FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla.,
Dec. 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Princess
Cruises, the world's fastest growing international premium cruise
line, christened its newest ship, Sky Princess today in a
moving tribute to the pioneering women of the U.S. Space Program
who represent crowning achievements in science, research and
technology through innovation and their desire to explore the far
reaches of the sky.
Princess Cruises chose the theme of Reach for the Sky for
the occasion, and honored two women of NASA for their achievements
in the U.S. space program: Captain Kay
Hire, and engineer Poppy
Northcutt, who served as the godmothers of Sky Princess.
Captain Hire began her 30-year NASA career as a mechanical
systems engineer, helping to launch more than 40 space missions.
Then, as an astronaut, she logged 700 hours in space, flew over 12
million miles, and orbited the earth 475 times. She was the first
female assigned to a military combat flight crew while serving in
the U.S. Navy. And, she retired from the U.S. Navy with more 35
years of service. Poppy Northcutt
served as the first female mission control engineer when NASA made
history with its mission to the moon. When the crew of Apollo 13
became stranded in their service module, it was her team's
calculations that brought them home safely – a feat of heroism that
earned the entire mission operations a Presidential Medal of
Freedom Team Award.
"As we celebrate our newest, most technologically advanced ship
– one whose spirit of adventure and discovery match the grandeur of
her name, Sky Princess, we also applaud the groundbreaking women of
the U.S. Space Program." said Princess Cruises President
Jan Swartz. "Our godmothers, Captain
Kay Hire and Poppy Northcutt, remind us all of what we can
achieve when we reach for the sky."
Sky Princess Captain Heikki
Laakkonen also recognized two Sky Princess female officers
who embody the Reach for the Sky theme, striving for success
in leadership positions –Kerry Ann Wright, who started working in
the cruise industry as a spa technician and went back to school to
rise through the ranks to become a Second Officer
working on the bridge; and Chief Security Officer Susan Morgan, who is the longest serving woman
in the British Royal Navy.
Captain Hire and Poppy Northcutt,
recited the traditional cruise ship blessing before pushing a
NASA-style "launch" button releasing and smashing a 15-liter bottle
of champagne, officially naming Sky Princess.
Additional women of NASA recognized for their unwavering quest
to Reach for the Sky in a tribute video, included:
- The first woman of color to travel to outer space Dr.
Mae Jemison.
- The first Hispanic woman in space who later became Director of
the Johnson Space Center Dr. Ellen
Ochoa.
- The first woman to command the Space Shuttle Eileen
Collins.
- The first woman to command the International Space Stations
Peggy Whiston.
- The first woman to join a spacewalk Kathryn D. Sullivan.
The ceremony featured star-studded entertainment adding to the
exciting bottle break moment, including Princess Cruises
Celebrations Ambassador and Love
Boat actress Jill Whelan,
serving as ceremony co-host with Sky Princess Cruise Director
Alexander Yepremian; and a
performance of Dream On from America's Got
Talent Alum Brian Justin Crum. The finale of the naming
ceremony included a performance of This is Me from The
Greatest Showman and featured in the cruise line's new
production show Rock Opera.
Sky Princess, recently completed her inaugural season in
Europe and is now sailing on
voyages to the Caribbean through
spring 2020. Representing an evolution of the design
platform used for her sister Royal-Class ships
- Regal Princess, Royal Princess and Majestic Princess -
the 143,700-ton, 3,660-guest Sky Princess offers an
elevation of spectacular style and
elegance that Princess is known for, in addition to
new distinct features.
Introduced on Sky Princess are new luxury Sky Suites boasting
expansive views from the largest balconies at sea. In
addition, two new entertainment experiences are offered
- Phantom Bridge, a world's first game combining digital
and physical elements for the ultimate immersive escape room,
and Take Five, the only jazz theater at sea, celebrating
the iconic sounds, culture and history of jazz.
The debut of Sky Princess marks the first MedallionClass
new build. Powered by the OceanMedallion™, the global
hospitality industry's most advanced wearable device,
MedallionClass vacations deliver a new level of
service for a vacation that is more seamless, effortless
and personalized. Considered a breakthrough in the vacation
industry and a CES® 2019 Innovation Award
Honoree, the complimentary OceanMedallion features
leading-edge technology that delivers personalized service through
enhanced guest-crew interactions, while eliminating friction
points and enabling interactive entertainment.
The Princess Cruises fleet continues to expand with Enchanted
Princess in June 2020, Discovery Princess
in November 2021 and two new (LNG) ships in 2023 and
2025.
Additional information about Sky Princess and Princess
Cruises is available through a professional travel advisor, by
calling 1-800-PRINCESS (1-800-774-6237), or by visiting the
company's website at www.princess.com.
Note to Editors - Assets, including still photos
and video A-Roll and B-Roll, can be found
here: https://tinyurl.com/Sky-Princess-Naming
About Princess Cruises
One of the best-known names in
cruising, Princess Cruises is the fastest growing international
premium cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of 18
modern cruise ships, carrying two million guests each year to
380 destinations around the globe, including the Caribbean, Alaska, Panama Canal, Mexican Riviera,
Europe, South America, Australia/New
Zealand, the South Pacific, Hawaii, Asia,
Canada/New England, Antarctica and World Cruises. A team of
professional destination experts have curated 170 itineraries,
ranging in length from three to 111 days and Princess Cruises is
continuously recognized as "Best Cruise Line for
Itineraries."
In 2017 Princess Cruises, with parent company Carnival
Corporation, introduced MedallionClass Vacations enabled by
the OceanMedallion, the vacation industry's most advanced
wearable device, provided free to each guest sailing on
a MedallionClass ship. The award-winning innovation
offers the fastest way to a hassle-free, personalized vacation
giving guests more time to do the things they love
most. MedallionClass Vacations will be activated on
five ships by the end of 2019. An activation plan will continue
across the global fleet in 2020 and beyond.
Princess Cruises continues its multi-year, "Come Back New
Promise" – a $450 million-dollar
product innovation and cruise ship renovation campaign that will
continue to enhance the line's onboard guest experience. These
enhancements result in more moments of awe, lifetime memories and
meaningful stories for guests to share from their cruise vacation.
The product innovations include partnerships with award-winning
Chef Curtis Stone; engaging
entertainment inspired shows with Broadway-legend Stephen Schwartz; immersive activities for the
whole family from Discovery and Animal Planet that include
exclusive shore excursions to onboard activities; the ultimate
sleep at sea with the award-winning Princess Luxury Bed and
more.
Two new Royal-class ships are currently under construction -
Enchanted Princess, scheduled for delivery in June 2020, followed by Discovery Princess in
November 2021. Princess previously
announced that two new (LNG) ships which will be the largest ships
in the Princess fleet, accommodating approximately 4,300 guests are
planned for delivery in 2023 and 2025. Princess now has four
ships arriving over the next five years between 2020 and 2025. The
company is part of Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;
NYSE:CUK).
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/princess-cruises-celebrates-the-women-of-nasa-at-dedication-ceremony-naming-new-sky-princess-300971000.html
SOURCE Princess Cruises