Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades was awash with star power Thursday — both human and mechanical.
Later in the day, Princess Cruises officially welcomed the new star of its fleet, the Star Princess, with the help of Academy Award winner Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camilla.
The celebrity couple from Texas hosted the 25-minute naming ceremony in the ship’s Princess Arena Theater, which included the traditional breaking of the bottle.
As the ship’s godparents, the McConaugheys smashed a large bottle of Pantalone tequila against the hull, breaking the tradition of using champagne at ship naming ceremonies.
Two years ago, the couple launched the Pantalones line of tequilas.
“As we all know, a bottle of champagne (traditionally) hits the side of a ship, right? But today it won’t be a bottle of champagne,” Matthew McConaughey said with a laugh on stage before reciting the traditional blessing for a new ship.
“May God bless her and everyone who sails on her,” the “Lost Bus” actor said, before Camilla repeated a version of the same sentence before they both turned to the theater’s giant LED screen to watch the bottles crash against the hull.
Star Princess, built at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, is the second ship in a new series of ships called the Sphere Class, which breaks new ground for Princess Cruises. Like her 1-year-old sister ship Sun Princess, it is more than 20 percent larger than any other ship in the Princess fleet, with a gross tonnage of 177,800 tons, can accommodate up to 5,189 passengers (a Princess cruise record), and comes with more onboard space.
Nearly five weeks after the Star Princess first sailed with paying passengers, hundreds of cruise industry leaders, travel advisors and media attended the invitation-only naming celebration.
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“Star Princess is a testament to passion, craftsmanship and teamwork,” Princess Cruises President Gus Antorcha said at the event, citing shipyard workers and Princess Cruises staff who worked on the project. “Together they created something extraordinary.”
The naming ceremony was followed by a surprise performance on deck by renowned singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow, who played her most famous hits to a delighted audience. The concert was followed by a spectacular Alaska-themed drone light show that filled the ship’s sky with images of bears, whales and other highlights of the Alaska Princess Cruises.
In addition to the McConaugheys and Crowe, other celebrities attending the festivities included Brazilian artist Romero Britto, whose colorful, optimistic art is the theme of the ship’s high-end restaurant Love by Britto; and Jill Whelan, who played Vicki Stubing in the hit TV series “The Love Boat” in the 1970s and ’80s, which was set on the Princess Ship.
One of the largest princess ships ever built
Like its one-year-old sister, Sun Princess, Star Princess offers several new features.
The two ships are the first Princess Cruises ships to feature suites with exclusive access to private dining rooms, lounges and sundecks, part of the brand’s efforts to attract more high-end customers.
In addition, both ships offer innovative “cabins” on the extra-wide 10th deck, with access to a private deck area. The Princess’s unusual hissing sound also came from the top deck of the ship. On both ships, passengers will find a glass-domed pool area that transforms into a nightclub after the sun goes down.
Other differences between the Sphere-class ships and earlier Princess-class ships include the lack of a cafeteria on the main pool deck. But buffet lovers need not worry: There are still buffet-like establishments on board. Known as “The Eatery,” they are located eight decks below each ship’s pool deck, closer to each ship’s central concourse, and immediately adjacent to the exterior promenade.
The Princess Arena, the ship’s main theater, also has a new look. Their new princess round shape can be converted into a more traditional proscenium theater or keyhole theater to suit different types of productions.
Among other great venues, Star Princess and Sun Princess both feature secret performance spaces designed in partnership with Los Angeles’ Magic Castle Show Venue for magic shows.
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The arrival of the Sphere Class marks the first time Princess has introduced a new range of ships in more than a decade. With the debut of Star Princess and Sun Princess, the company’s fleet now consists of 17 ships with a combined capacity of approximately 54,000 passengers. This makes Princess the fifth largest cruise line in the world, behind Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruise Lines, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Lines.
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The Star Princess will initially sail from Fort Lauderdale to the Caribbean. It will relocate to Seattle in May to begin its voyage to Alaska. A seven-night Caribbean cruise costs $499 per person, including taxes and fees.
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