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Princess Cruises to name next new ship Regal Princess

Work has begun on the second of Princess Cruises' new generation of ships, which is to be called Regal Princess.

The name of the 141,000-ton ship was revealed at the official keel laying ceremony at the Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy.

The vessel, a sister ship to Royal Princess, will debut in Spring 2014.

Regal Princess will be the sister of Royal Princess, above, which debuts in June 2013

The company and shipyard officials started the countdown to the ship’s launch as the keel (the bottommost part of the ship) was ceremoniously lowered into position in the building dock on Wednesday (August 29).

“Just as Royal Princess was named after one of our iconic early vessels, Regal Princess also takes a name from our past that we think is well suited for this spectacular ship,” said Alan Buckelew, president aof Princess Cruises. “The keel laying is an exciting event as it marks a key milestone in our newbuilding program.”

Following a traditional blessing by a priest, the ship’s keel, weighing approximately 500 tons, was moved into position by a huge crane onto the keel blocks. The computer-guided manoeuvre took only minutes, belying the more than two million man hours that will ultimately go into building the vessel.

The 3,600-passenger ship will remain in the building dock until its float-out next summer.

Regal Princess will offer many of the same special features as Royal Princess, which debuts in June 2013.

These include

Greatly expanded atrium, the social hub of the ship

Dramatic over-water SeaWalk, a top-deck glass-bottomed walkway extending more than 28ft beyond the edge of the vessel

Plush private poolside cabanas that appear to be floating on the water

New Princess Live! television studio

Pastry shop

Special Chef’s Table Lumiere, a private dining experience that surrounds diners in a curtain of light

Balconies on all outside staterooms

More details including schedules and itineraries for Regal Princess will be announced next year.