Princess Cruises will relocate the June 14 christening ceremony for the Royal Princess (formerly the Minerva II), the ship Princess recently acquired from Swan Hellenic, from Santorini, Greece, to Portofino, Italy.
The ceremony was originally to have been held in Santorini in a double-naming ceremony with the Emerald Princess on May 12, but the event was changed “out of respect for the tragic sinking of Louis Cruises’ Sea Diamond in that location”, Princess said. Princess said it would name a godmother for the Royal Princess shortly.
Making the announcement on May 1, Princess Cruises said that the relocated christening of the Royal Princess will take place during the ship’s first port of call on a voyage that begins in Rome the previous day.
“Although we’re saddened by the tragedy that prompted this change, we are pleased to name Royal Princess in a beautiful Mediterranean port that signifies the ship’s visits to some of the most scenic ports in Europe,” said Alan Buckelew, president of Princess Cruises, in a statement. “Portofino is a charming example of the type of the ‘explorer’ destinations we’re able to highlight with this smaller vessel, and we’re delighted to be able to christen our new ship in such a beautiful location.”
The 30,200-ton, 710-passenger Royal Princess is a sister ship to the line’s Tahitian Princess and Pacific Princess ships. For further information visit www.princesscruises.com
Report by Chitra Mogul
