Names Trademarked

Royal Caribbean International, along with other operators, is no stranger to placing a trademark on potential ship names so as to safeguard them for future use. Names such as Quantum, Ovation, Anthem and Symphony of the Seas were all trademarked well ahead of their use. The next Quantum Class ship has been allocated the name Icon of the Seas whilst the latest names that Royal Caribbean have placed their mark on are Spectrum of the Seas, Apex of the Seas and Joy of the Seas. The latter two were trademarked on 27th June having previously been earmarked but cast aside in September 2015. Royal Caribbean’s 225,282gt Symphony of the Seas was floated out at STX France during the week beginning 5th June ahead of her April 2018 debut. The Symphony of the Seas will spend her inaugural summer season cruising the Mediterranean prior to arriving in Miami in early November to begin 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries.

Carnival Newbuild

On 7th July the steel cutting ceremony of the third ‘Vista class cruise ship, which Fincantieri is building for Carnival Cruise Line, took place at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard. She will be delivered in autumn 2019. The new unit will be a sister ship of the Carnival Vista, delivered in Monfalcone in April, 2016, as well as the Carnival Horizon, also currently under construction at the shipyard in Marghera with delivery scheduled at the beginning of 2018. At 133,500gt and 323m long these ships are the largest that Fincantieri has ever built for Carnival Cruise Line. The 6,500 guest & crew capacity ships have 1,987 passenger cabins and a crew of 761. Aboard the newbuild, as with the first two ships, there will be the Havana Area, a themed private and exclusive zone, with cabins, open bars and an Infinity Pool.

Majestic Ceremony

On 21st June Princess Cruises announced that Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li, would serve as Inaugural Cruise Ambassadors for Princess Cruises in China and officially name the new 144,216gt/2017 built Majestic Princess during a ceremony and gala celebration on 9th July.

The inaugural festivities took place aboard the Majestic Princess in Shanghai on as the culmination of weeks of celebrations, upholding maritime traditions, as well as featuring traditional Chinese, contemporary Chinese, and western-inspired cultural performances that took place between Rome and Xiamen. Yao Ming and his wife, Ye Li, were both born in Shanghai and were both team members of China’s national basketball teams. Yao Ming is an icon, one of the world’s best-known athletes, a global ambassador of basketball, an eight-time NBA All-Star, and most recently, an inductee into the NBA Hall of Fame. The ship embarked upon her first homeport season in Shanghai from 11th July. Meanwhile, Princess Cruises’ 30,312gt/1999 built Pacific Princess emerged from a two-week dry dock in June complete with 700 Princess Luxury Beds, refurbished dining venues and 336 refreshed staterooms. The vessel now features the new livery hull design and a new premium stateroom category, Club Class Mini-suites, featuring VIP amenities & exclusive dining. Sterling Steakhouse, Sabatini’s Restaurant, The Club Restaurant and The Panorama Buffet have all been enhanced, while the pool deck has been transformed with a garden-like atmosphere. The ship returned to Fort Lauderdale prior to sailing to Europe for the summer.