Royal Princess Arrives in Southampton

Royal Princess SeaWalk      Courtesy Princess Cruises

A Royal Welcome to 

New Princess Ship

Imagine strolling down the breathtaking, glass-bottomed SeaWalk on Royal Princess...

The wait is over,  Princess Cruises newest ship will be christened this week by Her Royal Highness, The Duchess of Cambridge (Catherine Elizabeth "Kate"; née Middleton).


Tradition and Royal Majesty

The United Kingdom is rich in pomp and circumstance when it comes to their Royalty.   Launching of a new sea vessel is also deeply rooted in ceremony and tradition.  Combine the two, and this week's Christening of Royal Princess will be the event that everyone will be talking about for quite some time.

Arrival in Southampton

Southampton University Brass Band welcomed the new Royal Princess to Southampton with a musical salute featuring a rendition of “God Save The Queen” as the vessel sailed into the harbor.

Royal Princess Arrives in Southampton (20 photos)

Music will play a part throughout the week-long inaugural festivities including performances by British pop singer Natasha Bedingfield, British actress Kerry Ellis, and the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines Portsmouth and The Pipe Band of 1^st Battalion Irish Guards.



Related Posts:

A Royal Godmother for New Ship
Royal Princess Float Out
A New Princess is Born
Introducing Princess Cruises Newest Ship

Oasis to Call in Southampton

Don't Miss This

Oasis to sail across the pond ...

Oasis of the Seas which has been home-ported in Fort Lauderdale, FL since December, 2009 will make a trip over to Europe for routine maintenance.

Before going into drydock, it will take advantage of the opportunity and offer several cruises to those wishing to cross the Atlantic and those already in Europe or wanting to sail from Barcelona or the UK.


We have just received word that the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean Oasis of the Seas, will make its debut call in Southampton in October 2014.  The cruises announced will go on sale in April this year.

Schedule

• Depart Ft. Lauderdale, FL on a 12-night eastbound transatlantic cruise to Barcelona September 1, 2014
• Two five-night round-trip Barcelona, Spain cruises
• Seven-night sailing to Rotterdam.
• Two week dry dock in the Netherlands
• Depart Rotterdam on October 14, 2014 calling in Southampton
• Depart Southampton October 15, 2014 for Ft. Lauderdale on a  transatlantic crossing

Watch this video to learn about these special cruises and to get a glimpse of the world's largest ship:
Jo Rzymowska, associate vice president and general manager, Royal Caribbean International, U.K. and Ireland, said: "Oasis of the Seas sailing from Southampton is going to be the hottest ticket in town. Bringing the world's largest and most innovative cruise ship to Europe, and specifically the U.K. and Southampton, is testament to how much the cruise industry has grown.

"When Oasis of the Seas was launched, the ship was a real game-changer for the cruise industry and it continues to be one of the most innovative holiday resorts in the world. Royal Caribbean International is proud to have a long heritage of ships calling in and based from Southampton and we're very excited to add Oasis of the Seas to this.”

Oasis of the Seas is the largest passenger ship in the world alongside its sister Allure of the Seas.  Both ships sail alternating Eastern and Western Caribbean 7-night voyages year round out of Ft. Lauderdale.

Current Royal Caribbean Offers

RESERVE YOUR ROYAL CARIBBEAN VACATION WITH US TODAY!

2014-15 Northern Europe & Transatlantics

Royal Caribbean 2014-15
Deployments

Northern Europe as defined by the United Nations (marked blue):

Northern Europe

Western Europe

Eastern Europe

Southern Europe

Northern Europe
Transatlantics
Now Open

Northern Europe is the northern part or region of the European continent. A United Nations report published in 2011 defines Northern Europe as including the following ten countries and dependent regions: Denmark (with Faroe Islands), Estonia, Finland (with Åland), Iceland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway (Svalbard and Jan Mayen), Sweden, and the UK (with Guernsey, Isle of Man and Jersey).

8 Ships in Europe for 2014

Royal Caribbean International will continue to scale back its ships in Europe in 2014, deploying only eight of its 22 vessels across the pond.

Demand for cruises in Europe continues to diminish as the price for air fare keeps summer travelers on this side of the pond.  In 2012, Royal Caribbean had a record 12 ship (out of 22) in the region.   For 2013, that number falls to nine with an additional ship dropping off the following year.

Royal's 2014 Europe deployment will include the Liberty of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Serenade of the Seas and Splendour of the Seas in the Mediterranean, and the Independence of the Seas, Adventure of the Seas, Brilliance of the Seas and Legend of the Seas in Northern Europe.  Missing from this list is Vision of the Seas.

• Adventure of the Seas^®: crossing from Miami to Southampton, England; sailing Norway, Iceland, and the Baltic, plus longer Mediterranean voyages. learn more
  
• Brilliance of the Seas^®: crossing from Tampa to Harwich, England; sailing Scandinavia and Russia, the fjords and Iceland. learn more
  
• Independence of the Seas^® crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton; sailing to France, Spain and the Mediterranean. learn more
• Legend of the Seas^®: crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Copenhagen, Denmark; sailing Scandinavia and Russia, the fjords and Iceland. learn more

The Northern Europe and Transatlantic sailings on these ships is now open for booking.   The remaining ships, which will be sailing in the Mediterranean, will go on sail March 28th.

See the following for the entire 2014-15 Deployment schedule.  We will update links to the other areas as they are released.   2014-15 Royal Caribbean Deployments

Want to Sail to Europe in 2013

Now through the end of the month, there are some special offers which you might want to consider:

Royal Caribbean Europe Extravaganza

Transatlantic Beverage Package Offer

Nautical Connection to Boxing Day

BOXING DAY

In Britain, Boxing Day is usually celebrated December 26th, the day after Christmas. However, strictly speaking, Boxing Day is the first weekday after Christmas.

Behind the Tradition

December 26th was the day to share the Christmas Box with the poor. Traditionally wealthy people and homeowners in the United Kingdom would give a box containing a gift to their servants. Today Boxing Day is better known as a bank or public holiday which is observed in Great Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and some other Commonwealth nations.

To protect ships

During the Age of Exploration, when great sailing ships were setting off to discover new land, A Christmas Box was used as a good luck device. It was a small container placed on each ship while it was still in port. It was put there by a priest, and those crewmen who wanted to ensure a safe return would drop money into the box. It was then sealed up and kept on board for the entire voyage.

If the ship came home safely, the box was handed over to the priest in the exchange for the saying of a Mass of thanks for the success of the voyage. The Priest would keep the box sealed until Christmas when he would open it to share the contents with the poor.