A Sneak Preview of Royal Princess
With Kate Middleton, her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge, due to christen the Royal Princess in Southampton on Thursday, we were honoured to spend a night on board this superb new addition to the Princess Cruises fleet.
First impressions
We arrived at Southampton Cruise Terminal eager to see the Royal Princess and we weren’t disappointed. The ship towered above the port – 19 Decks high and 1082ft long! Taking a full length picture was impossible - we would have had to travel into Southampton city centre with our cameras!
What a welcome
The Atrium welcomed us with its glistening chandeliers, spiral staircases and marble floors – it was over 50% larger than the Atriums on the other Princess ships! With bars, lounges and live music, the atmosphere was incredible.
Something we had to sea
We had to find the SeaWalk, a spectacular glass-bottom walkway which extended beyond the edge of the ship and a first for Princess Cruises. When cruising, the views over the ocean will be superb if you are brave enough to walk along it!
Cabin fit for royalty
We made our way up to our cabin in the lift – didn’t fancy taking all the stairs! Our cabin was a lovely deluxe balcony (a new cabin category for Princess Cruises) with a great view over a sunny Southampton. All of the outside cabins on Royal Princess have a balcony! Our cabin was well-equipped with everything you could possibly need, from a safe to a comfortable sofa and a 37" flat screen television with a selection of movies and satellite channels to choose from.
Black tie and Bond – the perfect combination
In the evening, we were treated to a superb black tie dinner in the Allegro Restaurant followed by entertainment on Deck 16. There was live music from Lemar and a fantastic water and light show with songs from the James Bond films – a first for Princess Cruises. Take a look at our exclusive video of the water and light show.
The next morning we didn’t want to disembark! We had a great overnight stay on Royal Princess – a fantastic new addition to the Princess Cruises fleet.
Report by Kathryn and Margaret, Blue Water Holidays