Royal Princess not expected to miss next cruise

By Tom Stieghorst

Princess Cruises said it does not anticipate having to cancel the Sept. 27 cruise from Barcelona of the Royal Princess.

The newest Princess ship ended its most recent cruise early because of an unexpected power blackout.

Passengers departed in Naples, three days short of Barcelona, and were given a full refund and a voucher for a 25% credit on a future cruise.

Princess said it expects technicians to complete repairs on the ship while it sails without passengers to Barcelona. The next cruise is a 12-day Mediterranean itinerary that ends in Venice.

Royal Princess cruise cancelled after power failure

By Phil Davies 

Princess Cruises has been forced to cancel a cruise by new ship Royal Princess after it lost power in the Mediterranean.

The ship suffered from a power outage yesterday while sailing between Mykonos and Naples.

The vessel, carrying 3,594 passengers and 1,336 crew, was on the seventh day of a 12-day voyage from Venice.

Power was reported to have been out for around three and a half hours.

A statement from the US line confirmed that the cruise will be cancelled after the ship arrives in Naples tomorrow evening (Tuesday).

It is not yet known what impact there will be on the next cruise, due to depart from Barcelona on September 27.

Passengers in the current voyage will receive a full refund along with a 25% future cruise credit.

The US line said: "The ship’s technical team continued to evaluate the problem overnight and, upon further assessment, it became apparent that repairs need to be made to fully resolve the situation.

"We sincerely regret this means the remainder of the current cruise will be cancelled, and passengers will disembark the ship in Naples.

"Princess is making homeward air arrangements for passengers, and we anticipate that passengers will spend Tuesday night onboard and depart the ship on Wednesday."

The company added: "We have dispatched a care team to Naples to ensure that all our passengers are provided with any assistance they may require.

"The impact of the repairs on the next Royal Princess cruise, scheduled to depart from Barcelona on September 27, is not yet known and we will keep passengers fully advised as details become known.

"Once again, we are deeply sorry for this unanticipated disruption of our passengers’ vacation plans, and we appreciate their patience and understanding of these circumstances."

Royal Princess experienced a power outage at lunchtime on Sunday.

“During the power outage, an emergency backup generator was used to provide essential services, such as toilets," the company said.

“The ship is not in any danger, and the captain has been keeping passengers regularly informed about the situation.”

The 141,000-ton vessel was named by the Duchess of Cambridge in June in Southampton.

Princess to launch China cruises from Shanghai

By Tom Stieghorst

Princess Cruises will enter the China market for the first time next May, homeporting the Sapphire Princess in Shanghai for the summer.
The 2,670-passenger ship will offer three- to seven-day cruises to South Korea. It is expected to carry 70,000 passengers over a four-month season, mostly from China.

Princess would become the second Carnival Corp. brand sourcing passengers from China. Costa Cruises began sailing there in 2006.

Carnival Corp. has opened offices in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu to support its operations in China.

The 2014 China season will feature four itineraries: the seven-day itinerary will take passengers to the Korean capital of Seoul, the beach resort of Busan and the island of Jeju before returning to Shanghai; the five-day cruise will call at Jeju and Inchon; the four-day itinerary will call at Busan and Jeju; and the three-day cruise will call at Jeju. 

Sun Princess cancels first sailing following £30m revamp

By Hollie-Rae Merrick 

The first sailing following Sun Princess's stint in drydock has been cancelled following a switchboard malfunction.

Sun Princess was due to embark on a 14-night Asia cruise ending in Fremantle, Australia, but Princess Cruises has cancelled the sailing following a malfunction in the ship's switchboard. About 2,000 passengers were due to sail on the ship.

The cruise line said the issue resulted in limited onboard power, which hindered its ability to run hotel operations.

A statement from the line said: "Regretfully, we've made the decision to cancel the cruise scheduled to depart today in order to make the necessary repairs.

"The ship will resume service on September 3.

"We're providing all passengers a full refund and a 100% future cruise credit. Additionally, we're covering the costs for all return flights home and incidentals. A special team has been sent to Singapore to assist passengers."

Sun Princess has been in drydock for two weeks, were it gained a new atrium with an International Cafe, a new sushi and seafood venue, an updated Horizon Court buffet and a refreshed Lotus Spa.

The next Sun Princess sailing is scheduled to depart Fremantle on September 3 for a 12-day Asia cruise ending in Singapore on September 15. 

Battle of the Cruise Ship Horns.

Battle of the Cruise Ship Horns.

By Dave Jones

Cruise ship often blast their horns on leaving port, or when passing one of their sister ships, Princess Cruise latest ship the Royal Princess had her horn play the theme to 'The Love Boat'; click on the Love boat image to view.
(or follow this link; http://youtu.be/dbUqofMcsG4)

Disney Cruise ships also have a musical horn but as you would expect Disney do it with their particular style and brand, not only do they pump out one tune but have a wide range of Disney film hits, the link attached to the image below is one of the most funniest around, watch the whole clip and it will perk up your day.
(or follow this link; http://youtu.be/aQDGG51Qq3I).


Enjoy.
p.s. Sorry for the You Tube adverts.

Royal Princess a subtle entry in ship size war

By Tom Stieghorst

SOUTHAMPTON, England -- When cruise lines get the chance to grow these days, they don't take the opportunity for granted. With each new class of ships, the stack of decks lined with balcony cabins seems to multiply. Not willing to cede anything to rivals, lines must compete in the size war or get left behind.

Princess Cruises has delivered its first new ship design in 10 years with the Royal Princess, and it is chock-full of spaces that Princess describes as the largest ever for its brand.

But the Royal Princess doesn't reach for spectacle as readily as some competitors. For example, although the atrium area, the Piazza, is bigger than on the class that began with the Caribbean Princess in 2004, it is still only three decks high.

The buffet restaurant, Horizon Court, has been expanded to seat more than 1,100, and some of its space is given to a pastry shop that turns out baked goods morning, noon and night.

The Royal Princess' theater is the largest in the fleet, seating 925, but it looks smaller than theaters on similar-size ships.
The adults-only Sanctuary space is also 20% larger than on other Princess ships, and the Lotus Spa has more treatment rooms than its predecessors, but neither feels gargantuan.

Only the 34-by-20-foot screen for Movies Under the Stars calls attention to its size. It is 30% larger than on any other Princess vessel and is the largest such screen at sea.

Of all these areas, the standout is the Piazza, a beautifully executed forum surrounded by appealing restaurants, bars and other areas that will draw guests.

Notable are two semicircular bar areas nested one above the other. The larger one, Bellini, on Deck 6, takes its name from Venice's signature peach-and-prosecco cocktail. The smaller, Ocean Terrace Seafood Bar, on Deck 7, serves sushi, oyster shooters and other "a la carte ocean treasures."

Also bordering the Piazza is Crooners, a 1960s-style martini bar; Alfredo's, the 121-seat Neapolitan pizza restaurant; and the ship's photo gallery, updated with touch-screen face-recognition technology to make it easier for guests to find and manipulate photos.

All of these surround an elegantly crafted room fashioned in tan-and-brown marble and translucent onyx-like materials, pulled together with gold trim and illuminated with rose-colored lighting.

Part of the reason the Piazza works is that guest-service functions, such as the purser's desk and shore excursion station, have been relocated to a mini-Piazza in an adjacent lobby.

The Royal Princess has its own take on several ideas that have worked on other ships for other lines.
Its acclaimed "over-the-edge-of-the-ship" feature is Seawalk, which bows out 28 feet from the side of the ship on the 16th Deck, affording passengers a look down through Plexiglas panels to the ocean below (and to a number of midship passenger balconies, as well).

The Seawalk's port-side counterpart is the Seaview Bar, which also extends beyond the ship's lip, but not so far as to make anyone on a bar stool nervous about the location.

The Royal Princess is catering to an upper premium clientele with the addition of its first-ever concierge lounge for suite guests and the expanded adults-only Sanctuary.

The Sanctuary has a number of cabanas for rent, an idea used by Celebrity Cruises' Solstice-class ships. It costs $15 for a half day and $25 full day even to gain access to the Sanctuary.

Adjacent to the Sanctuary is the Retreat Pool, open for free to all adults but rimmed by cabanas, which rent for $50 per half day, with picnic lunches starting from $40.

Another revenue generator that has been expanded is the Lotus Spa, where the thermal suite has tripled in size and the number of treatment rooms has grown to 18, including two designed for couples.

The conference room in previous ships has been ditched for Princess Live, a 280-seat TV studio where some form of entertainment is scheduled throughout the day. It will be interesting to see if Princess Live can draw enough guests to make it a viable space.

One of the best ideas on the ship was to line its corridors with photos submitted in a contest by past passengers. Many are terrific. Putting bars next to related restaurants, such as Vines wine bar adjacent to Sabatini's Italian restaurant, also makes good sense.

It was hard to judge the new dancing waters fountain and larger Music Under the Stars area on the Royal Princess because of several nights of dreary weather here.

Another new area that works is the shimmering Chef's Table Lumiere, a 12-seat private table in the middle of the Allegro dining room, surrounded by a lighted curtain.

Less successful is the ship's gelateria, another first, where the silky texture and vivid flavor of true Italian gelato is missing. Baked goods from the Pastry Shop were not bad, but less special than one might have hoped.

Of the 3,560 passengers Royal Princess can carry at double occupancy, nearly 2,800 will enjoy a balcony. There are 36 suites, 314 minisuites and 720 "deluxe balcony" rooms, a new category with more space and a smattering of suite-style amenities.

One nice improvement is electrical sockets spaced farther apart to accommodate multiple plugs. But the bathroom toilet paper dispenser is rather awkwardly placed and a metal cover makes it hard to use.

The Royal Princess will spend the summer cruising in the Mediterranean before relocating to Fort Lauderdale for a winter Caribbean season. 

Channel surfing on the Royal Princess

By Tom Stieghorst

The Royal Princess sailed all night to the Channel Islands, and I woke up to disappointment: Our day ashore in Guernsey had been cancelled. It was a fine, sunny morning, but the winds were over 30 knots. Tendering from the anchorage would be too dangerous.

Now I had unscheduled day at sea.

What to do?

I decided to check out something new to a Princess cruise that, until now, I didn’t think I’d have time for. It was the line's in-cabin, on-demand TV system. 

Princess executives are very excited about it. According to Rai Caluori, executive vice president of fleet operations at Princess, the line had been searching for a long time for a system that satisfied all its requirements.

The result is a simple-to-use library of TV shows and movies along with live television channels, music stations and information like local weather and a map of the ship’s position.

It also carries Princess’ own programming, such as "The Wake Show," a rundown of ship and shore activities delivered by cruise director Ron Goodman in an entertaining talk-show format.

TV options include news, sports and dozens of comedies and dramas, but the real treasure is the movie channel. There are 26 entries in the “just added” category alone, and more in the comedy, action, romance, drama and family channels.

I brought up “The Three Stooges” at first, but I didn’t have the patience to get through the opening, so I exited and tried “Searching for Sugar Man,” a documentary about a long-lost musician that hooked me immediately.

Halfway through I paused for lunch. When I came back, I simply hit resume and started watching again.

So for clients who worry about bad weather or unexpected itinerary changes, or simply have extra time on their hands, the Royal Princess has a new answer.

Add it to the list of positive things to say about taking a cruise.

Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, names Royal Princess

By Tom Stieghorst

SOUTHAMPTON, England -- Under a gray but rain-free sky, a crowd of several hundred witnessed the official naming of the Royal Princess, the newest Princess Cruises ship, by British royalty. Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was the godmother. (Click here or on the photo to view images from the event.)

The duchess snipped a cord that sent a magnum of champagne to break on the bow of the ship and triggered a blizzard of blue and white confetti.

The 3,560-passenger ship received a blessing from the Right Reverend Tim Dakin, Bishop of Winchester, who asked God for his "blessing on all who sail in her."

The ship's captain, Tony Draper, assisted the duchess, bowing slightly and asking, "Your highness, will you name my ship?"

Dark clouds had threatened to move the christening indoors, but by 11:30 a.m. London time, they had lifted enough to allow the planned dock-side pageantry to go forward.

The entertainment included the Pipers of the 1st Battalion Irish Guards, and the Royal Marines Band Portsmouth, as well as contemporary singers Natasha Bedingfield and Kerry Ellis.

As is customary, many of the British women in the audience were decked out in hats and feathery headpieces called fascinators for the occasion. 

Duchess of Cambridge to name new cruise liner

The Duchess of Cambridge is to officially name Princess Cruises' 3,600-passenger Royal Princess this summer.
The Duchess, whose baby is due in mid-July, will be at Southampton on June 13 for the naming ceremony of Princess Cruises' 3,600-passenger Royal Princess.
The official ceremony will involve a blessing, the celebratory tradition of smashing a bottle over the hull of the ship and a performance by the Royal Marines Band and the pipers of the Irish Guards.
The Duchess will also go on board for a brief tour of the new liner which will leave on its maiden voyage on June 16.
Princess Cruises' president and chief executive Alan Buckelew said today: "It is a great honour for Princess Cruises that Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge has accepted our invitation to become the Godmother to Royal Princess.
"We are delighted that the Duchess will launch our new ship and can think of no better way to celebrate our company's British heritage and our commitment to the country."
Features of the new ship include a top-deck, glass-bottomed walkway extending 28ft (8.5m) beyond the edge of the ship, the largest pastry shop at sea and balconies on all outside staterooms.
The Royal Princess will go on Mediterranean cruises this summer followed by Eastern Caribbean cruises beginning in the autumn.

On first ship in five years, Princess Cruises builds on trends

By Tom Stieghorst

MONFALCONE, Italy — The $760 million Royal Princess, nearing completion here, is a pivotal vessel for Princess Cruises that will give it an entrant into the megaship class of vessels now being delivered to the industry.

Five years in the making, the Royal Princess will be 25% larger than the last ship Princess launched, the Ruby Princess in 2008.

Since then, ships like the Norwegian Epic and Allure of the Seas have raised expectations for what passengers can find on the most modern ships in the cruise fleet.

Like those ships, Royal Princess will have space for more features, bigger venues and greater variety in onboard experience.

Some of the features are Princess versions of ideas that have been seen elsewhere.

The “over the edge of the ship” concept, embodied in the Allure’s cantilevered hot tubs, shows up on the Royal Princess as a transparent SeaWalk over the ocean. Its newly expanded buffet area keeps pace with a similarly innovative example on the Solstice-class ships of Celebrity Cruises.

Other features let Princess leap ahead of the pack. These include a huge, dedicated pastry kitchen for the buffet restaurant.

“This is not a gimmick,” said Jonathan Wilson, vice president for hotel operations at Princess. “It’s not just one of a kind to Princess, it’s one of a kind anywhere [at sea],” he said.

Princess executives led an at-sea tour of the partly outfitted ship this week, detailing many of the new features passengers can expect onboard and outlining some of the strategies behind them.

Even from a distance, Royal Princess will have an unusual profile, shaped by the SeaWalk, a promenade that extends 28 feet over the side of the ship and offers a “Fear Factor”-style view through a see-through glass floor to the ocean 16 decks below.

On the tour, Stuart Hawkins, Princess’ vice president of newbuild, said shipbuilder Fincantieri engineered the first-of-a-kind platform with remarkable fidelity to a rendering the cruise line presented.

“We were surprised that they could make it as free-standing as they did,” he said.

The Royal Princess’ top decks feature several other innovations, although none had been completed in time for the tour.

A dancing-waters fountain with nearly 100 fountain jets is the centerpiece of the pool deck. It will be illuminated at night and will be a lounge-chair area during the day. Hawkins said sensors will monitor wind speed and conditions to determine how high the water jets will shoot, so that excess spray doesn’t carry beyond the fountain area.

Looming over the pool area is an enormous steel frame for the Movies Under the Stars outdoor video screen, which at 35 feet by 21 feet will be 30% bigger than the screens on previous Princess ships.
Adjacent to the pool deck will be the buffet dining room, Horizon Court, which will seat nearly 1,500. That is substantially larger than on other Princess vessels, and officials said they think it will solve the chronic crowding that plagues such restaurants.

“Buffets on cruise ships tend to be an Achilles’ heel because of the heavy traffic,” said Rai Caluori, Princess’ executive vice president of fleet operations and head of the newbuild team.

In another innovation, Princess has eliminated beverage stations in Horizon Court and will hire additional wait staff to serve drinks.

Adjacent to Horizon Court will be the 1,200-square-foot pastry kitchen, the Horizon Bistro, which will offer a more casual atmosphere.

“Action stations” in Horizon Court, including hibachi grills, rotisseries and a sandwich bar, cut down on the cafeteria-like queues found in older ships.

“We wanted to avoid a canteen-style, cafeteria-style ambience and make it more of a premium experience,” Wilson said.

In the evening, Horizon Court will transform into one of two alternate dining venues: Crab Shack or Fondues.

A sports well has been created above Horizon Bistro, with a basketball court, batting cages and an indoor laser shooting range. The gym has been doubled in size and moved from Deck 5, adjacent to the spa, to Deck 17 to provide light and ocean views. That also puts it over a public area instead of over cabins, so it can open earlier in the morning, Caluori said.

The expanded spa will have 18 treatment rooms. One eye-popping option will be a pair of Lotus Spa cabana rentals in the adults-only Sanctuary area on Deck 17, which will offer up to four people a daylong session of treatments and pampering for $3,000 per group.

The Sanctuary will have a total of six cabanas, the first time they have been offered on a Princess ship.

The corridors of the Royal Princess will be decorated with cruise photos taken by past passengers. A contest solicited 57,000 photos from which Caluori and his team picked 1,000 of the best submissions to be displayed with a plaque noting the photographer’s name, plus when and where the photo was taken.

“We hope all of the winners will book a cruise to take a photograph of their photograph,” Caluori joked.
Of the 1,780 cabins on the Royal Princess, 81% will have balconies. Nearly half of those will be suites, mini-suites or deluxe cabins with room for a sofa in addition to the balcony.

Three main dining areas

The ship will continue the Princess tradition of having three main dining venues, with lots of nooks and banquettes. “We’ve never wanted to be the cruise line with one massive, open, noisy dining room,” Wilson said.

But the feature room, a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired restaurant called Concerto, will sport a different look from the other two, and will include an enhanced version of the chef’s table concept.

The circular Chef’s Table Lumiere, private dining area, positioned in the middle of the ship’s traditional dining room, will be encircled by a fiber optic-illuminated curtain.

The 12-seat dining area will feature a table with a 6-foot Murano glass sculpture rising through it. When diners arrive, the floor-to-ceiling curtain will move on an automatic track, closing around them and illuminating vertically at the same time, Caluori said.

There are less showy chef’s tables in the ship’s other two main dining rooms. On previous Princess ships, they were only available on some nights of a cruise, but on the Royal Princess they will be used every night, Caluori said.

The current cover charge for the chef’s table is $90 per person, which includes wine and other features. “We may leave it, we may move it up a bit,” Caluori said of the price. “We haven’t decided.”

Several dining areas have been moved adjacent to complementary bar areas. The steakhouse, called Crown Grill, will be next to the Wheelhouse Bar, a lounge designed to male tastes.
Sabatini’s, an Italian specialty restaurant, will be situated adjacent to Vines, a wine bar that will include what Princess claims will be the largest selection of super-Tuscan wines at sea. They will be displayed in a wine tower decorated with vertical strands of crystal.

There will also be tastings of so-called super-Tuscan wines — a high-powered version of Italy’s friendly Chiantis — with more than 20 choices available.
“Wine is a focus, but it’s not superficial,” Wilson said. “There’s a lot of thought that’s gone into it.”

The midship area where passengers board will be called the Piazza, a three-story space that will be filled with eating, shopping and entertainment options.

A new gelato shop, free fresh pizza and the Bellini Bar, named for a peach-flavored Italian cocktail, will be some of the attractions.

The goal, Caluori said, is to provide enough to keep a passenger in that part of the ship for a whole evening.

If not, the ship features a main theater seating 1,000 and a second lounge/stage area with room for 320.

Princess Live will be another option. Set up like a TV production studio, the 200-seat space will offer live entertainment between 8 a.m. and midnight.

The entertainment will require little or no staging or setup time, so that there will be no more than 15 minutes between shows.

“We don’t want to have people waiting to see something set up,” said Caluori, who noted that the acts might include a quiz show, a guest lecturer, an interview with the captain or a solo entertainer of some sort.

The shows will also be part of the programming for a new, in-cabin TV service that will offer on-demand access to hundreds of movies. Viewers will be able to pause the movie so they can, for example, go to eat and resume watching after dinner, Caluori said.

Princess has been looking for awhile to upgrade its scheduled movie system to make it more appealing. Caluori said focus groups revealed that the average time passengers viewed a scheduled movie on existing ships is 11 minutes. 

New Princess ship to toot the 'Love Boat’ theme

By Tom Stieghorst

MONFALCONE, Italy – The Royal Princess cruise ship, being readied here for a June debut, will play the first two bars of the theme from the 1970s television show “The Love Boat” on its horn.

The theme will be sounded when the ship departs and arrives in port, said Ray Calouri, Princess’ executive vice president of fleet operations. The Pacific Princess appeared on “The Love Boat,” an ABC series that ran from 1977 to 1986.

Calouri tripped a switch on the unfinished bridge of the Royal Princess to play the theme for the first time publicly on a media tour of the ship, which will be dedicated in Southampton, England, in a little over two months. 

“The Love Boat” will not be a part of the promotional campaign for Royal Princess, Calouri said. The horns were “a whimsical decision,” he said.

“We’re not using ‘The Love Boat’ consciously as a marketing theme,” he said.

In past focus groups, Princess has found that too many prospective passengers have never heard of the show.

“It either didn’t mean anything, or it had a negative connotation,” because it was considered too dated, Caluori said.

On some cruises, individual Princess cruise directors play the theme over the ship’s public address system on departure but there is no uniform policy, Caluori said.

The difference on Royal Princess is that the theme will actually be sounded on the ship’s horn, which has been custom designed by Swedish firm Klockum Sonics. The installation involves five individual horns that are activated by compressed air and sequenced by computer.

There are two other horns on the ship that can be sounded independently and used for emergency signals, fog warnings and other purposes. 

Sea trials to test Royal Princess' Seawalk promenade

By Tom Stieghorst

MONFALCONE, Italy — The Fincantieri shipyard here will take the Royal Princess to sea for the first time this weekend to test the ship's systems before its scheduled debut in June in Southampton, England.

One of the areas that will be looked at is the wind protection around the ship’s signature feature, the Seawalk, a semi-elliptical glass-bottomed walkway that will extend over the ocean on a top deck.

Princess Cruises' engineers have modeled the wind around the walkway in a wind tunnel but won’t know for sure how it performs until the sea trial. The walk is fully screened with glass panels on the exterior, but has waist-high glass panels on its interior-facing side.

“I would be surprised if it’s an issue,” said Stuart Hawkins, vice president of newbuilds for Princess.

On a tour of the unfinished ship for the media, Hawkins credited Fincantieri for executing an idea that was faithful to the rendering that Princess presented to the yard.

“We were surprised that they could make it as free-standing as they did,” he said.

Rai Caluori, Princess' executive vice president of fleet operations, said the walkway will be shown to finest effect at night, when fiber-optics built into the ceiling and beneath the glass bottomed structure will illuminate the way.

Calouri and his design team detailed a host of new features packed into the ship designed to make it stand apart from previous Princess ships and vessels from competitors.

The Horizon Court buffet restaurant has been expanded to include a total of nearly 1,500 seats, including 150 in an alfresco area facing the main pool deck. Caluori said this will be a big improvement for passengers.

“Buffets on cruise ships tend to be an Achilles heel because of the heavy traffic,” he said.

Princess has eliminated beverage stations in Horizon Court and will have wait staff bring drinks to passengers’ tables.

The adjacent Bistro Lounge will include a 1,200-square-foot pastry kitchen that will turn out everything from breakfast waffles to after-dinner deserts.

Princess' vice president of hotel operations, Jonathan Wilson, said the cruise line prides itself on its pastries.

“This is not a gimmick,” he said, noting that the kitchen is as large as the homes of some potential passengers. “It’s not just one-of-a-kind to Princess, it’s one-of-a-kind anywhere [at sea],” he said.

Another new dining feature will be Chef’s Table Lumiere, a 12-seat circular private dining area in the middle of the ship’s traditional dining room that will be encircled by a fiber-optic illuminated curtain.

The dining area will feature a table with a six-foot Murano glass sculpture rising through it. When diners arrive, the retracted floor-to-ceiling curtain will move on an automatic track, closing around them and illuminating vertically at the same time, Caluori said.

There are less dramatic chef’s tables in the ship’s other two main dining rooms. On current Princess ships, they are only available on some nights of a cruise, but on Royal Princess they will be used every night, Caluori said.

Harry Potter cruise could be magical

Harry Potter cruise could be magical

A new wizard-themed ocean offering is on its way

As if by magic, a new Harry Potter cruise package designed for fans of all things Hogwarts will soon be hitting US shores.

It may have been well over a year since the final film in the Harry Potter series hit cinema screens and even longer since the last book was published, but it would appear that the marketing machine behind everyone's favourite wizard is showing little signs of slowing down.

The latest addition to the ever-expanding range of Harry Potter-themed experiences is a new five-night cruise aboard the Golden Princess liner.

Setting off from Los Angeles on November 27th, the package is currently priced at £415 per person, with the deal including food, accommodation and on-board entertainment.

Whimsic Alley is organising the cruise trip, with company founder Stan Goldin promising that fans will be left spellbound…so to speak.

"For the entire time they’re with us, they become students at a wizarding academy, subject to the challenges and ordeals inherent in that experience," he said.

The cruise is the latest movie-themed voyage to hit the high seas, following in the footsteps of such bizarre additions as the recent Saw film franchise cruise.

Island Princess rescues five stranded sailors

Island Princess rescues five stranded sailors

A group of stranded sailors have been rescued from certain death by a cruise liner


Five sailors who had been previously drifting on a small vessel in the Caribbean have been rescued by a passing Princess Cruises liner.

The group of Jamaican sailors had feared the worst when their small boat lost its way during a recent trip to a friend's barbecue, leaving them stranded in the ocean for three weeks.

However, they didn't count on the passing cruise vessel the Island Princess, which had been scheduled to head to the nearby port of Ocho Rios in Jamaica.

Speaking to the Associated Press, cruise holidaymaker Andy Greenberg recounted the events involving the discovery of the stranded vessel.

"We noticed the boat slowing down," he told the news provider

"We pulled up and the occupants were screaming: `No food, no water.'"

The stranded sailors initially requested fuel to continue on their trip but with cruise officials concerned for their health, this plea was denied and they were instead transported to the safety of the shore.

The story contrasts the tale of the Star Princess, which was previously accused of failing to stop for stranded fishermen back in March.

In that instance, evidence was eventually produced which cleared the cruise company of the claim.