p26 cruise V2 nov21 18/11/08 14:07 Page 26
news cruise
ttglive.com
Princess Cruises celebrates the launch of its 3,080-passenger Ruby Princess with an onboard wedding.
Gary Buchanan reports from the christening of the line’s 17th vessel in Port Everglades, Florida
Ruby Princess: What
Love is in the air
agents thought of it
Stefan Shillito,
managing director,
at Ruby ceremony
Sovereign Cruise Club,
Reading PORT Everglades in Florida was bathed in a sea
“Princess Cruises sets the of red as guests attended the naming of Ruby
standard for large, Princess, the latest addition to the Princess
premium-class ships. Cruises fleet, last week.
“The concept of Personal Choice Dining British travel agents joined a contingent of the
and the innovation of breakfast for suite US travel trade as the company’s 17th ship was
passengers served in Sabatini’s means the christened.
differential between Princess Cruises and With former Love Boat captain Gavin MacLeod
ultra-deluxe cruise lines is being blurred. in attendance, the new 3,080-passenger vessel
“I also enjoyed the vibrancy of the street was christened by America’s high-profile reality
theatre in the Piazza and the concept of TV couple Trista and Ryan Sutter of The
Movies under the Stars. Without doubt Bachelorette show.
the perceived value is excellent. Having The wedding of a Californian couple also took
experienced the product at first hand, it’s place during the ceremony. This was followed
given me an impetus to sell Princess Cruises.” by a “Ruby Red Tie” gala dinner and two-night
cruise from Fort Lauderdale.
Elyse Carro, “It’s only fitting that as the most romantic
travel consultant, cruise line in the industry, we celebrate the nam-
Bath Travel, ing of our newest ship with a tribute to romantic
Lymington milestones,” said Alan Buckelew, president and Gavin MacLeod, who played the captain in Love Boat, at
“The Movies under the chief executive of Princess Cruises. the Princess Ruby naming ceremony in Fort Lauderdale
Stars concept wowed me. At the event, Pieter van der Schee, UK head of
The crew were incredibly friendly and brand marketing for Princess Cruises, revealed “The new 2009 programme has been met
the food fantastic. I’m very happy to the company had trebled its business in the UK with excitement and enthusiasm by the trade.”
recommend Princess Cruises to my clients.” over the past five years. Van der Schee claimed 2009 sales had got off
For the first time next year, the 2,600-passen- to a great start. And for the important turn-of-
■Elyse Carro was the winner of the“Ruby is ger Grand Princess will sail from Southampton year sales period, he said Princess will introduce
for Love” competition in TTG last month between April and September, operating a series a range of offers to ensure competitive prices.
of two 14-night and two seven-night itineraries. The line has also said it will increase market-
“This represents a 40% increase in capacity,” ing spend as well as offering joint marketing
said van der Schee. initiatives and ship visits.
Ruby to sail in the
Med next summer
RUBY Princess will make its European debut next
summer offering a series of 12-night fly-cruises in
the Mediterranean and Greek Islands.
Compared with other ships in the same
class, such as Crown Princess, various design
elements have been enhanced including the
piazza-style atrium.
The signature Sabatini’s Italian restaurant and
the Crown Grill have been expanded and the Per-
sonal Choice Dining option has also been revamped.
The adults-only oasis of The Sanctuary is
expected to prove popular, as is the 300-square-
foot screen above the Calypso Pool. British travel agents were invited to Florida to welcome Princess Ruby into Fort Lauderdale
26 21.11.2008
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