We were fortunate enough to have been invited to the christening of the Princess Cruises newest ship, the Regal Princess. This was by far the most magnificent naming ceremony we’ve ever attended which is only appropriate for the most magnificent ship we’ve ever had the privilege to sail. The event marked the launch of Princess Cruises 50th Anniversary celebration.
The nostalgia exceeded our expectations a thousand times over. The Love Boat cast was named ship’s Godparents and over twenty celebrity guest stars from the show participated in Gold Carpet interviews. Florence Henderson stepped up as Master of Ceremonies. Jack Jones was on hand to sing the love boat theme song. After remarks by Carnival President and CEO, Arnold Donald, and Princess Cruises President, Jan Swartz, there was a moving video tribute to Princess Cruises Founder, Stanley McDonald.
Charo then electrified the audience playing flamenco music on her guitar. The funniest line of the night was delivered by Father Ronald Perkins after he was introduced to for the ship’s blessing, when he commented that he had followed a lot of tough acts before, but he’d never had to follow Charo. The evening culminated with the christening of the ship with 50 bottles of champagne (one for each year of Princess Cruises) plus one final bottle signifying the future. It was a magical evening to say the least – especially for us mid-lifers.
We’ll be writing more about our journey aboard the #RegalPrincess, but for now, we hope you enjoy these pictures from the Regal Princess Naming Ceremony.
Bernie Kopell, Gred Gandy, Ted Lange, and Jill Whelan
Crowd gathering for the festivities
Gavin MacLeod, Bernie Kopell, and Fred Gandy looking on at the celebration
The Amazing Charo doing what she does best
Loni Anderson, Joyce Dewitt, Jamie Farr, and Pam Grier
Marion Ross, Doris Roberts, Adrian Zmed, and Frank Sinatra Jr.
Donny Most, Lee Meriwether, Mackenzie Phillips, and Tracy Nelson
Lorenzo Lamas, Carol Lawrence, Rich Little, and Kristy McNichol
Christopher Knight, Florence Henderson, Diane Ladd, and Jack Jones
Princess is my favorite cruise line for many reasons and I’m working hard to get to Elite status. I certainly would have loved to have been at the christening. The show brought a huge audience to the seas, especially to Princess. I truly wish there were more quality shows like the Love Boat on the air today. I wish Princess, all of their employees, and all of their marvelous ships safe and memorable voyages for another 50+ years. See you on the Caribbean Princess in February….can’t wait!
Princess is a special company indeed. Meeting the cast was surreal – brought back so many memories! Hope you have as much fun on your cruise as we did on ours! Cheers!
Excellent show Doug! Thanks for sharing!