable to me. Wonder if it has ever happened that a cruise ship has gone out un-christened. I think maybe I'm suddenly superstitious. Dave...give me some comfort here as the expert please!

Edited May 1, 2014 by POregon

[eroller]

The original CROWN PRINCESS of 1991 sailed an entire season in Europe before being christened in NY by Sophia Loren. The ship is still going strong today sailing for P&O Australia. I don't think a delayed christening is anything unusual or bad luck.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Ethel5]

well, there's whole bunches of us (including me!) that are doing just that. :( I wrote that it was bad luck on that same facebook post, but deleted it so as not to be chastised. That page can be brutal, but yeah...it feels a little uncomfortable to me. Wonder if it has ever happened that a cruise ship has gone out un-christened. I think maybe I'm suddenly superstitious. Dave...give me some comfort here as the expert please!

 

I'm doing the TA and I'm a little worried about this. I'm not overly religious but traditions are traditions.

 

The original CROWN PRINCESS of 1991 sailed an entire season in Europe before being christened in NY by Sophia Loren. The ship is still going strong today sailing for P&O Australia. I don't think a delayed christening is anything unusual or bad luck.

 

That is some comfort. I sailed the Crown and was perfectly happy. In fact, the granddaughter took her first steps on the Crown. :)

[MarKay525]

There still doesn't seem to be any conclusive word on the naming and godmother of Regal. Although someone reported that the daily paper the Mirror in the UK said that she will be named in Florida in November?? This would seem very odd. We in the UK don't always believe what we read in the Mirror or any other paper for that matter! Anyone heard anything?

 

I just asked on the Princess facebook page and the moderator responded with the following. Seems like bad luck to me....never heard of this before.

 

 

Princess Cruises Hi Pamela, we're excited for Regal Princess to set sail later this month! The naming ceremony will take place this fall when the ship comes to the US before her maiden Caribbean season. So stay tuned for details as we get closer to the Regal Princess' US debut!

 

 

Last month I came across an article that said about the same thing - the paragraph below is an excerpt. Maybe they just want to "spread the wealth," but it still seems odd to me.

 

January 31, 2014|By Arlene Satchell, Sun Sentinel

Two new ships sailing from South Florida ports to the Caribbean this year are the 4,000-passenger Norwegian Getaway debuting in February at Port Miami and the 3,560-guest Regal Princess, which will be christened at Port Everglades in November.

 

Link to full article:

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2014-01-31/business/fl-cruise-wave-season-2014-20140124_1_cruise-planners-michelle-fee-brad-tolkin

 

Kay

[need2cruisesoon]

I just asked on the Princess facebook page and the moderator responded with the following. Seems like bad luck to me....never heard of this before.

 

 

 

Princess Cruises Hi Pamela, we're excited for Regal Princess to set sail later this month! The naming ceremony will take place this fall when the ship comes to the US before her maiden Caribbean season. So stay tuned for details as we get closer to the Regal Princess' US debut!

 

That same article gives odds favorite to Pippa Middleton doing the honors:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/travel/cruises/cruise-news-royal-princess-returning-3468581

Edited May 2, 2014 by need2cruisesoon

[dmwnc1959]

The hull of Regal Princess and the ship itself has actually already been 'blessed'. That occurred at the first ceremony when she was floated out last year, and the blessing was done by a priest. So that should ease some minds.

 

And her name is already painted on the hull. ;) So no worries there.

 

As others have indicated this has happened before: ships sailing with passengers for months before the official naming ceremony occurs. Although rare, it's not really 'unlucky'.

 

So. No worries.

 

:D

[Ethel5]

The hull of Regal Princess and the ship itself has actually already been 'blessed'. That occurred at the first ceremony when she was floated out last year, and the blessing was done by a priest. So that should ease some minds.

 

And her name is already painted on the hull. ;) So no worries there.

 

As others have indicated this has happened before: ships sailing with passengers for months before the official naming ceremony occurs. Although rare, it's not really 'unlucky'.

 

So. No worries.

 

:D

 

Once again, I bow to your knowledge. Thank you.:)

[dmwnc1959]

Once again, I bow to your knowledge. Thank you.:)

 

Just an ordinary guy who happens to know some of this stuff. If it were me, I wouldn't be worried. Regal Princess will be in good hands. ;)

 

Have a GREAT cruise!!!

 

:D

[Av8tor]

I'm more worried about lawyers and judges keeping her from being turned over to Princess for passenger cruising than I am about sailing on her before she's officially christened!

[Ethel5]

Just an ordinary guy who happens to know some of this stuff. If it were me, I wouldn't be worried. Regal Princess will be in good hands. ;)

 

Have a GREAT cruise!!!

 

:D

 

Old wives tales die hard. I grew up in an Italian family who had a lot of traditions. When I had my kids, (the "baby" is now 42) you didn't take a newborn out until they were Christened. That was the first outing! Maybe it protected them from getting germs in Wal Mart! :D

[dmwnc1959]

Dave can confirm, but I don't believe there was any furniture under that area on the Royal. That furniture looks like the furniture on the Horizon Terrace on the deck below.

 

Hi Brian,

 

Yes, there is furniture back there (tables and sitting chairs), but the current furniture back there is not the same 'upscale' pieces that you find in the outer areas of the Lido Deck at the Plunge Pool and the Horizon Terrace. That's easily enough upgraded for the time being if Princess really wanted to.

 

Remember too that one-half of the Deck 17 aft area on Royal Princess was supposed to include the outdoor facility for the Shockwaves teen center, but was scrapped in favor of additional outdoor sun and lounge chairs for adults. I imagine this decision was made fairly late in the construction process, since there really is no important structural changes that would have needed to be made: just a barrier wall, furniture, and ping pong tables.

 

So even on Royal Princess, it's nicer for the adults, and bigger, than what was originally planned for that area.

 

 

 

yeah, but still only ONE ladder going down into the pool itself, and from the width of it compared to the overall pool .... hmmmmm :confused:

 

Larry,

 

We all knew this was going to be a small 'dipping pool' surrounded by a larger, shallow 'wet area'. We also knew that it wasn't going to be anywhere near the size of the aft pools on the Grand-class nor big enough to do laps. And it's obviously smaller than the Plunge Pool amidship, most likely due to weight constrictions and adding more without altering the ships drag at the ducktail/stern.

 

With that said, why would this new aft pool need anymore than a single ladder to get into the 'deeper portion'? More than one ladder would further reduce the area available for folks to sit along the edge or be inside and hang onto the wall. And I can't image the dipping pool itself being any more than 4' deep.

 

 

 

Are these improvements the result of the complaints? Would they have been implemented if everyone had rated the Royal a 5+?

 

Too many people are confusing the fact that some people actually use the reviews to rate their overall experience, NOT the entire ship as a whole, or 'design faults' that did not affect them.

 

The pool was indeed most likely added because those passengers affected by the lack of these facilities, made their voices clear, and Princess was able to find a way to add it (as previously mentioned) without altering the ships drag. With the elimination of the Shockwaves teen outdoor area, this, and only this, made an aft pool possible.

 

The soot issues may not have made themselves known until the ship (and the engines) 'had some miles under its belt', and well after Sea Trails. Only then would they have discovered that the exhaust extensions were needed and by then it was too late, but not for Regal Princess.

 

We still have no confirmation of the other changes i.e. amid ship stairs above Deck 8 being refitted for passenger use or the opening up of be space behind the lifeboats for passenger access.

[dmwnc1959]

I'm more worried about lawyers and judges keeping her from being turned over to Princess for passenger cruising than I am about sailing on her before she's officially christened!

 

Someone had mentioned earlier that if push came to shove, Princess Cruises (and Fincantieri) could post a type of bail to release the ship until the case is resolved. I'm not sure exactly how that works, but I can't imagine it coming to a worse case scenario and the ship being impounded further past the official shipyard contracted delivery date of May 15th.

 

The case is due back in court May 6th.

 

 

 

Old wives tales die hard. I grew up in an Italian family who had a lot of traditions. When I had my kids, (the "baby" is now 42) you didn't take a newborn out until they were Christened. That was the first outing! Maybe it protected them from getting germs in Wal Mart! :D

 

I lived in Italy for two years, so I know you're right about Italians with traditions and 'superstitions' (if that's the right word?).

 

The ship was 'blessed. And a bottle of champagne has smashed against its hull, but not at a Naming Ceremony. Yet.

 

And she does have a designated name, one that we've all been calling her by for quite some time. It is odd to us that she will sail without being 'officially' named at a Naming Ceremony, but it won't make the experience itself, and the enjoyment you get from being aboard this brand new cruise ship, any less than if it had already had that ceremony.

 

:D

Edited May 2, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[need2cruisesoon]

I'm more worried about lawyers and judges keeping her from being turned over to Princess for passenger cruising than I am about sailing on her before she's officially christened!

 

After reading this article in an Italian newspaper "El Piccollo" seems like Fincantieri is not a pleasant or safe shipyard to work.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://ilpiccolo.gelocal.it/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dtrieste%2Bitaly%2Bnewspaper%26biw%3D1285%26bih%3D825

Another case in which a Gorizia judge has ruled against the shipyard. Don't be so sure that Princess isn't following the original case which I brought forward in another thread here on the Princess boards.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42270136

Be very interesting to see what happens on may 6th.

[caribill]

Seems like bad luck to me....never heard of this before.

 

 

Some background on Christening ships from the Internet:

 

Christening ceremonies were and are meant to bring good luck to the New Ship, and those who sail on it. Christening a new ship or naming ceremony's goes back to the early days of sailing ( ceremonies involved in naming and launching ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.) in the early rituals ship christenings of the Vikings were marked by the spilling of blood. In the Middle Ages, religious shrines were on the ship and a libation of wine was offered as the vessel hit the water as a substitute for the earlier blood sacrifice. The wine was poured on the deck appease King Neptune for good luck and a safe voyage. Ancient seafaring peoples, rimming the Mediterranean, launched their ships with rituals having religious overtones. These practices, varying inform as nations and cultures evolved through the centuries, have carried over to the present christening and launching ceremonies. The current tradition throughout the world has been that women christen ships, but it has not always been this way early ceremony's were performed by officials or local religious men.

 

Superstition or not the Titanic was never christened! And the USS Arizona was Christened with water rather than wine or champagne.

[dmwnc1959]

After reading this article in an Italian newspaper "El Piccollo" seems like Fincantieri is not a pleasant or safe shipyard to work.

 

 

Shipyards, by the nature of their business, are dangerous places to work. Even the simplest of incidences can result in death, whether accidental or by fault of materials or working conditions.

 

Many here on Cruise Critic may remember the 2003 tragedy that happened at St. Nazaire when 16 shipyard family members who were to tour the Queen Mary 2 were killed when the gangway from the ship (which was sitting in an empty drydock) collapsed and fell 75 feet into the dry dock.

 

I've worked in several different shipyards during my career in the Navy. Even modern shipyards have extensive safety precautions and guidelines, but with all that in place accidents can still happen. If people aren't paying attention to the rules and regulations, or are too lackadaisical about them, then problems arise. I'm not saying that's what's going in at Fincatieri, but shipyard workers need to remain vigilant at all times. And even at some of the best shipyards, workers strike for improved working conditions and safer environments. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

The accident which resulted in Regal Princess being impounded didn't even happen at the Monfalcone shipyard. It happened at the Marghera shipyard near Venice. Fincatieri has nine shipyards (most are scattered around Italy), and some have nothing to do with passenger ship construction. Are they all unsafe, unpleasant?

 

Princess Cruises has actually attended the court cases, most notably the past two, involving the impounding of the ship.

[Ethel5]

.....................SNIP..................................

 

The ship was 'blessed. And a bottle of champagne has smashed against its hull, but not at a Naming Ceremony. Yet.

 

And she does have a designated name, one that we've all been calling her by for quite some time. It is odd to us that she will sail without being 'officially' named at a Naming Ceremony, but it won't make the experience itself, and the enjoyment you get from being aboard this brand new cruise ship, any less than if it had already had that ceremony. :D

 

Thank you again for the reassurance! I'm not all that upset-just a bit confused about why they would choose to wait.

 

............SNIP..........................................

 

Superstition or not the Titanic was never christened! And the USS Arizona was Christened with water rather than wine or champagne.

 

I'm taking a small bottle of champagne and Christening her myself! LOL

 

Thanks guys-I appreciate the humor.

[dmwnc1959]

Thank you again for the reassurance! I'm not all that upset-just a bit confused about why they would choose to wait.

 

You're welcome! :D

 

I can't remember which one it was but there was at least one other cruise ship, other than the one Ernie mentioned, that they've done this as well.

 

.

Edited May 2, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[Woobstr112G]

Some background on Christening ships from the Internet:

 

Christening ceremonies were and are meant to bring good luck to the New Ship, and those who sail on it. Christening a new ship or naming ceremony's goes back to the early days of sailing ( ceremonies involved in naming and launching ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.) in the early rituals ship christenings of the Vikings were marked by the spilling of blood. In the Middle Ages, religious shrines were on the ship and a libation of wine was offered as the vessel hit the water as a substitute for the earlier blood sacrifice. The wine was poured on the deck appease King Neptune for good luck and a safe voyage. Ancient seafaring peoples, rimming the Mediterranean, launched their ships with rituals having religious overtones. These practices, varying inform as nations and cultures evolved through the centuries, have carried over to the present christening and launching ceremonies. The current tradition throughout the world has been that women christen ships, but it has not always been this way early ceremony's were performed by officials or local religious men.

 

Superstition or not the Titanic was never christened! And the USS Arizona was Christened with water rather than wine or champagne.

 

interesting news, thanks for sharing.....:):):)

 

Bob

[dmwnc1959]

Some background on Christening ships from the Internet...

 

One noticeable part of the description that was eluded to is that things have changed.

 

Back in the old days when ships were solely built on slipways and then launched from the land into water, the blessing, christening and naming ceremony literally all happened at the same time: the ship is blessed, 'I name this ship', smash the bottle, and it slides down the rails into the water. One event.

 

Now, we build ships mostly in dry, land based building docks. When the time comes we bless the ship, smash a bottle, then it floats out. It's not a completed ship, just like in the old days when it slipped down the launch way rails, it's just that we have added another event and called it a Naming Ceremony. Today, the naming ceremony, and another bottle smashing, comes quite some time later, as much as a year later after the official launching. Two distinct separate events.

 

With today's building techniques, the ship is blessed and a bottle smashed at float out (launch). Same as before in the old days.

[dmwnc1959]

If you have watched the float out ceremony on youtube you've no doubt heard the officiating director say "Madrina, in nome di Dio, taglia!" which translates to "Godmother, in the name of God, cut", referring to Godmother (Madrina) of the launching (floatout) and the cutting of the cable which then releases and smashes the bottle of champagne. I think this, along with the official blessing of the ship prior to the launching ceremony, is equivalent to what they did in the past (as mentioned in Caribill's post), minus the actual naming of the ship itself.

 

.

Edited May 2, 2014 by dmwnc1959

[APH]

The Grand Princess, at the time the largest cruise ship in the world and the new Princess flagship, entered service in the Med in May 1998 but she was christened in New York by Olivia de Havilland over four months later, after her maiden crossing in September.

 

I can understand the wariness of falling foul of superstitions but seafaring folk can be more superstitious than most! As a few examples, it was considered unlucky to start a voyage on a Friday, to bring flowers onboard (associtation with funerals), whistle or clap your hands (brings on wind and thunder), bathe in the ocean (tempting fate for drowning) or even bring a woman onboard - except in port after a long voyage!

 

On the other hand, it is lucky to wear tattoos, to sail with a black cat onboard and to throw a pair of old shoes overboard when possible.

 

With regards to christening a ship with champagne, the origins of the tradition apparently date back to the Vikings. When they launched a longboat, it is said that they tied their prisoners to the skids, and the boats crushed their bodies as they slid into the water. The Greeks were also said to grease the skids with blood. Wine stood in for blood in later days but because launching a ship was a prestigious event, champagne was considered more fitting!

[APH]

Sorry Caribill, think I went over old ground with the bit about Vikings!!!!!!! Didn't mean to indulge in some plagiarism from your post!!!! :D