Princess Cruises has announced their upcoming ship, due to become the largest in the fleet, will be named the Majestic Princess and will be designed to cater for the emerging Chinese cruise market. Like all the big cruise players, Princess Cruises has responded to the growing demand for Chinese cruises by sending a dedicated ship to the shores of the far-east.
Weighing in at 143,000 gross tonnes, the Majestic Princess will be slightly larger than the line’s existing largest ships. The new vessel will join the Royal Princess and Regal Princess in the Royal Class when she takes to the seas in 2017.
Despite being named the Majestic Princess to fit in with the cruise line’s naming policy, the ship will be known as Sheng Shi Gong Zhu Hao in China – quickly interpreted as ‘Grand World’ or ‘Grand Spirit’.
Many of the features of the ship will be designed to cater exclusively for the Chinese tourism trade, with amenities including t’ai chi, Chinese satellite television and regional cuisine all available on board.
The new ship will not represent Princess Cruises’ first foray into the Chinese cruise market – the Sapphire Princess was homeported in Shanghai in 2014, visiting a selection of port cities throughout the region. Majestic of the Seas’ home will also be Shanghai as the ship completes itineraries to unconfirmed ports in Japan and South Korea.
Princess Cruises’ president, Jan Swartz, enthused: We’re excited to be the first line to offer a genuine premium cruise option to Chinese vacationers. [Majestic Princess] represents our brand’s long-term commitment to the continuing growth.”
Although the ship will be fitted with a number of Chinese-centric flourishes and amenities, many of its design and structural features will be the same as those found on the other ships of the Royal Class ships. Chinese cruise fans will be delighted that the above water walkway, SkyWalk, will be retained – giving passengers the chance to stretch their legs cantilevered above the water’s surface.
Images courtesy of Princess Cruises
