.jpg) Regal Princess inWarnemünde, 2019 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Bermuda | |
| Name | Regal Princess |
| Owner |  Carnival Corporation & plc |
| Operator | Princess Cruises |
| Port of registry | Hamilton, Bermuda |
| Ordered | 4 May 2010[1] |
| Builder | |
| Laid down | 28 August 2012[2] |
| Launched | 26 March 2013[3] |
| Sponsored by | |
| Christened | 5 November 2014[5] |
| Acquired | 11 May 2014[4] |
| Maiden voyage | 20 May 2014[6] |
| In service | 2014–present |
| Identification | |
| Status | In service |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Royal-classcruise ship |
| Tonnage | 142,714 GT[7] |
| Displacement | 68,161 T Lightships |
| Length | 330 m (1,082 ft 8 in)[7] |
| Beam | 47 m (154 ft 2 in)[7] |
| Height | 66 m (216 ft 6 in) |
| Draft | 8.57 m (28 ft 1 in)[7] |
| Decks | 19 |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 2 × 18,000 kW (24,000 hp)[7] |
| Speed | |
| Capacity | 4,250 passengers |
| Crew | 1,350 |
Regal Princess is aRoyal-classcruise ship operated byPrincess Cruises, a subsidiary ofCarnival Corporation & plc, and is the second ship to sail for the cruise line under this name.Regal Princess, as well as hersister shipRoyal Princess, were ordered on 17 February 2010 fromFincantieri and were constructed at the Fincantieri shipyard inMonfalcone,Italy,[8] and debuted in 2014.[4]
The final contract for the first twoRoyal-class vessels was signed on 4 May 2010.[1] On 28 August 2012, the ship's keel was laid in Monfalcone and the name of the ship was also officially announced asRegal Princess.[2][9] Herfloat-out ceremony was conducted on 26 March 2013 and she was floated free from the builder'sdry dock on 29 March 2013 and then moored alongside the outfitting pier, where construction continued.[3]Regal Princess successfully completed her sea trials in theAdriatic Sea from 16 to 21 April 2014.[10]
Construction progressed faster than expected and the ship arrived 13 days ahead of schedule.[6] She was delivered to Princess Cruises on 11 May 2014 in a ceremony at Fincantieri's shipyard in Monfalcone.[4] She had her official naming ceremony inFort Lauderdale, Florida, on 5 November 2014 and was officially christened by the original cast ofThe Love Boat:Gavin MacLeod,Fred Grandy,Ted Lange,Bernie Kopell,Lauren Tewes, andJill Whelan.[5][11][12]
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The debut ofRegal Princess was conducted earlier than originally scheduled, due to an earlier delivery. The maiden voyage had been scheduled for 2 June 2014,[13] but was moved up to 20 May.[6] The ship conducted a four-night pre-inaugural cruise from 16 to 20 May 2014 fromTrieste that visitedKotor. The maiden voyage departed fromVenice on 20 May 2014 forCorfu,Mykonos, and an overnight call inIstanbul.[14] She spent her inaugural season in theMediterranean before departing Venice on 17 October 2014 to reposition toPort Everglades for her American debut, sailing EasternCaribbean itineraries.[15]
From 2014 to 2020, she sailed the Caribbean during the winter months from Port Everglades and theBaltic region in Northern Europe during the summer season, with five-to-seven-day voyages to theNew England coast andthe Maritimes fromNew York during the fall.[5][16][17][18]
In summer 2020, she was scheduled to operate her first season in theBritish Isles before repositioning toAustralia in fall 2020 for her maiden season inOceania.[19][20][21] However, due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, all British Isles voyages were cancelled.[22] In summer 2021,Regal Princess was set to debut inSeattle to cruise her firstAlaska season,[23] but fleet redeployments later scheduled her to return to Europe and homeport inSouthampton during that time frame.[24]Ever since redeployment,Regal Princess has been doing European and Caribbean Cruises every year, with the exception of 2026 where it will do Caribbean cruises year round. In 2022,Regal Princess was the setting of theAmerican andAustralian versions of the reality showThe Real Love Boat, which aired onCBS andNetwork 10.[25][26]
It featured as the location of the first two series of television show "The Cruise: Fun-Loving Brits at Sea"[27]
As a sister ship toRoyal Princess,Regal Princess shares many of the same dimensions, features, and overall design.[28][29] The ship measures 142,714 gross tonnage (GT), has a length of 330.0 metres (1,082 ft 8 in), adraught of 8.5 metres (27 ft 11 in), and a beam of 38.4 metres (126 ft 0 in). She is powered by a diesel-electricgenset system, with four totalWärtsilä engines, producing a total output of 62.4megawatts (83,700 hp).[30] Main propulsion is via twopropellers, each driven by a 18 megawatts (24,000 hp) electric motor.[30] The system gives the vessel a service speed of 22knots (41 km/h; 25 mph) and a maximum speed of 22.9 knots (42.4 km/h; 26.4 mph).[30] The ship houses 1,780 passenger cabins and 751 crew cabins.[30] Of the 1,780 passenger cabins, 81% have a balcony.[30] The ship has a maximum capacity of 5,600 passengers and crew.[30]
Describing the style that inspired much of the interior design onRegal Princess, Giacomo Mortola, head architect at ship design firm GEM, explained:
Mainly it is a combination of warm, elegant tones that convey a feeling of comfort and sophistication. One example – a favourite architect of mine, Frank Lloyd Wright, used wood, bronze, and leather-covered walls, and I used these materials to impart the look and feel of the aft dining room. These materials were also used in the entertainment areas including the Princess Theater, Vista Lounge, and TV Studio contributing to the acoustic quality in these areas.[29]
Notable features aboard the ship include a multi-level atrium, a theater, various dining rooms and restaurants, and pools.[29]
On 5 March 2019,Regal Princess rescued two survivors after their private plane crashed into the Caribbean nearGrand Turk.[31] The cruise line released a statement, saying "Princess Cruises can confirm that upon request from the U.S. Coast Guard,Regal Princess assisted in the rescue of two U.S. citizens whose private aircraft went down southeast of Grand Turk in the Caribbean Sea. Both people rescued sailed onboardRegal Princess as the ship sailed to the next port of call St. Thomas."[32]
On 7 March 2020, two crew members ofRegal Princess were tested and the docking of the ship atPort Everglades inFort Lauderdale,Florida,U.S., was delayed for about a day while waiting for test results. The tests were negative, and the crew did not have respiratory complications, so the ship was allowed to dock.[33]
On 10 May 2020, a 39-year-old female Ukrainian crew member ofRegal Princess died after going overboard from the ship while it was docked inRotterdam.[34] One source stated that she had committed suicide, and she had been scheduled to be repatriated on a charter flight which was subsequently cancelled.[35] She was reportedly distraught and last seen crying aboard the ship.[34][36]
